Soil Taxonomy : A Basic System of Soil Classification for Making and Interpreting Soil Surveys

NRCS maintains and provides leadership for amending Soil Taxonomy and for maintaining the soil series classification data. All soil surveys within the National Cooperative Soil Survey (NCSS) must use Soil Taxonomy. Soil surveys use Soil Taxonomy to provide: A connotative naming system that enables those users familiar with the nomenclature to remember selected properties of soils. A means for understanding the relationships among soils within a given area and in different areas. A means of communicating concepts of soils and soil properties. A means of projecting experience with soils from one area to another. Names that can be used as reference terms to identify soil map unit components.