Reconnaissance soil survey in northern Surinam

By aerial photography and numerous field observations a map with soil landscapes of the northern part of Surinam on a scale of approximately 1: 600,000 was constructed. On this map three main landscapes were distinguished: the landscapes with young soils from sedimentary parent materials on young coastal plain, old soils from sedimentary materials or old coastal plain and soils from residual parent materials. The last group included soil landscapes on schists, on granite and on subgreywacke and all lateritic or laterite-like soils.

Near Paramaribo part of the young and the old coastal plain was examined more closely and the results were shown on a reconnaissance soil association map on a scale 1:100,000.

Methods were discussed and ways were considered of using aerial photographs for soil mapping in humid tropical areas covered by dense forests. With expensive and therefore limited fieldwork the relation between soil and aerial photographic image needed to be determined. Individual soils had to be grouped into soil mapping units recognizable on aerial photographs, thus making it possible to follow their boundaries on photographs and to plot them directly. Real physiographic soil maps 1:100,000 could be made with mapping units distinguished on a reconnaissance soil map but with boundaries as detailed as from a detailed soil map.