INTERACTIVE COMPUTER PROGRAMME FOR DEMOSTRATION OF MICROMORPHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF THE PROCESS OF HYDROMORPHY IN SOILS

C. Dorronsoro; J. Fernández and J. Aguilar
Departamento de Edafología y Química Agrícola. Facultad de Ciencias.Universidad de Granada.18002 Granada. Spain.

The programme describes, at a microscopic level, the features resulting from hydromorphic processes in soils, relates them to features at a microcopic level and analyzes the conditions neccesary for their formation.

The programme covers six points.

INTRODUCTION, considering the processes of oxidation/reduction and the conditions neccesary.

MICROFEATURES: accumulation and depletion pedofeatures are described and their respective conditions of formation analyzed.

MICROPROFILES, explaining the vertical sequences of features at a micro-scale level.

STAGES, evaluating the degree of hydromorphism in soils, and distinguishing five levels of intensity.

PALEOHYDROMORPHISM, indicating which features are most characteristic to differentiate between present day hydromorphism and ancient hydromorphism.

TEST, allowing the students to evaluate their knowledge of the concepts and features discussed in the programme.

The prograrnme is constructed in Hypercard 2.2, using a Hypertalk language for Macintosh minicomputer, but could be adapted for Windows.