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A representative soil profile of the Sonning series (Chromic Endoskeletic Luvisols) in England. (Cranfield University 2021. The Soils Guide. Available: www.landis.org.uk. Cranfield University, UK.)
Soils classified and described by the World Reference Base for England and Wales:
www.landis.org.uk/services/soilsguide/wrb_list.cfm
These freely drainied, slightly acid, loamy soils are stony and coarse-textured. They formed in Plateau Gravel and river terrace drift are mapped in this association, which occurs south of Hitchin and near Watford in Hertfordshire. The drift deposits, which often rest at depth over the Chalk, consist of loamy or sandy flint gravels which have been disturbed and reworked by cryoturbation during Pleistocene times to give patterned ground. Locally aeolian silty drift is incorporated into the surface horizons so adding further to the complexity of the soil pattern.
Sonning soils are all well drained (Wetness Class I). Excess winter rain is readily absorbed and there is little surface run-off. In the South East Sonning and Hall soils have moderate reserves of available water and in average years are slightly droughty for cereals but moderately droughty for grass and potatoes.
Sonning soils have moderate reserves of available water and in average years are only slightly droughty for cereals but moderately droughty for grass and potatoes. Although most of the main soils can be cultivated easily, stones cause implement wear, limit precision drilling and make the harvesting of root crops difficult. These limitations, with soil droughtiness and complex soil pattern, account for the restricted arable use. There is little risk of poaching on grassland but yields of grass are small and the stocking rate low.
In the South East much land is under grass, usually supporting dairy herds. Although Sonning soils can be cultivated easily, stones cause implement wear, limit precision drilling and make the harvesting of root crops difficult. These limitations and soil droughtiness account for the small number of arable farms, although in the Marlow district much land is used for cereal growing and irrigated horticultural crops, the latter on lower slopes. There is little risk of poaching even in winter, but yields of grass are small and stocking rates are low. Scattered remnants of once large, mainly deciduous, woodlands are widespread. Former hornbeam coppice is common and often has oak standards with subordinate beech, birch and ash. Some land is being worked for sand and gravel.
For additional information about the soil association, visit:
www.landis.org.uk/services/soilsguide/mapunit.cfm?mu=58102
For more information on the World Reference Base soil classification system, visit:
A Gypsi-Orthic Aridisol and landscape. These soils refer to a group of Orthic Aridisols without calcic horizon and salic horizon within a range from ground surface to the depth of 100cm in the profile, but with a gypsic or a hyperi-gypsic horizon of which the upper limit being within the range mentioned. They mostly distribute in northern and western Tarim Basin, piedmont plain in western Junggar Basin, Gobi in eastern Junggar, and piedmont plain in western Hexi Corridor, where the climate is dry or extremely dry, with an aridity over 15. With continuous supply of large quantity of calcium sulfate, gypsum in Aridisols is mostly from geologic deposits containing gypsum. However, no salic horizon appears beneath the gypsic horizon, although salic evidences present often. (Photos and notes courtesy of China Soils Museum, Guangdong Institute of World Soil Resources; with revision.)
In Chinese Soil Taxonomy, Aridisols are soils developed under present or past dry conditions. In Soil Taxonomy these soils are Aridisols.
For additional information about this soil and the Soils Museum, visit:
www.giwsr.com/en/article/index/202
For additional information about Soil Taxonomy, visit:
A representative soil profile of an Inceptisol (bordrline Oxisol) from the Cerado physiographic region--a vast tropical savanna ecoregion of Brazil, particularly in the states of Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, Tocantins, Minas Gerais and the Federal District of Brazil. (Horizonation is by Brazil soil classification system.)
This pedon has a lithologic discontinuity at a depth of about 50 centimeters (loamy colluvium over heavier-textured residuum).
Inceptisols are a soil order in USDA soil taxonomy. They form quickly through alteration of parent material. They are more developed than Entisols. They have no accumulation of clays, iron oxide, aluminium oxide or organic matter. They have an ochric or umbric horizon and a cambic subsurface horizon. The central concept of Inceptisols is that of soils that are of cool to very warm, humid and subhumid regions and that have a cambic horizon and an ochric epipedon. The order of Inceptisols includes a wide variety of soils. In some areas Inceptisols are soils with minimal development, while in other areas they are soils with diagnostic horizons that merely fail the criteria of the other soil orders. Inceptisols have many kinds of diagnostic horizons and epipedons.
Oxisols are a soil order in USDA soil taxonomy. Oxisols are weathered soils that are low in fertility. They are most common on the gentle slopes of geologically old surfaces in tropical and subtropical regions. Their profiles are distinctive because of a lack of obvious horizons. Their surface horizons are normally somewhat darker than the subsoil, but the transition of subsoil features is gradual. Some oxisols have been previously classified as laterite soils.
In the Brazil soil classification system, these Latossolos are highly weathered soils composed mostly of clay and weathering resistant sand particles. Clay silicates of low activity (kaolinite clays) or iron and aluminum oxide rich (haematite, goethite, gibbsite) are common. There are little noticeable horizonation differences. These are naturally very infertile soils, but, because of the ideal topography and physical conditions, some are being used for agricultural production. These soils do require fertilizers because of the ease of leaching of nutrients through the highly weathered soils.
For additional information about these soils, visit:
sites.google.com/site/soil350brazilsoilsla/soil-formation...
and...
For additional information about U.S. soil classification, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/soils/survey/class...
Profile of Zanesville silt loam in an area of Apalona-Zanesville silt loams, 2 to 6 percent slopes. This soil has a darker surface layer overlying a brown argillic horizon over a fragipan starting at a depth of about 80 centimeters. (Soil Survey of Harrison County, Indiana by Steven W. Neyhouse, Sr., Byron G. Nagel, Gary R. Struben, and Steven Blanford, Natural Resources Conservation Service)
Setting
Landform: Hills underlain with Mississippian sandstone and shale bedrock
Position on landform: Summits and shoulders
Map Unit Composition
47 percent Apalona and similar soils
31 percent Zanesville and similar soils
Interpretive Groups
Land capability classification: 2e
Prime farmland: All areas are prime farmland
Properties and Qualities of the Zanesville Soil
Parent material: Loess over loamy residuum over Mississippian shale and sandstone bedrock
Drainage class: Moderately well drained
Permeability range to a depth of 40 inches: Very slow to moderate
Permeability range below a depth of 40 inches: Very slow to moderately rapid
Depth to restrictive feature: 20 to 40 inches to fragipan; 40 to 80 inches to lithic bedrock
Available water capacity: About 8.1 inches to a depth of 60 inches
Organic matter content of surface layer: 1.0 to 3.0 percent
Shrink-swell potential: Moderate
Highest perched seasonal high water table (depth, months): 2.0 feet; January,
February, and March
Ponding: None
Flooding: None
Hydric soil: No
Potential frost action: High
Corrosivity: High for steel and high for concrete
Potential for surface runoff: Medium
Water erosion susceptibility: Moderate
Wind erosion susceptibility: Slight
For additional information about the survey area, visit:
archive.org/details/HarrisonIN2009
For a detailed soil description, visit:
soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/Z/ZANESVILLE.html
For acreage and geographic distribution, visit:
A soil profile of Decobb very fine sandy loam. Sandstone bedrock is below a depth of 5 feet. (Soil Survey of Jackson County, Oklahoma; by Richard Gelnar, Clay Salisbury, and Scott Keenan, Natural Resources Conservation Service)
The Decobb series consists of very deep, well drained, moderately permeable soils. These nearly level to gently sloping upland soils formed in loamy material weathered from weakly cemented sandstone of Permian age. Slope ranges from 0 to 5 percent.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, active, thermic Typic Haplustalfs
Solum thickness and depth to soft sandstone bedrock is 60 to 80 inches.
