Use of Agricultural Soil Survey Maps for Engineering Geologic Mapping

Soil mapping, classification, and pedologic modeling: History and future directions

“…Spatial geologic information is an important component when addressing a number of issues, but geologic maps are often not available or are not of sufficient resolution for modern land use planning (Coleman, 1963;Prokopovich, 1984) and to address a range of environmental issues (Lindholm, 1994;Juilleret et al, 2012). Soil maps have been used to create geologic maps (Rogers, 1953;Prokopovich, 1984;Lindholm, 1993;Miller et al, 2008;Oehlke and Dolliver, 2011) and expand on the mapped extent of geologic deposits (Thorp, 1949;Juilleret et al, 2012;Luehmann et al, 2013;Schaetzl and Attig, 2013) and landforms (Coleman, 1963;Brevik and Fenton, 1999). Quantitative comparisons have shown good agreement between geologic maps created with soil information and traditional geologic maps (Evans, 2002;Oehlke and Dolliver, 2011;Miller and Burras, 2015) at a fraction of the cost necessary to undertake detailed geologic mapping using traditional techniques (Prokopovich, 1984;Lindholm, 1994;Evans, 2002).…”

“…Soil maps have been used to create geologic maps (Rogers, 1953;Prokopovich, 1984;Lindholm, 1993;Miller et al, 2008;Oehlke and Dolliver, 2011) and expand on the mapped extent of geologic deposits (Thorp, 1949;Juilleret et al, 2012;Luehmann et al, 2013;Schaetzl and Attig, 2013) and landforms (Coleman, 1963;Brevik and Fenton, 1999). Quantitative comparisons have shown good agreement between geologic maps created with soil information and traditional geologic maps (Evans, 2002;Oehlke and Dolliver, 2011;Miller and Burras, 2015) at a fraction of the cost necessary to undertake detailed geologic mapping using traditional techniques (Prokopovich, 1984;Lindholm, 1994;Evans, 2002). The ability to isolate geologic attributes in future soil maps and classifications could enhance the use of soil information to provide more detailed geologic maps when needed (Brevik and Miller, 2015).…”

The Use of Soil Surveys to Aid in Geologic Mapping with an Emphasis on the Eastern and Midwestern United States

“…This technique has been used in studies on landform and bedrock distribution, for environmental research, and even to support USGS and State Geological Survey mapping efforts. Soil‐based geologic mapping does not replace traditional geologic mapping, but it can sometimes be used to provide geologic information in cases where geologic maps are not available or when the geologic maps are not at a detailed enough scale to meet information needs (Prokopovich, 1984; Lindholm, 1994b; Birkeland, 1999; Brevik and Fenton, 1999; Brevik, 2000).…”

“…Prokopovich (1984) discussed the use of NCSS soil maps to generate geologic maps in alluvial environments in support of engineering projects. He found that the geologic maps available were typically too general to be useful for the planning of engineering projects, and conducting detailed geologic mapping in support of these projects was time‐consuming and expensive.…”

“…Key: 1, San Luis Canal and check structures; 2, pumping plant; 3, Coast Range foothills; 4, outer rim of eastside piedmont alluvium; 5, basin alluvium; 6, basin alluvium lake beds; 7, outer rim of westside piedmont alluvium; 8, “normal” westside piedmont alluvium. Map from Prokopovich (1984).…”