Soil Order

Question 1

Entisol

Answer 1

Ent
Recent

Very young soil showing very limited profile or lack of significant profile development

Question 2

Vertisol

Answer 2

Ert
Latin = verto, turn
-invert
-shows large cracks upon drying due to dominance of montmorillonite

Question 3

Inceptisol

Answer 3

Ept
Latin = inceptum, beginning
-Inception
- a young soil with moderate profile development

Question 4

Aridisol

Answer 4

Id
Latin = aridus, dy
-arid
- limited change in parent material due to dryness

Question 5

Mollisol

Answer 5

Oll
Latin = mollis, soft
- mollify
- dark surface due to high organic matter. This order includes some of the world’s most important agricultural soil

Question 6

Spodosol

Answer 6

Od
Greek = spodos, wood ash
- podzol;odd
- subsoil has accumulation of fe and Al oxides, humus and amorphous clays

Question 7

Alfisol

Answer 7

Alf

• pedalfer
• argillic B horizom with high base saturation

Question 8

Ultisol

Answer 8

Ult
Latin = ultimus, last
- ultimate
- the B horizom has high amounts of clay but low base saturation

Question 9

Oxisol

Answer 9

Ox
F. Oxide, oxide
- highly weathered soil with B horizon containing mainly 1:1 (kaolinite) clay

Question 10

Histosol

Answer 10

Ists
Greek=histos, tissue
- Includes the organic soil have developed in a water-saturated environment