USE AND VEGETATION: Decobb soils are used mainly as cropland with some areas used as rangeland. The major crops grown are wheat and cotton. Native grasses consist of a mixture of tall, mid, and short grasses such as little bluestem, grama species, and buffalograss. Mesquite trees invade if not controlled.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Central Rolling Red Plains of southwestern Oklahoma and northcentral Texas LRR H (MLRA 78C). The series is of moderate extent. These soils were formerly included with the Cobb, Grandfield, and Miles series in previous soil surveys.
For additional information about the survey area, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_MANUSCRIPTS/oklahoma/OK065...
For a detailed soil description, visit:
soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/D/DECOBB.html
For acreage and geographic distribution, visit:
Petrogypsic Haplosalids, sandy, gypsic, hyperthermic, shallow (Soil AD142) are sandy, saline soils with gypsum occurring in the subsoil. A petrogypsic horizon occurs within 50cm of the surface. They occur in the south near Liwa as well as in the west near Sabkha Matti. They are moderately well drained to somewhat excessively drained soils and have moderately rapid or rapid permeability.
These soils remain as barren land or are sometimes used for low intensity grazing by camel, sheep or goats. They frequently have less than 5% vegetation cover of Conicula arabica, Seidlitzia rosmarinus, and Zygophyllum spp.
The soils are common in Sabkha Matti and also in the south-east of the Emirate and the deflation plains within the Liwa dunes. Scattered sites have been described within the northern coastal plain. The soil has been used to define a number of map units within these areas.
Plate 40: Typical soil profile and associated landscape for Petrogypsic Haplosalids, sandy, gypsic, hyperthermic, shallow (Soil AD142).
In some cases, a single master horizon designation does not adequately convey information about the layer, such as where the horizon transitions to another layer or where it contains distinct parts from two kinds of master horizons.
Transitional horizons are dominated by properties of one master horizon but have subordinate properties of another. They are designated by two capital-letter symbols, e.g., AB, EB, BE, or BC. The first letter indicates the horizon whose properties dominate the transitional horizon.
A horizon can be designated as transitional even if one of the master horizons to which it transitions is not present. For example, a BE horizon recognized in a truncated soil has properties similar to those of a BE horizon in a soil from which the overlying E horizon has not been removed by erosion. A BC horizon may be recognized even if no underlying C horizon is present: it transitions to assumed parent materials.
This is an example of the aquitard layer below a well developed plinthic B horizon of a coastal plain soil. This BC horizon exhibits (very) weak very coarse blocky structure with very thick clay coating on internal seams or cracks. Clay coating is common in the very deep layers (3-4 meters or more below the soil surface) where pedogenesis is thought to be minimal or not present. The noncemented red or brown areas are very firm and brittle have a sandy clay loam texture, whereas the gray area has texture of clay loam or clay. Zones that roots can enter are greater than 10 cm apart.
It exhibits both fragic soil properties and properties of an argillic horizon.
For more information about describing and sampling soils, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/resources/guides-and-instructions/field...
For additional information on "How to Use the Field Book for Describing and Sampling Soils" (video reference), visit:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_hQaXV7MpM
For additional information about soil classification using USDA-NRCS Soil Taxonomy, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/resources/guides-and-instructions/keys-...
or;
www.nrcs.usda.gov/resources/guides-and-instructions/soil-...
Eroded Andisol Landscape, Iceland — This highland landscape once consisted of deep Andisols overlying glacial till. However, centuries of overgrazing by sheep and the high susceptibility of these soils to wind erosion has resulted in the landscape seen here. In the foreground, rocky glacial till has been exposed by erosion of the overlying Andisol, thereby promoting desertification. Only sparse vegetation is supported by the glacial till despite annual precipitation of approximately 1,100 mm (43 inches). An Andisol approximately 1.5 m thick can be seen (left side of photo) supporting healthy vegetation. It has been estimated that the vegetative cover of Iceland has been reduced by greater than 60 percent since settlement because of overgrazing and soil erosion. (Image from University of Idaho) (Notes and photo downloaded from: www.uidaho.edu/cals/soil-orders/andisols)
Haplocryands are the Cryands that do not have a melanic epipedon or a layer that meets the depth, thickness, and organic-carbon requirements for a melanic epipedon. They have, on undried samples, a 1500 kPa water retention of less than 100 percent, by weighted average, throughout 60 percent or more of the upper 60 cm of the andic materials. They also have a 1500 kPa water retention of 30 percent or more on undried samples or of 15 percent or more on air-dried samples, by weighted average, throughout 60 percent or more of the upper 60 cm of the andic materials. Characteristically, Haplocryands have a thin O horizon, an umbric epipedon, and a cambic horizon. The Haplocryands in the United States generally developed in late-Pleistocene or Holocene deposits. Most formed under coniferous forest vegetation.
Cryands are the more or less well drained Andisols of cold regions. These soils are moderately extensive. They formed in the western part of North America and the northeastern part of Asia above 49o north latitude and in mountains south of that latitude. Most of the soils formed under coniferous forest vegetation. Characteristically, Cryands have a thin O horizon and a cambic horizon. The epipedon ranges from ochric to melanic. The Cryands in the United States generally developed in late-Pleistocene or Holocene deposits.
For additional information about U.S. Soil Taxonomy, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/soils/survey/cla...
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●C.E.C 300 meq/100g
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Note: The left side of the photo exhibits natural soil structure. The right side has been smoothed.
A soil profile of the Coyle soil series. (Soil Survey of Noble County, Oklahoma; by Gregory F. Scott, Troy L. Collier, Jim E. Henley, R. Dwaine Gelnar, and Karen B. Stevenson, Natural Resources Conservation Service)
The Coyle series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils that formed in material weathered from sandstone of Permian age. These soils are on crests and side slopes of low hills in the Central Rolling Red Prairies (MLRA 80A). Slopes range from 1 to 12 percent. Mean annual air temperature is about 15.6 degrees C (60 degrees F), and mean annual precipitation is about 910 mm (36 in).
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, siliceous, active, thermic Udic Argiustolls
Depth to paralithic contact: 51 to 102 cm (20 to 40 in)
USE AND VEGETATION: Mainly used for livestock grazing or improved pasture. Some areas are cultivated with small grains being the principal crop. Native vegetation is tall grass prairie.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North Central Oklahoma; LRR H; MLRA 80A; the series of large extent. These soils were formerly included in the Stoneburg series.
For additional information about the survey area, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_MANUSCRIPTS/oklahoma/OK103...
For a detailed soil description, visit:
soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/C/COYLE.html
For acreage and geographic distribution, visit:
A representative soil profile of the Oamaru series from New Zealand. (Photo provided by NZ Soils.co.nz and Waikato Regional Council.) For more information about New Zealand soils, visit;
Oamaru soils from 0 - 5 cm; Black calcareous clay loam, fine spheroidal structure, friable, non-sticky. In the New Zealand Soil Classification system these soils are Typic Rendzic Melanic Soils. For more information about the New Zealand Soil Classification system, visit;
soils.landcareresearch.co.nz/describing-soils/nzsc/
In U.S. Soil Taxonomy, these soils are Lithic Haprendolls. These soils have a shallow lithic contact but are otherwise like Typic Haprendolls. The underlying rock is limestone, and there are many small fragments of the limestone in most of these soils.
Lithic Haprendolls are in the humid parts of the United States. They occur from Florida to Michigan. The native vegetation is mostly trees and shrubs. Some of the soils support shrubs and widely spaced trees. Most of the soils are used as forest, pasture, or wildlife habitat or for urban development.
