Preview

Types of Soil

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
819 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Types of Soil
A soil horizon is a layer parallel to the soil surface, whose physical characteristics differ from the layers above and beneath. Each soil type has at least one, usually three or four horizons. Horizons are defined in most cases by obvious physical features, chiefly colour and texture. These may be described both in absolute terms (particle size distribution for texture, for instance) and in terms relative to the surrounding material, i.e. ‘coarser’ or ‘sandier’ than the horizons above and below.

Identification and description of the horizons present at a given site is the first step in soil classification at higher levels, through the use of systems such as the USDA soil taxonomy or the Australian Soil Classification. The World Reference Base for Soil Resources lists 40 diagnostic horizons.[1]
Many soils, especially temperate soils, conform to a similar general pattern of horizons, often represented as an ‘ideal’ soil in diagrams. Each main horizon is denoted by a capital letter, which may then be followed by several alphanumerical modifiers highlighting particular outstanding features of the horizon. While the general O-A-B-C-R sequence seems fairly universal, some variation exists between the classification systems in different parts of the world. In addition, the exact definition of each main horizon may differ slightly – for instance, the US system uses the thickness of a horizon as a distinguishing feature, while the Australian system does not. It should be emphasised that no one system is more correct – as artificial constructs, their utility lies in their ability to accurately describe local conditions in a consistent manner. Also, many subtropical and tropical areas have soils such as oxisols or aridisols that have very different horizons from an "ideal" soil, or no horizons at all.

type 2222222222
In soil science, podzols (also known as podsols or Spodosols) are the typical soils of coniferous, or boreal forests. They are also the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    Questions and charts are from Geoscience Laboratory, 5th ed. (p. 133-150), by T. Freeman, 2009, New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons. Reprinted with permission.…

    • 874 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Apes ch 15 study guide

    • 786 Words
    • 5 Pages

    B-Horizon- lighter in color than the A horizon, the B horizon is rich in minerals that leached out of the upper layers. Usually high in iron, aluminum and clay…

    • 786 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    While observing and analyzing I found several things that had caught my interest and wanted to know more. I know that some of my hypothesis are most likely wrong, like instead of glacial landscaping the park is most likely a gorge, but I learned a lot about applying what we have learned in class to real life and though this was an assignment I catch myself pointing out things that we learned, such as cloud structure and different types of fog. In essence, though I do not know nearly enough to fully analysis a landscape correctly, I have learned a lot throughout this last semester about things that I didn’t even know that I knew nothing about. From fluvial landscapes to the Köppen Climate Classification system, I have gained a great foundation for learning about the earth around me and will use everything that I have learned in class for the rest of my…

    • 2151 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The nature of the ground, the rate of the rainfall, and the slope of the land.…

    • 287 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Good Earth Lab

    • 555 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Go to the following resource site. You will find a list of representative soils or state soils. Locate your state. Open the HTML version of the page for your state.…

    • 555 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    1. Soil Profiles – go to this site APES in A Box: Soil Profiles and take notes on the soil horizons: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Kr3Wj7SeSc…

    • 823 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Soil and Glaciers

    • 630 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Soils have been classified according to a system developed by soil scientists and the U.S. Soil Conservation Service. Using this classification system of soil orders, pick two locations on Earth, one in your current area and another area, and describe the order and the conditions that define it. (See Figure 4.12 in the textbook.)…

    • 630 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Geomechanics 2 Report

    • 3352 Words
    • 14 Pages

    The porous stones placed on the bottom and top of the soil sample not only act as a filler but help propagate a dense soil sample…

    • 3352 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Emerson flowchart

    • 487 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Atterberg limits are used to categorize fine-grained soils through measuring the boundary in which the soil behavior changes through a series of tests.…

    • 487 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    apes lab report

    • 717 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Throughout our experiments with our soil we were able to determine many things as shown above. These results indicate that we had a granular structure. Through this, one would assume that the granular structure would hold more water and air and are more efficient for roots, a desirable trait for many plants. The soil was a dark brown color and moist, assuming that it would be able to hold water well. The texture of the soil was gritty, soft, and squishy. This too…

    • 717 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The first layer (O) we observed is the top layer, a layer of organic soil. It is made up of humus and leaf sediment. Below that (A) comes the topsoil. This is where seeds sprout and other plants roots grow. This layer is also made up of humus, but here are other mineral particles as well. Next is the eluviation layer (E). This layer contains mostly sand and silt. It is the eluviation layer because of the process that takes place here where minerals are…

    • 278 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Questions and charts are from Geoscience Laboratory, 5th ed. (p. 117-130), by T. Freeman, 2009, New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons. Reprinted with permission.…

    • 962 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Geography Chapter Notes

    • 606 Words
    • 3 Pages

    * Soil Texture refers to the relative proportions of different sized inorganic mineral particles of sand, silt, and clay.…

    • 606 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Plateus

    • 1771 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Some plateaus around the world exist at such great heights that their climate is harsh and living conditions are bleak. Others, at much lower elevations, offer more favorable conditions. The terrain of some plateaus is unbroken and flat. The terrain of many others has been eroded away by water and wind over millions of years to create distinct and unusual landforms. As such, many plateaus are landforms filled with landforms.…

    • 1771 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    References: Wright, R. T., & Boorse, D. F. (2014). Environmental science (12th ed.) San Francisco, CA: Pearson Education, Inc. Retrieved from: Chapter 11- Soil: The foundations for land ecosystems, Pages 266-288.…

    • 602 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics