UBC's Soil Monolith Collection Goes Virtual.

Once an area of land is changed by humans or nature, the undisturbed soil profile of that ecosystem is gone forever. A historical record of numerous sites no longer in existence, as well as those that are still present, is provided by soil monoliths. Soil monoliths are display models that provide a visual presentation of the horizons, color, and structure in the soil profile. Soil monoliths have been traditionally used in pedology courses as a valuable teaching resource for soil identification and classification -  necessary skills for  soil science, forestry, agriculture, and environmental science students. The University of British Columbia (UBC) has the second largest collection of soil monoliths in Canada. It took around half a century to complete this collection of 191 monoliths that have been gathered from locations around British Columbia (BC), Alberta, and Yukon. Over the years, the collection has not been fully utilized due to its inadequate display and storage. In 2009-2010, our team of students, faculty members, and IT specialists developed an interactive, web-based teaching tool (http://soilweb.landfood.ubc.ca/monoliths/) that enhances the value and usability of the monolith collection by making it accessible to anyone with internet access. The teaching tool features high-resolution digital photographs, detailed descriptions of each monolith, information on how to approach soil identification, basic information on the Canadian soil classification system, and an interactive soil map of BC. In this way, each soil featured in the collection can be placed within the geographical context of location, climate, and biotic type, allowing students to integrate and build upon various concepts and skills they have learned in soil science courses.