Rendolls are the Mollisols that are of humid regions and that formed in highly calcareous parent materials, such as limestone, chalk, drift composed mainly of limestone, or shell bars. These soils have a mollic epipedon that rests on the calcareous parent materials or on a cambic horizon that is rich in carbonates. A few of the soils are so rich in finely divided lime that the mollic epipedon has a color lighter than normal but is nevertheless rich in dark colored humus and is within the limits of a mollic epipedon.
Rendolls have a cryic soil temperature regime or a udic moisture regime, or both. These soils are not extensive in the United States, but they are extensive in some parts of the world. They formed under forest vegetation or under grass and shrubs.
For additional information about U.S. Soil Taxonomy, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/soils/survey/cla...
A representative soil profile of the Matangi series from New Zealand. (Photo provided by NZ Soils.co.nz and Waikato Regional Council.) For more information about New Zealand soils, visit;
Matangi soils from 0 - 25 cm; Dark greyish brown to very dark greyish brown silt loam, fine polyhedral structure. In the New Zealand Soil Classification system these soils are Typic Sandy Gley Soils. For more information about the New Zealand Soil Classification system, visit;
soils.landcareresearch.co.nz/describing-soils/nzsc/
In U.S. Soil Taxonomy, these soils are Aquantic Humaquepts. These soils have some andic soil properties in a layer in the upper 75 cm that is 18 cm or more thick. The clays in this layer normally do not disperse well and have a high pH-dependent charge. Typically, this layer is at or very close to the soil surface. An umbric epipedon is common but is not required.
These soils are of small extent in the United States and are known to occur in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. Most of the soils supported water-tolerant forest vegetation, and some supported water-tolerant grasses and shrubs. Many of the soils are artificially drained and are used as cropland or hayland, and many are used as forest. Some are used as pasture and some as wildlife habitat.
For additional information about U.S. Soil Taxonomy, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/soils/survey/cla...
A representative soil profile and landscape of the Dale soil series from England. (Photos and information provided by LandIS, Land Information System: Cranfield University 2022. The Soils Guide. Available: www.landis.org.uk. Cranfield University, UK. Last accessed 14/01/2022). (Photos revised.)
These and associated soils are slowly permeable seasonally waterlogged clayey, fine loamy over clayey and fine silty soils on soft rock often stoneless.
They are classified as Clayic Eutric Stagnosols by the WRB soil classification system. (www.fao.org/3/i3794en/I3794en.pdf)
For more information about this soil, visit:
A representative soil profile of an Oxisol from the Cerado physiographic region--a vast tropical savanna ecoregion of Brazil, particularly in the states of Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, Tocantins, Minas Gerais and the Federal District of Brazil. (Horizonation is by Brazil soil classification system.)
Oxisols are a soil order in USDA soil taxonomy. Oxisols are weathered soils that are low in fertility. They are most common on the gentle slopes of geologically old surfaces in tropical and subtropical regions. Their profiles are distinctive because of a lack of obvious horizons. Their surface horizons are normally somewhat darker than the subsoil, but the transition of subsoil features is gradual. Some oxisols have been previously classified as laterite soils.
In the Brazil soil classification system, these Latossolos are highly weathered soils composed mostly of clay and weathering resistant sand particles. Clay silicates of low activity (kaolinite clays) or iron and aluminum oxide rich (haematite, goethite, gibbsite) are common. There are little noticeable horizonation differences. These are naturally very infertile soils, but, because of the ideal topography and physical conditions, some are being used for agricultural production. These soils do require fertilizers because of the ease of leaching of nutrients through the highly weathered soils.
For additional information about these soils, visit:
sites.google.com/site/soil350brazilsoilsla/soil-formation...
and...
For additional information about U.S. soil classification, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/soils/survey/class...
A representative soil profile of the Kerikeri series from New Zealand. (Photo provided by NZ Soils.co.nz and Waikato Regional Council.) For more information about New Zealand soils, visit;
Kerikeri soils from 0 - 15 cm; Dark brown heavy silt loam, fine polyhedral structure. In the New Zealand Soil Classification system these soils are Orthic Typic Oxidic Soils. For more information about the New Zealand Soil Classification system, visit;
soils.landcareresearch.co.nz/describing-soils/nzsc/
In U.S. Soil Taxonomy, these soils are Typic Haplohumults. The central concept of Haplohumults is fixed on relatively freely drained soils that have a udic moisture regime. Both the precipitation and the humidity are high. Typic Haplohumults are gently sloping to very steep. They are moderately extensive in the Western United States. Humults are the humus-rich Ultisols of mid or low latitudes. They have 0.9 percent (by weighted average) or more organic carbon in the upper 15 cm of the argillic or kandic horizon; or 12 kg/m2 or more organic carbon between the mineral soil surface and a depth of 100 cm.
At mid latitudes they are mostly dark colored, but at low latitudes the content of humus is not necessarily reflected by the color. These soils are mainly in mountainous areas that have high rainfall but also have a moisture deficit during some season. Most of the Humults in the United States formed in a basic country rock on surfaces that are late Pleistocene or older. Slopes commonly are strong. If the soils are cultivated, the argillic or kandic horizon may be at the surface. To keep the eroded and uneroded soils together in the classification, the definition of the suborder is written in terms of the carbon content of the whole soil or of the argillic or kandic horizon. The natural vegetation consisted mostly of coniferous forest plants at mid latitudes and rain forest plants at low latitudes.
For additional information about U.S. Soil Taxonomy, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/soils/survey/cla...
A Ferri-Udic Cambosol and landscape. These soils distribute mostly in low mountain and hilly areas in north- subtropical zone. They are also found oddly in hilly areas inmiddle-subtropical zone and south of this zone, where soil weathering and forming durations are quite short due to the impact of erosion. Like Ali- udic Cambosols, they coexist with Udic Ferrosol. Most Ferri-Udic Cambosols are formed under warm and humid climatic conditions , so that they are with characteristics of transition from warm temperate zone to subtropical zone. (Photos and notes courtesy of China Soils Museum, Guangdong Institute of World Soil Resources; with revision.)
In Chinese Soil Taxonomy, Cambosols have low-grade soil development with formation of horizon of alteration or weak expression of other diagnostic horizons. In Soil Taxonomy these soils are commonly Inceptisols, Mollisols, or Gelisols.
For additional information about this soil and the Soils Museum, visit:
www.giwsr.com/en/article/index/248
For additional information about Soil Taxonomy, visit:
Sugar cane as cut and harvested. Sugarcane is commonly grown on Oxisols in Brazil. Oxisols are an order in USDA soil taxonomy, best known for their occurrence in tropical rain forest, 15-25 degrees north and south of the Equator. They are classified as ferralsols in the World Reference Base for Soil Resources; some oxisols have been previously classified as laterite soils.The main processes of soil formation of oxisols are weathering, humification and pedoturbation due to animals. These processes produce the characteristic soil profile. They are defined as soils containing at all depths no more than 10 percent weatherable minerals, and low cation exchange capacity. Oxisols are always a red or yellowish color, due to the high concentration of iron(III) and aluminium oxides and hydroxides. In addition they also contain quartz and kaolin, plus small amounts of other clay minerals and organic matter.
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The Bih series is a very deep soil formed in sandy alluvial deposits with a large content of gravel, cobbles, and stones. (NE004)
Taxonomic classification: Typic Torriorthents, sandy-skeletal, mixed, hyperthermic
Diagnostic subsurface horizon described in this profile is: None.
Typic Torriorthents are fixed on the driest Torriorthents. Typic Torriorthents are extensive soils in the intermountain States of the United States. Most of them have moderate or strong slopes and are used only for grazing. Others that have gentle slopes are irrigated. The gently sloping soils are mostly on fans or piedmont slopes where the sediments are recent and have little organic carbon.
