Reference soil China 05: Cambisol

CN005

Cambisols occur mainly in the temperate and boreal regions of the world, where the soil’s parent material is still young or where low temperatures slow down the processes of soil formation.

Characteristics

Soils having either a cambic horizon (a horizon showing evidence of alteration with respect to the underlying material), or a mollic horizon overlying a subsoil, which has a base saturation of less than 50 percent in some part within 100 cm from the soil surface, or one of the following diagnostic horizons within the specified depth: an andic, vertic, or vitric horizon starting between 25 and 100 cm; a (petro-)plinthic or salic horizon starting between 50 and 100 cm, in absence of loamy sand or coarser textures above these horizons.

Distribution of Cambisols (rough estimation supplied by soilgrids)

 

Reference soil CN005: Cambisols

PROFILE DESCRIPTION : Shallow, moderately well drained, clayey soil derived from "purple" shale. The soil colour is uniformly dark reddish brown and strongly related to the colour of the parent rock. Organic carbon content is low. The soil is calcareous and has an alkaline soil reaction throughout. It subangular blocky structure is moderately developed. HYDROLOGY: infiltration is estimated at 1-10 cm/day; coarse dendritic surface drainage, mainly man-controlled by ditches through the paddy fields / GEOLOGICAL FORMATION: Tertiary / SOIL FAUNA: some ants and worms / LAND USE AND HUMAN INFLUENCES: levelling and locally ploughing; cultivated land in the area is used for growing vegetable (soil tillage by hacking and weed control by hand).

 

Classification

WRB 2006WRB 1998
Endoleptic- Cambisol (Calcaric Clayic Chromic)Calcari-Endoleptic- Cambisol (Chromic)
10-48 cmcambic horizon
-continuous rock
0-10 cmochric horizon
10-48 cmcambic horizon
-continuous hard rock
FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1988FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1974
Silti-Calcaric CambisolChromic Cambisol
0-10 cmochric A horizon
- cmcambic B horizon
- cmochric A horizon
-calcareous
0-10 cmochric A horizon
10-48 cmcambic B horizon

 

Local classification:Calcaric purple soil; Purpli-Udic Cambosol
Common name:Limy brown earth