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Soil Orders

The 12 soil orders and their main characteristics

TermDefinition
Entisols "recENT", soils; Weakly developed mineral soil without a natural genetic horizons; not much in common except being newly developing
Inceptisols few diagnostic features, but with the "inception" of a B horizon, well defined profile not yet developed; can NOT be: arid, permafrosted, or with andic properties; on continuously eroded landscapes or young deposits; most common order on earth
Andisols have andic properties low density, glass, pumice, minerals unstable on earths surface form in association with volcanic activity, thick layer of volcanic ash; young soil, very fertile
Gelisols Permafrost within 100 cm or cryoturbation within 100cm + permafrost within 200 cm young soil with little profile development; mixed by freezing and thawing; very unstable due to meting; High OrgM O horizon, no A horizon
Histosols thick organic soil material layer (>40cm) and no andic properties organic soils WITHOUT permafrost; often form in marches, swamps, bogs;
Spodosols must have spodic horizon within 2m of surface and no andic properties; acid, sandy, forest soils, highly leached; low base saturation; can be bright in color
Oxisols must have oxic horizon; dominated by end-member clays and Fe, Al oxides; most highly weathered; low nutrients; tropics; extremely leached
Vertisols 30% or more clay at 50cm deep with shrinking and swelling properties, sticky; dark, org matter 5-6%; large cracks for when dry, gilgai, slickensides; for, from basalts, limestone, or other calcium and magnesium rich rocks
Aridisols aridic moisture regime and some B horizon development or a salic horizon; dry soils, occupy second largest area of Earth;
Ultisols has a argillic or kandic horizon and base saturation <35% at 2m deep; highly leached, low base saturation; bright colors from oxides; subtropical; highly weathered
Mollisols must have mollic epipedon AND base saturation > 50% ; most fertile soil; associated with grasslands;
Alfisols Must have argillic, kandic, or natric horizon; clay skins; medium amount of weathering; subsurface horizon forming through illuviation of silicate clay; Fe and Al Oxides; moderate/low base saturation
Entisols diagnostic horizons Epipedon: mostly ochric Subsurface: no subsurface horizons formed
Inceptisols diagnostic horizons Epipedon: often ochric, can be mollic, umbric, histic subsurface: No diagnostic horizon
Andisols diagnostic horizons Epipedon: Melanic
Histosols diagnostic horizons Epipedon: Histic
Spodosols diagnostic horizons subsurface: spodic
Oxisols diagnostic horizons subsurface: oxic
Vertisols diagnostic horizons subsurface: clay rich
Aridisols diagnostic horizons Epipedon: Ochric Subsurface: often rich soluble material, Natric, Bk, By, Bn, Bz
Ultisols diagnostic horizons Subsurface: Argillic or Kandic
Mollisols diagnostic horizons Epipedon: Mollic subsurface: varies
Alfisols diagnostic horizons Epipedon: ochric or umbric, not mollic subsurface: Argillic (most), Natric, Kandic
Created by: cpfc_brain
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