CSSC soil orders

Question 1

Brunisolic

Answer 1

where: mixed forests
fertility: medium
ph: slightly acidic
material: clay-rich
horizons: darker Ah horizon, no clear Ae horizon, B horizon

Question 2

Cryosolic

Question 3

Chernozemic

Answer 3

where: beneath prairie grasslands
horizon:
- thick A horizon
ph: neutral (low leaching of base cations)
fertility: very fertile, good for grain crops (high P and Ca)
horizons:
- thick a horizon
- accumulation of organic matter
- salts dissolved from top soil illuviate into deeper soil layers (upper C horizon), forming light carbonate speckles

Question 4

Gleysolic

Answer 4

Where: riparian landscapes (ie rivers, lakes)
material: mineral soils
ph: low
horizons:
Ah = iron, humic material (brown/red)
- water –> anoxic and reduction of fe3+ to Fe2+
- colour change from red to grey, become mobilized so that can leach out through groundwater)
Bg = gley horizon (pale grey)
red speckles = iron oxides located in microsites (air bubble, redox potential remains)
w = shallow water table

redox potential changes over year as groundwater levels rise and fall.

Question 5

Luvisolic

Answer 5

where: mixed forests, mostly ontario and st laurence lowlands
fertility: high because parent material (often sedimentary) rich in base cations and nutrients (ca, p, mg, k)
ph: balanced because of ca and mg
horizons:
Ap = plowing tills top layer of soil
Ah = homogenized due to plowing
Ae = eluviation of clay
Bt = illuviation of clay

Question 6

organic

Answer 6

where: bogs and other waterlogged, anaerobic, cold conditions where rate of decomp of org matter is slow.
material: peat
fertility: low
horizon:
O= very large, due to accumulation of organic matter

Question 7

Podzolic

Answer 7

where: boreal forests
pH: acidic (high leaching, acidic needles)
fertility: low-medium (limited nutrient availability)
material:
horizons:
ah = distinguished, dark
- eluviation of soil nutrients, clay, iron, and aluminum occurs via down transport of organic acids from needle decompostion. bottom of eluviation horizon = bh
Bh = thick w humus
Bf horizon = bright red because of accumulation of iron
Bt = accumulation of clay

Question 8

Regosolic

Answer 8

Soil has just started to develop.
parent material = young, soil has just started to develop
horizon:
- a horizon
- no b horizon

Question 9

Solonetzic

Answer 9

where: prairie grasslands
pH = high/alkaline
fertility = variable, high ph makes cropping difficult
horizons:
- salt accumulation at surface in areas of high evap and low water table (c

Question 10

Vertisolic

Answer 10

where: cool sub-arid grasslands, near prairies
material: high clay content (>60%)
- clay minerals can hold a lot of water
- shrinking and welling upon dry and moistening earth –> cracks
fertility: high but cant work with it for farming
horizons
- little development of horizons
- difficult to distinguish between a and b horizons, gradual colour change