Field Book for Describing and Sampling Soils, version 3.0
The Field Book for Describing and Sampling Soils, version 3.0 (Schoeneberger, Wysocki, Benham, and Soil Survey Staff, 2012) is a 4" x 7" spiral-bound publication printed on waterproof paper. Page tabs mark Field Book chapters and sections for quick, easy reference. Early chapters address Site Description, Soil Profile/Pedon Description, and Geomorphology. Latter chapters provide information on Geology, Soil Taxonomy, Location, Field Sampling, and Miscellaneous topics.
The Science and Art of Soil and Landscape Description
The Field Book summarizes the present science and art of describing and documenting soils and soilscapes in the USA. The intended audience is professionals who describe soils for various purposes. The Field Book includes key descriptors, conventions, and concepts from soil science and geomorphology to facilitate field observations and soil documentation. The Field Book also aids in understanding soil descriptions and data found in soil surveys, dissertations, research papers, and general soil publications.
Version 3.0 (2012) includes new content, chapter updates, new terms, and addresses errors in earlier versions. Version 3.0 supersedes previous releases, which should be discarded.
The third printing (2021) of the field book contains some minor changes from previous printings. The changes are mostly errata, such as misspelled words. For a complete list of changes, see Changes to the Third Printing (PDF; 205 KB).