The particle-size control section has 35% or more rock fragments, including 15% or more cobbles and stones. The pH (1:1) ranges from 7.0 to 8.6 throughout the profile. The EC (1:1) is generally less than 1.0 dS/m in all horizons. Rock fragments ranging from gravel to stones and boulders cover the surface. A dark desert varnish is common on the exposed surfaces of the rock fragments.
The A horizon is 5 to 20 cm thick. It is 7.5YR or 10YR, value 3 to 6, and chroma 2 to 6. It is loamy sand, sand, or coarse sand, including very gravelly, extremely gravelly, very cobbly or extremely cobbly texture modifiers.
The C horizon has hue of 7.5YR, or 10YR, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 2 to 6. It is loamy sand, sand, or coarse sand, including very gravelly, extremely gravelly, very cobbly or extremely cobbly texture modifiers. Pockets or lenses of sandy loam up to 5 cm thick are in some pedons. The vertical and under-sides of rock fragments, in some places, are coated with calcium carbonate. The C horizon may be extremely weakly to moderately cemented with carbonates. However, roots appear to be able to penetrate with a spacing of less than 10 cm. Some pedons do not have cementation.
For more information about soil classification in the UAE, visit:
vdocument.in/united-arab-emirates-keys-to-soil-taxonomy.h...
For more information about describing and sampling soils, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/resources/guides-and-instructions/field...
For additional information on "How to Use the Field Book for Describing and Sampling Soils" (video reference), visit:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_hQaXV7MpM
For additional information about soil classification using USDA-NRCS Soil Taxonomy, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/resources/guides-and-instructions/keys-...
or;
www.nrcs.usda.gov/resources/guides-and-instructions/soil-...
A representative soil profile of an Histosol from the Cerado physiographic region--a vast tropical savanna ecoregion of Brazil, particularly in the states of Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, Tocantins, Minas Gerais and the Federal District of Brazil. (Horizonation is by Brazil soil classification system.)
In both the World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB) and the USDA soil taxonomy, a Histosol is a soil consisting primarily of organic materials. They are defined as having 40 centimetres (16 in) or more of organic soil material in the upper 80 centimetres (31 in). Organic soil material has an organic carbon content (by weight) of 12 to 18 percent, or more, depending on the clay content of the soil. These materials include muck (sapric soil material), mucky peat (hemic soil material), or peat (fibric soil material). Aquic conditions or artificial drainage are required. Typically, Histosols have very low bulk density and are poorly drained because the organic matter holds water very well. Most are acidic and many are very deficient in major plant nutrients which are washed away in the consistently moist soil.
In the Brazil soil classification system, these soils are classified as Organossolos. Organossolos are soils that are very rich in organic matter and are characterized by an organic carbon level that is greater than 80 g/kg. These soils are usually completely saturated for at least a month out of the year and/or have a large amount of organic matter accumulation.
For additional information about these soils, visit:
sites.google.com/site/soil350brazilsoilsla/soil-formation...
and...
For additional information about U.S. soil classification, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/soils/survey/class...
A Carbonati-Ustic Argosol and landscape. These soils distribute mainly in low mountain and hilly areas in Yanshan Mountain Range, Taihang Mountain range and Tailu mountains. Developed on weathered materials from limestone, they have lithological feature of carbonate within the range from the surface to 125cm depth below ground surface. With quite heavy texture, they usually present stronger calcaric reaction. The vegetation is shrubs and grass clusters composed largely of calciphytes, such as Lespedeza davurica,Vitex negundo, Hemerocallis midaendorfii, Themeda jabonica, and a few of Platycladus orientalis. (Photos and notes courtesy of China Soils Museum, Guangdong Institute of World Soil Resources; with revision.)
In Chinese Soil Taxonomy, Argosols have illuvial accumulation of clay in soils with medium activity of clay. In Soil Taxonomy these soils are commonly Alfisols, Ultisols, or Mollisols.
For additional information about this soil and the Soils Museum, visit:
www.giwsr.com/en/article/index/220
For additional information about Soil Taxonomy, visit:
Free carbonates.—Unbound fine particles of soil carbonates disseminated throughout the soil matrix (as indicated by effervescence when treated with cold, dilute HCl). The term “free carbonates” is used as a diagnostic soil characteristic for mineral soils described in Soil Taxonomy. Although the particles are generally composed of calcium carbonate, they may also be sodium carbonate or magnesium carbonate. Free carbonates may be a precipitate dispersed throughout the soil matrix, or they may have been present in the original parent material. Their presence therefore does not automatically imply pedogenesis. In some situations, their presence or absence in a soil horizon may infer leaching, or lack of leaching. Presence (or absence) of free carbonates is used as a criterion for several taxa and also as part of the definition of the isotic mineralogy class. See calcareous soil and identifiable secondary carbonates.
Figure 47.—Soil profile and landscape of Nez Perce soil (fine, smectitic, mesic Xeric Argialbolls. The Nez Perce series consists of very deep, moderately well drained soils that formed mainly in loess. Nez Perce soils are on loess-covered basalt plateaus and have slopes of 0 to 25 percent. Depth to free carbonates is 50 to 100 cm.
A representative soil profile of a Histosol. (The left side of the profile exhibits natural soil structure; the right side has been smoothed to show change in color or features.)
When photographing soils, a soil scientist will commonly use a knife to pick the profile face to show natural soil structure (left side of profile). Or, they may use a knife or shovel to smooth the surface (right side of the profile) which helps show change in color or horizonation.
In both the World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB) and the USDA soil taxonomy, a Histosol is a soil consisting primarily of organic materials. They are defined as having 40 centimetres (16 in) or more of organic soil material in the upper 80 centimetres (31 in). Organic soil material has an organic carbon content (by weight) of 12 to 18 percent, or more, depending on the clay content of the soil. These materials include muck (sapric soil material), mucky peat (hemic soil material), or peat (fibric soil material). Aquic conditions or artificial drainage are required. Typically, Histosols have very low bulk density and are poorly drained because the organic matter holds water very well. Most are acidic and many are very deficient in major plant nutrients which are washed away in the consistently moist soil.
For additional information about USDA soil taxonomy, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/soils/survey/cla...
For more information on the World Reference Base soil classification system, visit:
Ken Bates, Soil Scientist was helping transect the rugged mountainous terrain of Pike County, KY in the fall of 1981 as part of the efforts to complete the Pike County Soil Survey.
A soil scientist is someone trained to analyze and interpret soils and related data to understand soil resources. Their work not only supports agricultural production but also addresses environmental quality and the management of soils to protect human health and the environment. A degree in Soil Science or a related field, such as natural resources, environmental science, or earth science, is required. It should include enough soil-related coursework to ensure a solid understanding of topics like soil morphology, soil-forming factors, soil chemistry, soil physics, soil biology, and how these areas interact dynamically.
A representative soil profile of the Barger soil series. The Barger series consists of very deep, moderately well drained soils on upland ridgetops. They formed in a loamy mantle and the underlying loamy paleosol which has a high lag chert content. These soils have a compact, slowly permeable fragipan that formed in the cherty residuum. Slopes range from 2 to 12 percent.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, siliceous, semiactive, thermic Typic Fragiudults
Thickness of the solum and depth to bedrock is greater than 60 inches. Depth to the fragipan ranges between 18 to 30 inches. Reaction is strongly acid or very strongly acid. Subrounded fragments of chert and small pebbles 1/8 to 1 inch across range from 5 to 15 percent in the horizons above the fragipan. Angular fragment of chert up to 5 inches across range from 30 to 70 percent in the fragipan. The amount generally increases with depth.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of the Barger soils are used for forest. A few areas are used for pasture and cultivated crops. Several of the areas currently in forest were cleared but have been allowed to return to forest. The principal vegetation of the forest is mixed hardwoods of the oak-hickory type and pines.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Southern Appalachian Ridges and Valleys in Tennessee and possibly Georgia. The series is of moderate extent. Barger soils were formerly included in the Bodine and Shack series.
