Soil Maps

Soil Datasets

A soil map depicts the state of the soil cover at the time of mapping, visually presenting both the spatial variation of soil types and subtypes, as well as other information derived based on the soil type.

Romania has a series of pedological maps at different scales, which have been developed successively as new field and laboratory information has been accumulated:

  • 1911: Gh. Munteanu Murgoci, P. Enculescu, and Em. Protopopescu Pache published a soil map at 1:2,500,000 scale
  • 1927: extension of the map for the new borders, in 1927, at 1:1,500,000 scale
  • 1964–1970: maps published by N. Cernescu et al., at 1:1,000,000 scale
  • 1971: N. Florea et al., at 1:500,000 scale (6 sheets)
  • 1978: Florea et al. – soil map at 1:1,000,000 scale
  • 1978: Florea and Parichi, at 1:2,500,000 scale
  • 1986: Geanana and Florea, at 1:1,750,000 scale
  • 1996: Soil Map of Romania included in the Soil Map of Europe, at 1:1,000,000 scale

Soil map at 1:200,000 scale

Between 1964 and 1994, the soil map of Romania at 1:200,000 scale was developed and published under the coordination of N. Cernescu initially and later N. Florea (Fig. 1). The map was published over time in the form of 50 map sheets.

Map projection: Gauss-Krüger, on Krasovsky 1940 ellipsoid, Pulkovo 1942 datum.

Each of the 50 sheets of this map (Fig. 2) includes:

  • the actual soil map;
  • a geomorphological-lithological cartogram;
  • a geobotanical cartogram,
  • climatological data for some meteorological stations in the respective area;
  • some pedo-morphographic profiles relating to representative sections from the area.

The legend of the map as a whole includes:

  • 470 soil taxonomic units,
  • several additional symbols
  • 22 texture units of the upper soil horizon.
  • The legend of the two cartograms includes corresponding elements regarding the relief units and forms, surface rocks, and the plant associations specific to each map sheet.

Figure 1. Distribution of map sheets for the 1:200,000 soil map

Figure 2. Piatra Neamt map sheet 1:200,000 (L-35-IX)

The map sheets were converted to digital format between 1992 and 2000, resulting in the Geographic Information System of Soil Resources “SIGSTAR-200”. The map was reprojected in Stereo’70 projection, on Krasovsky 1940 ellipsoid, Pulkovo 1942 datum, which is the standard projection of Romania at the national level.

Geographic Information System SIGSTAR-200

In principle, the Geographic Information System SIGSTAR-200 consists of the sheets that together make up the 1:200,000 soil map, along with the corresponding attribute database (the main parameters characterizing the soil polygon being the soil cartographic unit, texture in the surface horizon, as well as the intensity of the main soil degradation processes: erosion, salinization, alkalization, excess water).

The main characteristic describing the SIGSTAR-200 soil cartographic unit (UCS) is the genetic soil unit, coded in COD_UCS (Fig. 3), together with the description of each type of genetic unit.

Figure 3. Soil map of Romania at 1:200,000 scale

Soil map at 1:1,000,000 scale

The map was created between 1994–1998, within an international project that led to the creation of the European Soil Database (1998).

The database of the Soil Map of Romania at 1:1,000,000 scale consists of the Graphic DB and Attributes DB, which contains several parameters: soil type (in WRB, FAO90, and SRCS systems), surface and subsurface textural class, slope class, agricultural limitations, parent material, minimum and maximum altitude, land use, depth of textural change, depth at which roots encounter an obstacle, presence of an impermeable layer, average water regime class, data on soil tillage systems. The soils of Romania in the FAO system are presented in Fig. 4.

Figure 4. Soil map of Romania at 1:1,000,000 scale

Soil maps at the commune level

Within national research projects or economic contracts, soil maps at the administrative territorial unit level have been produced by specialized teams of INCDPAPM – ICPA Bucharest or by the County Offices for Pedological and Agrochemical Research: Adamclisi, Constanța County; Dăbuleni, Dolj County; Sălătrucu and Albeștii de Argeș, Argeș County, etc.