Field notes record observations and complete descriptions of pedons at specially selected sites. Notes that are made during mapping are usually not full descriptions. The information is used to supplement detailed examinations. Notes of this kind are especially important for soils that are not well known and for soils of potential, but questionable, map units. Field notes include information about the relationship of map units to one another, to landforms, and to other natural features.
Landscape features strongly influence the distribution of soils.
From the landscape, the properties and extent of the soil and the location of soil boundaries can be deduced. The kind of landform or the part of it that a particular soil occupies and how the soil fits into the landscape should be described. Soil patterns and shapes of soil delineations are important in relation to large-scale soil management. Landscape identification is discussed in chapters 2 and 3 of this manual. The kinds and amounts of inclusions in map units, as well as their positions in the landscape, are noted and recorded during fieldwork.