For a detailed soil description, visit:
soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/B/BARGER.html
For acreage and geographic distribution, visit:
Soil profile: A soil profile of Wernock soil. (Kentucky Soil Atlas; by Anastasios D. Karathanasis, University of Kentucky)
The Wernock series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils formed in residuum from acid siltstones, shales, and sandstone. Permeability is moderate. Slopes range from 2 to 20 percent. Average annual precipitation is 40 inches. Average annual temperature is 56 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, semiactive, mesic Typic Hapludults
Solum thickness and depth to soft sandstone, siltstone or shale ranges from 30 to 40 inches. Reaction ranges from neutral to extremely acid. Small sandstone, siltstone, or shale fragments range from 0 to 10 percent by volume to a depth of about 24 inches; below 24 inches fragments from 2 mm. to 15 inches across range from few to more than 50 percent.
USE AND VEGETATION: Some areas are used for growing crops or pasture, and others are forested. Principal crops are corn, small grains, hay and tobacco. Native forests have oaks, hickory, elm, birch, and dogwood as the dominant species.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. The extent is moderate.
For additional information about the soils of Kentucky, visit:
uknowledge.uky.edu/pss_book/4/?utm_source=uknowledge.uky....
For a detailed soil description, visit:
soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/W/WERNOCK.html
For acreage and geographic distribution, visit:
Petrogypsic Haplosalids, sandy, mixed, hyperthermic, shallow (Soil AD144) are saline, sandy soils with gypsum occurring in the subsoil. A petrogypsic horizon is recorded within 50cm depth. They occur in the south near Liwa as well as in the west near Sabkha Matti. They are moderately well drained to somewhat excessively drained soils and have moderate to rapid permeability.
These soils remain as barren land. They frequently have less than 5% vegetation cover of Cornicula monacantha, Cyperus conglomerata, Haloxylon salicornicum, and Zygophyllum spp.
These soils are common in the sabkha flats of Sabkha Matti and also in south-eastern parts of the Emirate and deflation plains amongst the Liwa dunes. A few sites have been recorded in the northern coastal plain. The soil has been used to define two map units within Sabkha Matti.
Plate 42: Typical soil profile and associated landscape for Petrogypsic Haplosalids, sandy, mixed, hyperthermic, shallow (Soil AD144).
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In soil science, the "C" horizon is the soil layer consisting more or less of weathered parent rock or deposited material that is little affected by pedogenesis (soil formation). If an overlying horizon contains a significant amount of clay, over time, the clay may be transported into and along vertical cracks or along channels within macropores creating clay coats or clay flows.
This is an example of the aquitard layer below a well developed plinthic B horizon of a coastal plain soil. The horizon exhibits very weak very coarse blocky structure with very thick clay coating on internal seams or cracks. Clay coating is common in the very deep layers (3-4 meters or more below the soil surface) where pedogenesis is thought to be minimal or not present. The red area has a sandy loam to sandy clay loam texture, whereas the gray area has texture of clay loam or clay.
These tubes or channels are thought to be formed by biological activity at a time when the sediments were being deposited. In the current environment, they commonly contain coarse roots within elongated macropores. The macropores may be completed filled with soil material or they be open (areas that once contained live roots, but are currently void of roots due to decomposition), allowing for the transmission of air and water within the channel.
Because of the dark red color and dense characteristics, these layers are referred to by the local soil scientists as the "brick" layer.
For more information about describing and sampling soils, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/resources/guides-and-instructions/field...
or Chapter 3 of the Soil Survey manual:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/2022-09/The-Soil-Su...
For additional information on "How to Use the Field Book for Describing and Sampling Soils" (video reference), visit:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_hQaXV7MpM
For additional information about soil classification using USDA-NRCS Soil Taxonomy, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/resources/guides-and-instructions/keys-...
or;
www.nrcs.usda.gov/resources/guides-and-instructions/soil-...
The Toisnot series consists of poorly drained, slowly permeable soils that formed in fluvial or marine sediments in the upper Coastal Plain. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent. TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, siliceous, semiactive, thermic Typic Fragiaquults
For a detailed description of the soil, visit:
soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/T/TOISNOT.html
A hydric soil is a soil that formed under conditions of saturation, flooding or ponding long enough during the growing season to develop anaerobic conditions in the upper part.
Wetlands are areas where water covers the soil, or is present either at or near the surface of the soil all year or for varying periods of time during the year, including during the growing season. Water saturation (hydrology) largely determines how the soil develops and the types of plant and animal communities living in and on the soil. Wetlands may support both aquatic and terrestrial species. The prolonged presence of water creates conditions that favor the growth of specially adapted plants (hydrophytes) and promote the development of characteristic wetland (hydric) soils.
The concept of hydric soils includes soils developed under sufficiently wet conditions to support the growth and regeneration of hydrophytic vegetation. Soils that are sufficiently wet because of artificial measures are included in the concept of hydric soils. Also, soils in which the hydrology has been artificially modified are hydric if the soil, in an unaltered state, was hydric. Some soil series, designated as hydric, have phases that are not hydric depending on water table, flooding, and ponding characteristics.
For more information about Hydric Soils and their Field Indicators, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/resources/guides-and-instructions/field...
For more information about describing and sampling soils, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/resources/guides-and-instructions/field...
or Chapter 3 of the Soil Survey manual:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/2022-09/The-Soil-Su...
For additional information on "How to Use the Field Book for Describing and Sampling Soils" (video reference), visit:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_hQaXV7MpM
For additional information about soil classification using USDA-NRCS Soil Taxonomy, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/resources/guides-and-instructions/keys-...
or;
www.nrcs.usda.gov/resources/guides-and-instructions/soil-...
A petroferric (Gr. petra, rock, and L. ferrum, iron; implying ironstone) contact is a boundary between soil and a continuous layer of indurated material in which iron is an important cement and organic matter is either absent or present only in traces. The indurated layer must be continuous within the limits of each pedon, but it may be fractured if the average lateral distance between fractures is 10 cm or more. The fact that this ironstone layer contains little or no organic matter distinguishes it from a placic horizon and an indurated spodic horizon (ortstein), both of which contain organic matter.
Using GPR to Characterize Plinthite and Ironstone Layers in Ultisols. Available from: www.researchgate.net/publication/282805887_Using_GPR_to_C... [accessed Dec 09 2020].
Several features can aid in making the distinction between a lithic contact and a petroferric contact.
First, a petroferric contact is roughly horizontal.
Second, the material directly below a petroferric contact contains a high amount of iron (normally 30 percent or more Fe2O3
Third, the ironstone sheets below a petroferric contact are thin; their thickness ranges from a few centimeters to very few meters. Sandstone, on the other hand, may be thin or very thick, may be level-bedded or tilted, and may contain only a small percentage of Fe2O3.
Soil scientists record the characteristics of the pedons, associated plant communities, geology, landforms, and other features that they study. They describe the kind and arrangement of soil horizons and their color, texture, size and shape of soil aggregates, kind and amount of rock fragments, distribution of plant roots, reaction, and other features that enable them to classify and identify soils. They describe plant species present (their combinations, productivity, and condition) to classify plant communities, correlate them to the soils with which they are typically associated, and predict their response to management and change.
For more information about describing and sampling soils, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/resources/guides-and-instructions/field...
or Chapter 3 of the Soil Survey manual:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/2022-09/The-Soil-Su...
