The Soils of Argentina

GERARDO RUBIO; RAUL LAVADO; FERNANDO PEREYRA

Springer

Lugar: Cham; Año: 2019 p. 288

978-3-319-76851-9

Argentina occupies the eighth position in the list of countriesranked by total area. Its continental territory forms a triangular platformtilted eastward extending from 22º to 55°10´ S. The large extension determines the existence of awide variety of climates, vegetation, landforms and soil types. The annual meanprecipitation varies from less than 100 mm on the west to more than 2,000 mm onthe northeast. Most of the territory is subject to temperatures below 0°C. Landcover varies from semi-desert low vegetation to subtropical forests andwetlands, grasslands alternating with dry forests, and wetlands in cold areas,to just mention some examples. The country shows greataltitudinal variation. While most of the territory is below 200 m.a.s.l., the western border,corresponding to the Andes Mountain Range and associated mountain systems,possess several of the highest peaks of the planet. The main factors thatdetermine the geomorphology of Argentina are the Andean orogeny, the opening ofthe Atlantic Ocean and the geological and structural behavior of lithologiespre-existing to both events.  Other relevant aspects affecting localgeomorphology are the climatic variability that occurred in the past, theglaciations, the sea level fluctuations and the tectonic movements. Nosurprisingly, Argentina exhibits a great variety of soils. The whole set of SoilsOrders are represented in the country.   Argentina has some of the most fertile soils in theworld, especially those located in the Pampean Region. In this sense, soilsconstitute one of the greatest assets of Argentina and give the country the capacityto produce food for more than ten times its current population.  Across the large area of the country, an intricate patternof soils converges with a wide array of climates, vegetation types andlandscapes, which in turn intermingle with human activities to configure thecurrent geography. In the different chapters, the specific available informationwas summarized and grouped into regions. As expected, this regionalization wasnot necessarily concurrent for each individual components (e,g. climate,parental materials, vegetation).  There are still numerous knowledge gaps and uncertaintiesin several issues related to Argentinean soils.Anyway, knowledge about our soils has advanced a great deal in the last decadesand this book intended to offer it to the international audience.  The book was organized following a sequential order.The first group of chapters (1-4) provides a general perspective of the local historyof soil science and the soil forming factors (geology and geomorphology, climate natural vegetation). A second group ofchapters (5-15) dealswith the features of Argentinean soils. This sectionstarts with a general compilation of the distribution and classification of Argentinean soils,which is followed by specific chapters for each of the different regions(Pampas, Patagonia, Northwestern, Cuyo,Chaco, Mesopotamia, and the claimed Argentine Antarctica). A third group ofchapters (16-19) discusses aspects of land use, soil erosion and soilcontamination. The book ends with a multi-authored chapter about the futureissues for soil science in Argentina. Chapters reflect the experience andknowledge of each author or group of authors. They are all experts in thesubject of each particular chapter and have direct contact with the local soils.The authors have different backgrounds and areaffiliated to different organizations, as the National Institute ofAgricultural Technology (INTA), the National Scientific and Technical ResearchCouncil (CONICET), the Geological and Mining Survey of Argentina (SEGEMAR) andseveral Universities. This diversity ensures a transversal view of theArgentinean soils. Gerardo RubioFernando X PereyraRaul S Lavado