Browse the Glossary
This
Glossary of Soil Science Terms was an ad hoc committee of the Soil Science of America to provide a single glossary of terms for the various disciplines of soil science. Thanks are expressed to the many members of the society who have aided in the development of this glossary over the years.
Print Copies are Available
Conversion Factors for SI and non-SI Units
- Units of length, area, volume - PDF
- Units of mass, yield and rate, specific surface, and pressure - PDF
- Units of density, temperature, energy, work, quantity of heat, transpiration and photosynthesis, and plane angle - PDF
- Units of electrical conductivity, electricity, magnetism, water measurement, concentrations, radioactivity, and plant nutrient conversion - PDF
Dictionary File for Microsoft Word
Directions: Save the file below in the same directory as Microsoft Word's 'custom.dic' file and the Internet Glossary of Soil Science Terms will be available for use by Microsoft Word.
*Tip: Use your operating system's Find Files/Folders search feature to locate 'custom.dic' file if you are unsure of its location on your computer.
Right click on this link and save this file as described above.
Tables, Figures & Appendix
- Table 1. Terms for describing consistence (rupture resistance) of blocklike specimens - PDF
- Table 2. Pore size classification - PDF
- Table 3. Classification of rock fragments - PDF
- Table 4. Shapes and size classes of soil structure - PDF
- Table 5. Soil water terminology - PDF
- Figure 1. Graph showing the percentage of sand, silt, and clay in the soil texture classes - PDF
- View the appendix