Amazonian Dark Earths: Explorations in Space and Time

✍ Scribed by William I. Woods, Bruno Glaser (auth.), Dr. Bruno Glaser, Professor William I. Woods (eds.)

Publisher: Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
Year: 2004
Tongue: English
Leaves: 221
Edition: 1
Category: Library

No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.

✦ Synopsis

The regenerative qualities identified in prehistoric, anthropogenic Amazonian dark earths suggest that notoriously infertile tropical soils can be greatly improved. Soil enhancement practices by ancient Amerindians allowed them to cultivate the land intensively, without needing to continually clear new fields from forest. As increasing populations place ever greater pressure on tropical forests, this legacy of rich, 'living' soils warrants further study in the search for high-yield, land-intensive, yet sustainable forms of management. The international group of contributors to this volume provides a variety of stances centering on aspects of the origin, distribution, variability, persistence, and use of Amazonian dark earths.

✦ Table of Contents

Front Matter....Pages I-XIV
Towards an Understanding of Amazonian Dark Earths....Pages 1-8
History, Current Knowledge and Future Perspectives of Geoecological Research Concerning the Origin of Amazonian Anthropogenic Dark Earths ( Terra Preta )....Pages 9-17
Evolution of the Scientific Knowledge Regarding Archaeological Black Earths of Amazonia....Pages 19-28
A Geographical Method for Anthrosol Characterization in Amazonia: Contributions to Method and Human Ecological Theory....Pages 29-51
Paleoriverine Features of the Amazon Lowlands: Human Use of the ‘Arena Negra’ Soils of Lake Charo, Northeastern Peru....Pages 53-65
Dark Earth in the Upper Amazon....Pages 67-94
Organic Matter in Archaeological Black Earths and Yellow Latosol in the Caxivanã, Amazonia, Brazil....Pages 95-111
Sequential P Fractionation of Relict Anthropogenic Dark Earths of Amazonia....Pages 113-123
The Timing of Terra Preta Formation in the Central Amazon: Archaeological Data from Three Sites....Pages 125-134
Semi-Intensive Pre-European Cultivation and the Origins of Anthropogenic Dark Earths in Amazonia....Pages 135-143
Identifying the Pre-Columbian Anthropogenic Input on Present Soil Properties of Amazonian Dark Earths ( Terra Preta )....Pages 145-158
Use of Space and Formation of Terra Preta : The Asurini do Xingu Case Study....Pages 159-167
Research on Anthropogenic Dark Earth Soils. Could It Be a Solution for Sustainable Agricultural Development in the Amazon?....Pages 169-181
Slash and Char: An Alternative to Slash and Burn Practiced in the Amazon Basin....Pages 183-193
Microbial Response to Charcoal Amendments of Highly Weathered Soils and Amazonian Dark Earths in Central Amazonia — Preliminary Results....Pages 195-212
Back Matter....Pages 213-216

✦ Subjects

Sedimentology; Agriculture; Landscape Ecology; Anthropology

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