The goal of the study was to understand the variation in soil properties in a specific area. The researchers collected soil samples and used geostatistical methods to analyze the data. They found that factors like climate and topography influence the distribution of soil properties like pH and organic carbon. By using a method called ordinary kriging, they were able to create maps showing the spatial distribution of these properties. The study concluded that the sample distance they used was appropriate for making accurate predictions about soil properties in the area.