REN R 210- subgroups and soil horizon terms

The suborder of soils and their horizons

Black Chernozem

Ah, Bm, Cca or Ck (orthic)

Dark Brown Chernozem

Ah, Bm Cca or Ck

Brown Chernozem

Ah, Bm, Cca or Ck

Dark Gray Chernozem

Ahe, Ae, Bm or Btj or Bt, Cca or Ck

Luvic Gleysol

Ahe, Aeg, Btg

Humic Gleysol

Ah, Bg

NO bt horizon

Gleysol

Ah(<10cm), Bg

or lacking Ah and Bt

Gray Brown Luvisol

Ah, Ae, Bt, Ck (orthic)

Gray Luvisol

LFH, Ah or Ahe, Ae, Bt, C or Ck (dark gray)

Humic Podzol

L, F, and H or O, Ae, Bh, Bhf, and Bf,

least Fe

Ferro-humic Podzol

LFH or O, Ae, Bhf, Bf, BC, C

Considerable amt of Fe and Al

Humo-ferric Podzol

LFH, Ae, Bf, BC, C

Solonetz

Ah, Bn or Bnt, Csk

Solodized Solonetz

Ah, Ae, Bn or Bnt, Csk

Solod

Ah, Ae, AB, Bnt, Ck, Csk

Melanic Brunisol

LF, Ah, Bm, Ck or C (orthic)

high pH, high OM

Eutric Brunisol

LFH, Bm, Ck or C

Lack a developed Ah horizon

High pH, low OM

Sombric Brunisol

LFH, Ah, Bm, C

low pH, high OM

Dystric Brunisol

LFH, Bm, C

low pH, low OM

ca

a horizon of secondary carbonate enrichment in which the concentration of lime exceeds that in the unenriched parent material.

e

a modifier used for A horizons characterized by the eluviation of clay, Fe, Al, or organic matter alone or in any combination. When dry, an Ae horizon is usually higher in colour value by one or more units than the underlying B horizon.

f

a horizon enriched with amorphous material, principally Al and Fe oxides combined with organic matter.

Podzol

g

a horizon characterized by gray colours, or prominent mottling, or both, indicative of permanent or periodic intense reduction caused by water.

h

a horizon enriched with organic matter. It is used with A alone (Ah), or with A and e (Ahe), or with B alone (Bh), or with B and f (Bhf).

j

This is used as a modifier of suffixes e, f, g, n, t, and v to denote a juvenile form of those horizons in the sense that the characteristics are evident but do not meet the specified limits of the suffix it modifies.

k

Denotes the presence of carbonates as indicated by visible effervescence when dilute HCl is added.

m

a horizon slightly altered by hydrolysis, oxidation, or solution, or all three to give a change in colour, or structure, or both.

n

a horizon in which the ratio of exchangeable Ca to exchangeable Na is 10 or less. It must also have the following distinctive morphological characteristics: prismatic or columnar structure, dark coatings on ped surfaces, and hard to very hard consistence when dry. It is used with B as Bn or Bnt.

p

a horizon disturbed by man's activities such as cultivation, logging, or habitation. It is used with A and O.

s

a horizon with salts, including gypsum, present as crystals or veins. Indicators of saline horizons can include surface crusts of salt crystals, depressed crop growth, or the presence of salt-tolerant plants.

sa

a horizon with secondary enrichment of salts more soluble than Ca and Mg carbonates; the concentration of salts exceeds that in the unenriched parent materials.

ss

a horizon showing the presence of slickensides, which are sheer surfaces formed when one soil mass moves over another, often displaying unidirectional parallel grooves.

t

an illuvial horizon enriched with silicate clay. It is used with B alone (Bt), with B and g (Btg), with B and n (Bnt).

v

a vertic horizon affected by argilliturbation, as characterized by disruption and mixing caused by shrinking and swelling of the soil mass.

y

horizon showing evidence of cryoturbation as manifested by disrupted and broken horizons

z

a frozen horizon