Reference soil Canada 24: Podzol

CA024

Podzols mainly occur in cool temperate and moist regions on coarse textured materials. Areas of Podzols have also been recorded from wet, tropical regions, notably the Amazon basin, southern central Africa and southeast Asia.

Characteristics

Soils having a spodic horizon (a dark coloured subsurface horizon with illuvial amorphous alumino-organic substances) within 200 cm from the soil surface, underlying an albic, histic, umbric or ochric horizon, or an anthropedogenic horizon less than 50 cm thick. Podzols are probably the most extensively researched group of soils.

Distribution of Podzols (rough estimation supplied by soilgrids)

Reference soil CA024: Podzols

Classification

WRB 1998

Rusti-Endogleyic- Podzol

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1988

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1974

Ferri-Gleyic Podzol

Gleyic Podzol

Local classification:	Orthic Ferro-Humic Podzol

Other classification

USDA-SCS (1975)

Cryorthod udic coarse-loamy mixed frigid

Land use

Land use or vegetation in the immediate vicinity of the site	natural forest and woodland
Remarks on Land Use / Vegetation	VEGETATION: Trees: Alnus rubra, Thuja plicata, Tsuga heterophylla. Shrubs: Acer circinatum, Rubus pariflorum, Rubus spectabilis, Rubus ursinis, Thuja plicata, Vaccinium alaskaense, Vaccinium parvifolium. Herbs: Achlys triphylla, Athyrium lilix-femina, Blechnum spicant, (excellent vigor), Dryopteris austriaca, Polystichum munitum, Pteridium aquilinum, Tiarella trifoliata, Thuja plicata, Trientalis latifolia, Trillium ovatum. Mosses: Bazzania ambigua, Dicranum howellii, Isopterygium elegans, Hylocomium splendens, Pogonatam contortum, Plagiothecium undulatum, Rhizomnium glabrescens, Stoesiella oregana.
Major vegetation type; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	deciduous forest

Physical characteristics

Particle size distribution

Depth (cm)	Gravel % v/v	very coarse sand % w/w	coarse sand % w/w	medium sand % w/w	fine sand % w/w	very fine sand % w/w	Total sand % w/w	coarse silt % w/w	fine silt % w/w	Total silt % w/w	Clay % w/w
1-5	31	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
5-6	15	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
6-14	25	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
14-22	35	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
22-40	43	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
40-57	53	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
57-72	33	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
72-94	40	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
94-119	8	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
119-139	0	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
139-155	9	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Chemical data

Depth (cm)	Base sat. %	CEC soil cmol(c)/kg	CEC clay cmol(c)/kg	CEC org cmol(c)/kg	ECEC cmol(c)/kg	Al sat. %	ESP %
0-1	-	-	-	-	-	-	0
1-5	-	-	-	-	-	-	0
5-6	-	-	-	-	-	-	0
6-14	-	-	-	-	-	-	0
14-22	-	-	-	-	-	-	0
22-40	-	-	-	-	-	-	0
40-57	-	-	-	-	-	-	0
57-72	-	-	-	-	-	-	0
72-94	-	-	-	-	-	-	0
94-119	-	-	-	-	-	-	0
119-139	-	-	-	-	-	-	0
139-155	-	-	-	-	-	-	0

Profile description

O 0-5 cm	black (10YR 2/1, dry)leaves moderately,soft,highly porous (>60 vol%),many fine roots,abrupt broken boundary to,
E 5-6 cm	(7.5YR 5.5/2, dry) dark greyish brown (10YR 4/2, moist)loamy sand,very weak fine subangular blocky,loose non sticky,many fine roots,weakly cemented pans,abrupt broken boundary to,
Bhs 6-14 cm	brown (7.5YR 5/4, dry) dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4, moist)loam slightly stony,very weak fine subangular blocky,very friable non sticky non plastic,(5YR 3/1) and (5YR 4/4),many fine few coarse roots,common stones fragments,weakly cemented pans,clear broken boundary to,
Bs1 14-22 cm	(10YR 6/5, dry) reddish brown (5YR 4/4, moist)loam slightly stony,very weak fine subangular blocky,very friable non sticky plastic,many fine few coarse roots,common stones fragments,weakly cemented pans,diffuse broken boundary to,
Bs2 22-40 cm	reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6, dry) reddish brown (5YR 4/4, moist)loam slightly stony,very weak fine subangular blocky,friable non sticky plastic,(5YR 3/4) and (5YR 5/4),many fine few coarse roots,common stones fragments,weakly cemented pans,diffuse broken boundary to,
Bs3 40-57 cm	reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6, dry) reddish brown (5YR 4/4, moist)loam slightly stony,very weak fine subangular blocky,friable non sticky plastic,(5YR 5/4),many fine few coarse roots,common stones fragments,non-cemented pans,clear broken boundary to,
Bs4 57-72 cm	(7.5YR 5/5, dry) yellowish red (5YR 4/6, moist)loam slightly stony,very weak fine subangular blocky,friable non sticky plastic,(5YR 3/4),many fine few coarse roots,common stones fragments,non-cemented pans,clear broken boundary to,
72-94 cm	light grey (5Y 7/2, dry) dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3, moist)loam slightly stony,weak fine and medium subangular blocky,friable non sticky plastic,many fine few coarse roots,common stones fragments,non-cemented pans,clear broken boundary to,
2BCg 94-119 cm	light grey (5Y 7/2, dry) olive grey (5Y 5/2, moist)sandy loam gravelly,weak fine and medium subangular blocky parting to single grain,friable non sticky non plastic,few fine roots,abundant stones fragments,continuous weakly cemented pans,abrupt smooth boundary to,
3Cg1 119-139 cm	(5Y 7/1.5, dry) olive grey (5Y 5/2, moist)sandy loam,strong coarse platy,firm non sticky plastic,(5Y 4.5/2) and (2.5YR 3/6),no roots,around nodules stones fragments,weakly cemented pans,gradual wavy boundary to,
3Cg2 139-176 cm	light grey (5Y 7/1, dry) olive grey (5Y 5/2, moist)loam,strong coarse platy,firm slightly sticky plastic,(10YR 4/3) and (2.5Y 6/4),no roots,around nodules stones fragments,weakly cemented pans,

Kind 1 (parent material) ; Parker (eds), 1984	mixed lithology and composition
Mode of accumulation or deposition of parent material	fluvio-glacial sediments
Remarks on Parent Materials	ablation till, probably reworked by water action
Soil Depth	176cm
Texture of parent material (second entry)	loamy
General characterization of the status of weathering of solid rock	slightly

Altitude	180m
Physiographic Unit	hummocky fluvial veneer
Physiographic position of the site	middle slope
Regional landform; McDonald, R.C., Isbell, R.F. et all, 1984; Australian soil and land survey Field Handbook, Inkata Press, Melbourne.	hill
Slope	8%
Slope Aspect	south-west
Topography; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	undulating

Drainage class ; FAO (2006) - Guidelines for soil description	moderately well
Dry From - To	0-5cm
Flooding frequency (FAO, 1986)	never
Depth to groundwater table	91cm
Kind of ground water table (USDA, 1979)	groundwater table observed
Moist From - To	5-176cm
Estimated permeability (class) of least permeable part of the profile	high
Estimated run off (class)	very slow

Evidence of alkali ; Soil Survey Manual USDA, 1951	non-alkaline
Micro relief type: small-scale differences in relief in the direct vicinity of the site (FAO, 1986)	hummocks
Evidence of salt; Soil Survey Manual USDA, 1951	non-saline

You are here

Reference soil Canada 24: Podzol

Characteristics

Reference soil CA024: Podzols

Classification