Soils: Classification - Orders

Plus suborder prefixes

Entisols (…ents)

Formed by time, Ochric Epipedon, no diagnostic B horizon, most common soil globally, (floodplains, sand dunes, steep slopes, human disturbed soils)

Inceptisols (…epts)

Formed by time, Ochric epipedon, Cambic B horizon, widely distributed (mountainous, rice paddies)

Mollisols (…olls)

formed by vegetation, Mollic epipedon, grassland, Argillic, natric or cambic B horizon, High native fertility (Mid US, Ukraine and Russia, China and Mongolia, Argentina and Paraguay

Alfisols (…alfs)

Formed by vegetation, Deciduous forest soil, Argillic or natric B horizon, Ochric or Umbric epipedon, less fertile that mollisols but more acidic, (Eastern USA and Europe)

Spodosols (…ods)

Formed by vegetation, Coniferous forest soils, Ochric or Ubric epipedon, Spodic B horizon, Saldy with albic E horizon, low native fertility, (Northern Europe, Canada, New England, Michigan and Wisconsin)

Ultisols (…ults)

Formed by climate, tropical forest soil, more weathered and acidic than Alfisols, Ochric or umbric epipedon, Argillic or Kandic B horizon, often red, low in native fertility, (Souther US, Southeast Asia, Brazil)

Oxisols (…ox)

formed by climate, tropical rain forest soil, highly weathered, Ochric or umbric epipedon, Oxic B horizon, red to reddish-yellow, low native fertility, moderately acidic, (tropical Africa and South America)

Histosols (…ists)

formed by topography, marshes, bogs, and swamp soils, peat *partially decomposed) and muck (fully decomposed), high native fertility, (wet regions of MI, WI, MN, FL, LA, and mid-atlantic)

Vertisol (…erts)

Formed by parent material, dark, swelling ad cracking clay soils, under grasslands, profile inverts over time, difficult to manage (India, Ethiopia and Sudan, Australia)

Aridisols (…ids)

Formed by climate, dry soils with limited development (no eluviation/illuviation), Ochric epipedon, Argillic, calcic, gypsic, salic or natric B horizon, (Africa, China, Turkestan, Australia)

Andisols (…ands)

Formed by parent material, volcanic ash soils, limited profile development, wind erosion, melanic epipedon, high native fertility (except for P) (Japan, Philippines, East Africa)

Gelisols (…els)

Formed by climate, permafrost with little development, ice-cemented or mixed by frost churning (cryoturbation), surface patterns, (Northern Russia, Canada, Alaska)

Hist

organic

Orth/Camb

typical

Turb

cryoturbation

Aqua

wet

Cry

cold

Torr

hot/dry

Ud

humid

Ust

moist/dry

Vitr

glass

Xer

dry summer, moist winter

Arg

clay

Calc

carbonates

Dur

duripan

Gyps

gypsum

Sal

salty

Hem

fibers partially decomposed

Sapr

fibers totally decomposed

Fibr

fibers obvious

Fol

leaf mat

Per

very humid

Hum

humus

Alb

albic horizon

Rend

calcareous

Anth

man-made

Ar

disturbed

Fluv

alluvial

Psamm

sandy