For additional information on "How to Use the Field Book for Describing and Sampling Soils" (video reference), visit:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_hQaXV7MpM
For additional information about soil classification using USDA-NRCS Soil Taxonomy, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/resources/guides-and-instructions/keys-...
or;
www.nrcs.usda.gov/resources/guides-and-instructions/soil-...
A representative soil profile of the Rains soil series in North Carolina. The left side of the profile exhibits natural soil structure; the right side has been smoothed to better show changes in soil color.
Depth Class: Very deep
Drainage Class (Agricultural): Poorly drained
Internal Free Water Occurrence: Very shallow, persistent
Flooding Frequency and Duration: None, very rare, rare, occasional, frequent for brief to
Ponding Frequency and Duration: None
Index Surface Runoff: Negligible
Permeability: Moderate (Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity: Moderately high
Shrink-Swell Potential: Low
Landscape: Lower, middle, upper coastal plain
Landform: Flats, depressions, Carolina bays
Geomorphic Component: Talfs, dips
Parent Material: Marine deposits, fluviomarine deposits
Slope: 0 to 2 percent
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, siliceous, semiactive, thermic Typic Paleaquults
USE AND VEGETATION:
Major Uses: Forest, cropland
Dominant Vegetation: Where cultivated--corn, soybeans, and small grains. Where wooded--pond pine, loblolly pine, and hardwoods.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Distribution: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia
Extent: Large.
The central concept for the Rains series does not include a flooding hazard. However, the series has been correlated in flood plain positions. Additional research is needed to determine if areas of Rains soils that are subject to flooding have haplic or pale clay distribution.
For a detailed description, visit:
soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/R/RAINS.html
For acreage and geographic distribution, visit:
Soil profile: The Magic series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils that formed in material weathered from basalt. (Soil Survey of Camos County, Idaho; by Charles W. Case, Soil conservation Service)
Landscape: Magic soils are on lava plains and have slopes of 0 to 8 percent. Magic soils are used mainly for rangeland and limited irrigated and dry-farmed hay and small grain. Vegetation is alkali sagebrush, Idaho fescue, and Sandberg bluegrass.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, frigid Vertic Haploxerepts
Depth to bedrock and thickness of the solum are 25 to 40 inches. The soil between depths of 4 and 12 inches is moist in some part in October or early November and remains moist until July. Mean annual temperature is 41 to 45 degrees F., and the mean summer soil temperature is 60 degrees to 65 degrees F.
USE AND VEGETATION: Mostly rangeland, some irrigated and dry-farmed hay and small grain. Vegetation is alkali sagebrush, Idaho fescue, and Sandberg bluegrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South-central Idaho. The series is inextensive.
For additional information about Idaho soils, please visit:
storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/97d01af9d4554b9097cb0a477e04...
For a detailed soil description, visit:
soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/M/MAGIC.html
For acreage and geographic distribution, visit:
A sandy-skeletal Arenic Paleudult. Arenic Paleudults have a layer, starting at the mineral soil surface, that is between 50 and 100 cm thick and has a sandy or sandy-skeletal particle-size class, that is, the texture is sand or loamy sand. The soils are otherwise like Typic Paleudults in defined properties, but the argillic horizon tends to have more sand and less clay than the one in the Typic subgroup. In the United States.
Arenic Paleudults occur on the coastal plain from Maryland to Texas. The natural vegetation consisted of forest plants. The soils are of moderate extent. Slopes generally are nearly level to strongly sloping. Most of the soils are used as cropland or forest, but some are used as pasture.
For additional information about soil classification, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/soils/survey/class...
A representative soil profile of the Hawthorne soil series. (Soil Survey of Macon County, Tennessee; by Charlie McCowan, Natural Resources Conservation Service)
The Hawthorne series consists of moderately deep, somewhat excessively drained soils on uplands. The soil formed in residuum of interbedded siltstone and cherty limestone. Slopes range from 5 to 70 percent.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, siliceous, semiactive, thermic Typic Dystrudepts
Solum thickness ranges from 15 to 40 inches. Depth to soft bedrock ranges from 20 to 40 inches. Depth to hard bedrock is below 40 inches. Reaction ranges from strongly acid to extremely acid. Coarse fragments range from l0 to 35 percent in the A horizon, and 35 to 60 percent in the B and C horizons. Transitional horizons have colors and textures similar to adjacent horizon
USE AND VEGETATION: Most of the acreage is woodland consisting of chestnut and white oaks, hickory, hackberry, and eastern red cedar. A few areas on ridgetops are cleared and used for pasture or hay.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Highland Rim and Nashville Basin of Tennessee. The series is of moderate extent.
For additional information about the survey area, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_MANUSCRIPTS/tennessee/maco...
For a detailed soil description, visit:
soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/H/HAWTHORNE.html
For acreage and geographic distribution, visit:
A Pachi-Ustic Isohumosol and landscape. These soils refer to a group of Ustic Isohumosols that have a mollic epipedon with a thickness at least 50cm. Topographically, their distributing areas are mainly low mountains, hills as well as high and low plains. Parent materials are diversified residual and slope deposits derived from granite, basalt, sandy mudstone and tertiary red clay, diluvial-alluvial deposits, loess as well as loess-like or sandy sediments. With a semi-humid to semi-arid climate, those areas have an annual precipitation 300-450mm. Vegetation is meadow composed of Sanguisorba officinalis, Vica venosa, and diversified grasses , as well as meadow-steppe composed of Aneurolepidum chinensis and diversified grasses. Calcium carbonate was leached to deeper parts of the profile. (Photos and notes courtesy of China Soils Museum, Guangdong Institute of World Soil Resources; with revision.)
In Chinese Soil Taxonomy, Isohumosols have deep accumulation of humus under cool temperature. In Soil Taxonomy these soils are Mollisols.
For additional information about this soil and the Soils Museum, visit:
www.giwsr.com/en/article/index/214
For additional information about Soil Taxonomy, visit:
Gradual transition from a Btv horizon (plinthic horizon) with greater than 30 to more than 50 percent plinthite with depth to the underlying non-cemented and variegated aquitard layer. Further investigation is needed to determine if the aquitard layer is best described as a Cd layer or a BCtx horizon.
The "v" symbol indicates the presence of iron-rich, humus-poor, reddish material that is firm or very firm when moist and is less than strongly cemented. The material hardens irreversibly when exposed to the atmosphere and to repeated wetting and drying.
For more information about a plinthic horizon, visit;
www.researchgate.net/publication/242649722_Rationale_for_...
or;
www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S00167061220043...
For more information about describing and sampling soils, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/resources/guides-and-instructions/field...
or Chapter 3 of the Soil Survey manual:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/2022-09/The-Soil-Su...
For additional information on "How to Use the Field Book for Describing and Sampling Soils" (video reference), visit:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_hQaXV7MpM
For additional information about soil classification using USDA-NRCS Soil Taxonomy, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/resources/guides-and-instructions/keys-...
or;
www.nrcs.usda.gov/resources/guides-and-instructions/soil-...
A representative soil profile and landscape of the Eriviat soil series from England. (Photos and information provided by LandIS, Land Information System: Cranfield University 2022. The Soils Guide. Available: www.landis.org.uk. Cranfield University, UK. Last accessed 14/01/2022). (Photos revised.)
These and associated soils are shallow, with a distinct, humose or peaty topsoil, but no subsurface horizons more than 5 cm thick (other than a bleached horizon). Normally over bedrock, very stony rock rubble or little altered soft unconsolidated deposits within 30 cm depth.
