V.V. Dokuchaev Central Museum of Soil was founded in 1902 at
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
by
Vasilli Vasil'evich Dokuchaev (1846–1903). Commonly regarded as the father of
Soil science
Soil science is the study of soil as a natural resource on the surface of the Earth including soil formation, classification and mapping; physical, chemical, biological, and fertility properties of soils; and these properties in relation to th ...
, Dokuchaev started his extensive collection of soil samples in 1880. The first museum of soil sciences in the world, V.V. Dokuchaev Central
Pedological Museum, opened in 1904, a year after his death.
Some of the samples were collected as early as in 1902. Also, the
soil monoliths for this collection were brought from around the world, from the Arctic to New Zealand. There are about 330 soil monoliths representing the global diversity of soils, with scientists' embarking on various expeditions to bring new monoliths every year.
Collection of diverse monoliths at the museum
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References
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Soil and crop science organizations
Soil science-related lists
Science museums in Saint Petersburg