Basic Soil Orders Flashcards
Moderately weathered soils that form under boreal forest or broadleaf deciduous forest, rich in iron and aluminum
Alfisols (High Nutrient Soils)
Clay particles accumulate in a subsurface layer in response to leaching environments
Alfisols (High Nutrient Soils)
Fertile, productive soils, because they are neither too wet nor too dry
Alfisols (High Nutrient Soils)
Young soils in which the parent material is volcanic ash and cinders deposited by recent volcanic activity
Andisols (Volcanic Soils)
Soils that develop in dry places
Aridisols (Desert Soils)
Insufficient water to remove soluble minerals; may have an accumulation of calcium carbonate gypsum or salt in subsoil
Aridisols (Desert Soils)
Low organic content
Aridisols (Desert Soils)
Young soils having limited development and exhibiting properties of the parent material
Entisols (New Soils)
Productivity ranges from very high for some formed on recent river deposits to very low for those forming on shifting sand or rocky slopes
Entisols (New Soils)
Young soils with little profile development that occur in regions with permafrost
Gelisols (Permafrost Soils)
Low temperatures and frozen conditions for much of the year slow soil-forming processes
Gelisols (Permafrost Soils)
Organic soils with little or no climatic implications
Histosols (Organic Soils)
Can be found in any climate where organic debris can accumulate to form a bog soil
Histosols (Organic Soils)
Dark, partially decomposed organic material commonly referred to as peat
Histosols (Organic Soils)
Weakly developed young soil in which the beginning (inception) of profile development is evident
Inceptisols (Young Soils)
Most common in humid climates, they exists from the Arctic to tropics
Inceptisols (Young Soils)
Native vegetation is most often forest
Inceptisols (Young Soils)
Dark, soft soils that have developed under grass vegetation, generally found in prairie areas
Molisols (Prairie Soils)
Soil Fertility is excellent
Molisols (Prairie Soils)
Found in hardwood forests with significant earthworm activity
Molisols (Prairie Soils)
Climatic range is boreal or alpine to tropical
Molisols (Prairie Soils)
Dry seasons are normal
Molisols (Prairie Soils)
Soils that occur on old land surfaces unless parent materials were strongly weathered before they were deposited
Oxisols (Tropical Forest Soils)
Generally found in the tropics and subtropical regions
Oxisols (Tropical Forest Soils)
Rich in iron and aluminum oxides and are heavily leached hence poor soils for agricultural activity
Oxisols (Tropical Forest Soils)
Soils found only in humid regions on sandy material
Spodosols (Conifer Forest Soils)
Common in northern coniferous forests and cool humid forests
Spodosols (Conifer Forest Soils)
Beneath the dark upper horizon of weathered organic material lies a light- colored horizon of leached material, the distinctive property of this soil
Spodosols (Conifer Forest Soils)
Soils that represent the products of long periods of weathering
Ultisols (Low-Nutrient Soils)
Water percolating through the soil concentrates clay particles in the lower horizons (argillic horizons)
Ultisols (Low-Nutrient Soils)
Restricted to humid climates in the temperature regions and the tropics where the growing season is long
Ultisols (Low-Nutrient Soils)
Abundant water and a long frost-free period contribute to extensive leaching, hence poorer soil quality
Ultisols (Low-Nutrient Soils)
Soils containing large amounts of clay, which shrink upon drying and swell with the addition of water
Vertisols (Swelling Clay Soils)
Found in subhumid to arid climates, provided that adequate supplies of water are available to saturate the soil after periods of drought
Vertisols (Swelling Clay Soils)
Soil expansion and contraction exert stresses on human structures
Vertisols (Swelling Clay Soils)