For more information about this soil, visit:
The Duckston series consists of poorly drained sands near the coast. These soils are in shallow depressions between coastal dunes and on nearly level flats between the dunes and the marshes. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Siliceous, thermic Typic Psammaquents
USE AND VEGETATION: The native plant community consists of waxmyrtle, black willow, black highbush blueberry, marshhay cordgrass, dotted smartweed, three square, virginia buttonweed, and sphagnum moss.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Along the Atlantic coast in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. The series is moderate in extent.
Photo courtesy of EAD-Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi. www.ead.gov.ae/
Established in 1996, the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) is committed to protecting and enhancing air quality, groundwater as well as the biodiversity of our desert and marine ecosystem. By partnering with other government entities, the private sector, NGOs and global environmental agencies, we embrace international best practice, innovation and hard work to institute effective policy measures. We seek to raise environmental awareness, facilitate sustainable development and ensure environmental issues remain one of the top priorities of our national agenda.
A three-day international conference on Soil Classification and Reclamation of Degraded Lands in Arid Environments (ICSC 2010) bringing together more than 130 scholars, researchers and experts was held in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
The conference, held under the patronage of H.H Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Ruler’s Representative in the Western Region and Chairman of the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD), aims to share information on land use and planning and discuss various issues in the field of soil classification and reclamation of degraded lands in arid environments.
On the first day of the conference, EAD will reveal the outcomes of the Abu Dhabi Soil Survey, which was initiated in 2006 and completed at the end of 2009.
The conference, which is organized by the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) and the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) from 17-19 May, 2010 in Abu Dhabi, UAE, was inaugurated by H.E. Majid Al Mansouri, EAD’s Secretary General.
In his opening speech, H.E Al Mansouri welcomed scientists, researchers and experts from 35 countries who have gathered to discuss various issues related to soil, land use and planning of agricultural expansion and sustainable use of natural resources.
"Our economy is rapidly growning and we have a hard desert environment, therefore we needed to identify the characteristics of soils in the various regions of the Emirate, for the development of land management and optimum economical use of those soils,” he said.
"EAD has undertaken an integrated project to survey the soils in the Emirate. This project has been brought to a successful conclusion after five years of studies, field surveys, and collection of soil samples, training and capacity-building culminating in the development of an integrated “Abu Dhabi Soil Information System” (ADSIS)”.
Dr Ahmed Al Masoum, ICBA’s Deputy Director General, said that "This conference is the beginning of a new era in soil research within the global scientific community."
"The Survey was the first of its kind in the Emirate and covered all areas of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Maps on current land use, vegetation and salinity were produced as well as detailed suitability maps for irrigated agriculture. The soil was mapped and classified using the latest satellite images, and norms and standards of the United States Department of Agriculture” he added.
Dr. Al Masoum added that the soil survey project was undertaken in two phases and involved the mapping and classification of the various types of soils in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi in two different scales. In the first phase the entire emirate was surveyed at a scale of 1:100,000, and in the second phase 400,000 hectares of land, evaluated as suitable for irrigated agriculture was surveyed at a scale of 1:25,000.
“We have uncovered valuable information for strategic planning for sustainable land use in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and particularly for the development of agriculture and sustainable management of natural resources,” he said.
The conference will feature six keynote speakers from Australia and India, Austria, Spain, Thailand and the United States, in addition to 130 speakers representing 35 countries from all over the world. Speakers will highlight Soil Survey and Classification Strategies and Use in Different Ecological Zones; Advances in Soil Salinity Mapping, Monitoring and Reclamation; Land Use Planning and Policy Implications; Use of Marginal Quality Water in Agriculture and Landscaping and Research and Development/Innovations in Soil Classification & Reclamation.
A workshop on how to use soil survey data in planning and policy making will be held on the sidelines of the conference.
For more photos related to soils and landscapes visit:
Photo courtesy of EAD-Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi. www.ead.gov.ae/
The soil survey of the Northern Emirates, United Arab Emirates (UAE) was conducted during 2010 – 2012. The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) in partnership with the Ministry of Environment and Water (MOEW) implemented the Soil Survey through GRM International. The project was funded by the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, and its objective was to develop a digital soil information repository to aid in broad land-use planning and agricultural expansion in the Northern Emirates.
The survey used Geographic Information Systems, satellite image processing, and field mapping to produce a Soil Information System. Scientific and technical standards, including the soil classification system and nomenclature, were based on those of the USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service. These standards have been used in other Gulf Cooperation Council countries, such as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Sultanate of Oman, State of Kuwait, State of Qatar, and more recently in the Abu Dhabi soil survey project in the UAE. The project was completed at scale of 1:50,000.
A number of thematic maps, including suitability for irrigated agriculture, salinity, and current land use, were generated as part of the project. The Abu Dhabi Soils Information System (ADSIS) was expanded and enhanced and renamed to United Arab Emirates Soils Information System (UAESIS), to assist in the storage, processing, retrieval, and management of the national soil-related information.
Information from the soil survey is expected to be used by various groups, including the agricultural farming community, decision makers, land-use planners, officials, engineers, and environmental impact assessors. Conservationists and specialists in recreation, wildlife management, waste disposal, and pollution control will also use the soil information to help understand, protect and enhance the environment.
The report and maps provide a detailed assessment and account of soil in the Northern Emirates and are a fitting accompaniment to the Soil Survey of the Abu Dhabi Emirate. Finally, the project produced a national soil map of the United Arab Emirates, by compiling results from this survey, the soil survey of Abu Dhabi completed in 2010, and the soil map of Dubai developed in 2003.
For more information about soil classification in the UAE, visit:
vdocument.in/united-arab-emirates-keys-to-soil-taxonomy.h...
For more information about describing and sampling soils, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/resources/guides-and-instructions/field...
or Chapter 3 of the Soil Survey manual:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/2022-09/The-Soil-Su...
For additional information on "How to Use the Field Book for Describing and Sampling Soils" (video reference), visit:
Soil profile: A typical profile of a Nella soil. Nella soils are very deep and on mountain footslopes. They support highly productive woodlands of yellow-poplar, maple, and oak. (Soil Survey of Overton County, Tennessee; by Carlie McCowan, Natural Resources Conservation Service)
The Nella series consists of very deep, well drained, moderately permeable soils. These soils formed in alluvium or colluvium and in residuum of limestone, sandstone and shale. They are on hillsides, benches and foot slopes. Slopes range from 2 to 60 percent.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, siliceous, semiactive, thermic Typic Paleudults
Solum thickness is greater than 60 inches. Depth to bedrock is 6 feet or more. Reaction is very strongly acid or strongly acid except the surface layer is less acid where limed. Rock fragments range from 15 to about 35 percent in each horizon. The fragments are mostly sandstone and range from 0.25 inch to about 20 inches in diameter.
USE AND VEGETATION: About one-third is in forest consisting chiefly of oaks, hickories, yellow poplar, beech, and shortleaf and Virginia pine. Cleared areas are used chiefly for pasture but a few areas are cropped to tobacco, corn, truck, and small grain.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Appalachian Ridges and Valleys, Highland Rim, and Cumberland Plateau and Mountains in Tennessee and in Northwest Georgia, Northern Alabama, and Arkansas. The series is of large extent.
For additional information about the survey area, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_MANUSCRIPTS/tennessee/TN13...
