In Northern Ireland a diverse parent geology has been complicated by the effects of glaciation and climatic history to create a fantastic diversity of soils. The AFBI Soil Survey project is the only systematic study of the soils of Northern Ireland and has resulted in the production of a series of maps, books and extensive digital datasets.

The remarkable variety of soils in Northern Ireland reflects the varied character of the natural environment, which is the same as the soil-forming environment. All the elements of the soil-forming environment (so-called ‘soil-forming factors’) are expressed here over a wide range, and their interaction over the land area of Northern Ireland has produced an incredible diversity of soils.

‘Soil’ in the field or landscape, may be defined and mapped as soil series, where each map unit has the same soil profile on the same parent material. The AFBI Soil Survey has identified 308 distinctively different soil series (each over 50 hectares in area) in the Province, and they have been developed from 97 soil parent materials. The book not only details the distribution and properties of the soils but also discusses their environmental and economic setting.

For more information or to order a copy of the book contact:

Dr C Jordan or Mr A Higgins
Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute
Agriculture, Food and Environmental Science Division
Newforge Lane
Belfast
BT9 5PX

Telephone: +44 (0)28 90 255355
Email: info@afbini.gov.uk

Cheques should be made payable to "AFBI Corporate Account" and crossed "A/C Payee Only".

Fourteen elements (aluminium, carbon, calcium, iron, hydrogen, potassium, magnesium, nitrogen, sodium, oxygen, phosphorus, sulphur, silicon and titanium) constitute over 99% of the elemental content of the Earth’s crust. The remaining elements occur in minute amounts and are the so-called trace elements. In ‘The Soil Geochemical Atlas of Northern Ireland’, the concentrations of sixteen elements (cadmium, calcium, chromium, cobalt, copper, iron, lead, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, potassium, phosphorus, sodium, sulphur and zinc) in the agriculturally-important soils of Northern Ireland have been measured and mapped. These elements are either significant because they are essential for healthy development of microorganisms, plants and animals, or because they are pollutants. A massive amount of data from over 6,000 soil samples has been compiled into diagrams and maps. The reader can easily identify regional variations and associations. The information will be of value to soil scientists, agronomists, geochemists, environmentalists, farmers, consultants and policy makers.

For more information or to order a copy of the book contact:
Dr C Jordan or Mr A Higgins
Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute
Agriculture, Food and Environmental Science Division
Newforge Lane
Belfast
BT9 5PX
Telephone: +44 (0)28 90 255355
Email: info@afbini.gov.uk

The printed soil maps of Northern Ireland consist of :
1 map at a scale of 1:250,000, this gives a broad overview of the soils in the Province, with classification by parent material and profile type.
17 maps at a scale of 1:50,000,  these maps detail the distribution of the surveyed soils at the series level.

Publishers: Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland.

Price: 1:50,000       £16.90
        1:250,000       £5.20

For more information contact::
OSNI Map Shop
Lincoln Buildings
27- 45 Great Victoria St
Malone Lower
Belfast
BT2 7SL
Tel:  +44 (0)28 90 251515
Email: osni@osni.gov.uk

For digital data contact::
Digital Sales
Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland
Colby House
Stranmillis Court
Belfast
BT9 5BJ
Telephone: +44 (0)28 90 255755
Fax: +44 (0)28 90 255700
Email: osni@osni.gov.uk