For a detailed soil description, visit:
soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/N/NELLA.html
For acreage and geographic distribution, visit:
Soil profile of Kleinpeter silt, 1 to 5 percent slopes. (Soil Survey of St. Mary Parish, Louisiana; by Donald R. McDaniel and Gerald J. Trahan)
KLEINPETER SERIES
The Kleinpeter series consists of very deep, moderately well drained, moderately permeable soils that formed in Peorian age loess deposits 4 to 10 feet thick over Pleistocene age terrace deposits. They are on salt domes. Slopes range from 0 to 30 percent.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, active, hyperthermic Oxyaquic Glossudalfs
Solum thickness is more than 80 inches. Thickness of the loess over Pleistocene age terrace deposits (2Bt horizon) ranges from 4 to 10 feet. Reaction ranges from strongly acid through slightly acid in the A horizon, and from very strongly acid through moderately acid in the E, Bt and Bt/E horizons.
USE AND VEGETATION: Mostly used for woodland. Some small areas are in cropland or gardens.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern Mississippi River Valley silty uplands (MLRA 134) in Louisiana. The series is of small extent. The series was proposed in 1996, East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. The series was retypified and established in St. Mary Parish by an Amendment to the Correlation in 2002 based on data from the hyperthermic study. It was reclassified from a Glossic Hapludalf to an Oxyaquic Glossudalf based on closer observations in a pit at the current type location. Kleinpeter soils were formerly included in the Memphis and Loring series.
For additional information about the survey area, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_MANUSCRIPTS/louisiana/LA10...
For a detailed soil description, visit:
soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/K/KLEINPETER.html
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A representative soil profile of the Mazarn soil series. (Soil Survey of Montgomery County, Arkansas; by Jeffrey W. Olson, Natural Resources Conservation Service)
The Mazarn series consists of moderately deep, somewhat poorly drained, moderately slowly permeable soils that formed in loamy sediments from shale, siltstone and sandstone. These soils are adjacent to small, upland drains and intermittent streams in the Ouachita Mountains; MLRA 119. Slopes range from 0 to 3 percent. Mean annual temperature is about 62 degrees F., and mean annual precipitation is about 52 inches.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, siliceous, semiactive, thermic Aquic Hapludults
Solum thickness and depth to weathered, shale bedrock ranges from 20 to 40 inches. Reaction is strongly acid or very strongly acid throughout.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for pasture and woodland. The native vegetation was mixed hardwoods and pine.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas. The series is of small extent.
For additional information about the survey area, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_MANUSCRIPTS/arkansas/AR097...
For a detailed soil description, visit:
soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/M/MAZARN.html
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A representative soil profile of the Ceda soil series. (Soil Survey of Sevier County, Arkansas; by Alex L. Winfrey, Natural Resources Conservation Service)
The Ceda series consists of very deep, well drained, rapidly permeable soils that formed in loamy, gravelly alluvium. These nearly level to very gently sloping soils are on flood plains of the Ouachita Mountains, MLRA 119, and the Arkansas Valley and Ridges, MLRA 118. Slopes are 0 to 3 percent.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, siliceous, semiactive, nonacid, thermic Typic Udifluvents
Solum Thickness: 13 to 38 cm (5 to 15 inches)
Depth Class: Very deep
Depth to Seasonal High Water Table: If it occurs, greater than 100 cm (40 inches)
Rock Fragment content: 15 to 60 percent, by volume, in the A horizons; 35 to 80 percent, by volume, in the C horizons.
Soil Reaction: Strongly acid to Slightly acid
USE AND VEGETATION:
Major Uses: native pasture and woodland
Dominant Vegetation: Where wooded--southern red oak, sweetgum, American sycamore, white oak, and shortleaf pine.
Pastureland--Bermuda grass, Bahaiagrass
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Distribution: Ouachita Mountain of Arkansas and Oklahoma, Boston Mountain of Arkansas and Cumberland Plateau and Mountain of Alabama
Extent: Large extent, about 205,486 acres in size
For additional information about the survey area, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_MANUSCRIPTS/arkansas/AR133...
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soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/C/CEDA.html
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The Eufaula series consists of very deep, somewhat excessively drained soils that formed in sandy sediments of Pleistocene age. These soils are on stabilized dunes on reworked stream terraces in the Central Rolling Red Prairies (MLRA 80A) and Northern Cross Timbers (MLRA 84A). Slope ranges from 0 to 25 percent. Mean annual air temperature is 16 degrees C (61 degrees F), and mean annual precipitation is 820 mm (32 in).
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Siliceous, thermic Psammentic Paleustalfs
Solum depth: greater than 183 cm (72 in)
USE AND VEGETATION: Dominantly used for range. Considerable amounts of the loamy fine sand on lesser slopes are cropped to sorghums, small grains, and peanuts; or used for tame pastures. Native vegetation is post oak and blackjack oak with an understory of mid and tall grasses.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
General area: central Oklahoma, central Texas, and south central Kansas
Land Resource Region: H-Central Great Plains Winter Wheat and Range Region, and J-Southwestern Prairies Cotton and Forage Region
MLRA 80A-Central Rolling Red Prairies, MLRA 84A-North Cross Timbers
Extent: large
For a detailed description, visit:
soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/E/EUFAULA.html
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A representative soil profile of Trevino stony loam. Trevino soils generally are near areas of Rock outcrop and on more recent pahoehoe flows, where loess and mixed alluvial deposits are less than 50 centimeters thick to bedrock. (Soil Survey of Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve, Idaho; by Francis R. Kukachka, Natural Resources Conservation Service)
The Trevino series consists of very shallow and shallow, well drained soils on plains. They formed in loess, alluvium, and material weathered from basalt. Permeability is moderate. Slopes are 0 to 30 percent. The average annual precipitation is about 9 inches and the average annual temperature is about 49 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Lithic Xeric Haplocambids
Average annual soil temperature - 47 to 56 degrees F.
Depth to bedrock - 8 to 20 inches
Depth to calcium carbonate - 8 to 18 inches
Particle-size control section
Clay content - 10 to 18 percent
Sand content - more than 15 percent coarser than VFS
Rock fragments - 0 to 35 percent including gravel, cobbles and stones
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mostly for rangeland and wildlife habitat. Some minor areas are irrigated and used for small grains, corn, beans, hay, and pasture. Potential vegetation in the natural plant community is Wyoming big sagebrush, Thurber needlegrass, and bluebunch wheatgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern Idaho; MLRA 11. The series is extensive.
For additional information about the survey area, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_MANUSCRIPTS/idaho/cratersN...
For a detailed soil description, visit:
soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/T/TREVINO.html
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he Gramercy series consists of very deep, poorly drained, very slowly permeable soils that formed in clayey over fine-silty alluvium. These soils are on alluvial flats and on the lower parts of natural levees on the alluvial plain of the Mississippi River and its distributaries. Mean annual air temperature is 68 degrees F. near the type location, and mean annual rainfall is about 65 inches. Slope is dominantly less than 0.5 percent but ranges to 3 percent.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, hyperthermic Chromic Epiaquerts
Solum thickness: 60 to more than 80 inches
Clay content in the Control Section: 35 to 60 percent. Some pedons have thin layers in the lower part of the control section that have more than 60 percent clay.
Redoximorphic features: Depleted matrix with iron accumulations throughout the solum
Other distinctive soil features: Depth to subsoil layers with less than 40 percent clay ranges from 30 to 60 inches. A clayey discontinuity is at 60 to more than 80 inches deep in some pedons.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of Gramercy soils are cultivated to sugarcane, soybeans, cotton, small grains, corn, hay, or pasture. A smaller amount of the total acreage is in bottomland hardwoods. In wooded areas, the overstory generally consists of cherrybark oak, eastern cottonwood, green ash, nuttall oak, sweetgum, American sycamore, elm, water oak, hackberry, pecan, and water hickory.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern Mississippi Valley Alluvium (MLRA 131) in South-central Louisiana; The series is of moderate extent. Gramercy soils formerly were included with the Sharkey, Mhoon, and Tunica series.
For a detailed description, visit:
soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/G/GRAMERCY.html
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