Reference soil China 22: Alisol

CN022

Alisols occur in the tropics and subtropics, and in the warm temperate regions of the world in relatively young landscapes. The high level of exchangeable aluminium in these soils is caused by rapid weathering of secondary high-activity clays such as vermiculite and smectite.

Characteristics

Soils having an argic horizon (a subsurface horizon with distinct higher clay content than the overlying horizon), which has a cation exchange capacity of 24 cmolc per kg clay or more, and which starts either within 100 cm from the soil surface, or within 200 cm from the soil surface if the argic horizon is overlain by loamy sand or coarser textures throughout. They have "alic" properties (high content of exchangeable aluminium) in the major part between 25 and 100 cm from the soil surface; moreover, only such diagnostic horizons as an ochric, albic, andic, ferric, nitic, plinthic, or vertic horizon are present.

Distribution of Alisols (rough estimation supplied by soilgrids)

Reference soil CN022: Alisols

PROFILE DESCRIPTION : Deep, imperfectly drained red sandy clay loam derived from sandstone. The topsoil is very weakly developed (light colour and no structure), the subsoil is strongly mottled. The strongly mottled subsoil is considered to be pseudo-plinthite, because it does not harden upon wetting and drying. It is not clear if the mottling results from a past period with different climatic conditions or is caused by actual processes. GROUNDWATER: Groundwater observations throughout the year are necessary to verify the assumed stagnating of water in the deeper subsoil. Probably the sandstone and the strongly mottled deeper subsoil are having insufficient permeability to transmit vertically and/or laterally the excess precipitation during the rainy season. / LAND USE: crops: tea, buck-wheat, tunip, peanuts, millet.

Classification

WRB 2006

WRB 1998

Stagnic-Cutanic-Hyperalic- Alisol (Profondic Chromic)

Profondi-Endogleyic- Alisol (Hyperdystric Chromic)

22-180 cm	argic horizon
-	stagnic colour pattern

0-46 cm	ochric horizon
22-180 cm	argic horizon
-	stagnic

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1988

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1974

Chromi-Stagnic Alisol

Ferric Acrisol

0-46 cm	ochric A horizon
22-180 cm	argic B horizon
- cm	ochric A horizon
- cm	argic B horizon
- cm	albic E horizon
-	ferric
-	stagnic

0-46 cm	ochric A horizon
22-180 cm	argillic B horizon
-	ferric

Local classification:	Ferri-Udic Cambosol
Common name:	Red clay-leached soil

Other classification

USDA-NRCS (1999)	Typic Paleustult
USDA-SCS (1975)	Typic Paleustult ustic clayey mixed thermic

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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
0-8	-	0.1	0.6	3.4	23.3	26.7	54.1	1.0	15.7	16.7	29.1
8-22	-	0.1	0.6	2.7	14.4	28.7	46.5	7.4	15.1	22.5	30.9
22-46	-	0.0	0.6	2.9	20.8	18.7	43	6.0	13.8	19.8	37.1
46-95	-	0.0	0.5	2.4	13.5	24.6	41	7.3	13.0	20.3	38.7
95-140	-	0.0	0.5	2.5	19.2	19.5	41.7	6.7	12.6	19.3	39.0
140-180	-	0.1	0.3	2.4	13.7	28.3	44.8	5.4	12.8	18.2	37.0

Water retention characteristics

Depth (cm)	Bulk density kg/dm³	Spec. Surf. Area m²/g	COLE cm/cm	Water disp. clay %	Clay % w/w
0-8	-	-	-	0.9	29.1
8-13	1.448	-	-	-	-
45-50	1.378	-	-	-	-
8-22	-	-	-	1.5	30.9
95-100	1.454	-	-	-	-
22-46	-	-	-	1.5	37.1
46-95	-	-	-	1.5	38.7
95-140	-	-	-	1.9	39.0
140-180	-	-	-	22.3	37.0

Other physical data

Depth (cm)	Bulk density kg/dm³	pF 0 % v/v	pF 1.0 % v/v	pF 1.5 % v/v	pF 2.0 % v/v	pF 2.3 % v/v	pF 2.7 % v/v	pF 3.4 % v/v	pF 4.2 % v/v
8-13	1.448	41.9	39.6	36.3	32.6	30.6	28.7	24.0	22.7
45-50	1.378	43.2	42.8	39.3	36.1	34.6	33.1	28.8	26.7
95-100	1.454	41.7	41.7	40.0	38.0	36.8	35.6	30.2	27.3

Chemical data

Depth (cm)	pH H2O	pHKCl	EC 1: 2.5 dS/m	CaCO3 % w/w	C % w/w	N %	C / N	Exch. Acid cmol(c)/kg	Exch. Al cmol(c)/kg	Ca cmol(c)/kg	Mg cmol(c)/kg	K cmol(c)/kg	Na cmol(c)/kg	Sum Cations cmol(c)/kg
0-8	4.3	3.8	0.03	-	0.21	0.03	7	3.2	2.9	1.4	0.0	0.1	0.0	1.5
8-22	4.5	3.8	0.02	-	0.13	0.02	7	3.8	3.4	1.4	0.0	0.1	0.0	1.5
22-46	4.4	3.9	0.01	-	0.17	0.02	9	4.2	4.1	1.2	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.2
46-95	4.4	3.8	0.02	-	0.07	0.02	4	4.8	4.5	1.2	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.2
95-140	4.4	3.8	0.01	-	0.04	0.02	2	6	5.4	1.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.0
140-180	4.4	3.7	0.01	-	0.03	0.01	3	6.5	5.7	1.2	0.0	0.1	0.0	1.3

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 %
0-8	36	4.2	14	0.7	-	69	0
8-22	17	8.7	28	0.5	-	39	0
22-46	8	14.7	40	0.6	-	28	0
46-95	10	11.9	31	0.2	-	38	0
95-140	8	13.1	34	0.1	-	41	0
140-180	7	17.9	48	0.1	-	32	0

Depth (cm)	pH NaF	P Retention %	ODOE	Al o % w/w	Si o % w/w	Fe d % w/w	Al d % w/w	Fe p % w/w	Al p % w/w	C p % w/w	Fe o % w/w
0-8	-	-	-	-	-	1.40	0.40	-	-	-	-
8-22	-	-	-	-	-	1.80	0.40	-	-	-	-
22-46	-	-	-	-	-	2.10	0.50	-	-	-	-
46-95	-	-	-	-	-	2.60	0.40	-	-	-	-
95-140	-	-	-	-	-	2.60	0.40	-	-	-	-
140-180	-	-	-	-	-	2.50	0.40	-	-	-	-

Depth (cm)	CaSO4.2H2O %	P Bray mg/kg	P Olsen mg/kg	pH CaCl2	clay_noncarbonate % w/w	clay_carbonate % w/w	phosphorus4 mg/kg	phosphorus1 mg/kg	total_sulfur % w/w
0-8	-	0.3	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
8-22	-	0.0	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
22-46	-	0.0	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
46-95	-	0.0	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
95-140	-	0.0	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
140-180	-	0.0	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Clay mineralogy

Depth (cm)	Chlorite	Feldspar	Gibbsite	Goethite	Halloysite	Hematite	Kaolinite	Mica / illite	Mixed-layer	Quartz	Smec	Vermiculite
0-8	medium to strong	-	-	weak	-	-	medium to strong	very weak	weak	weak	-	-
8-22	medium to strong	-	-	weak	-	-	medium to strong	very weak	weak	weak	-	-
22-46	medium to strong	-	-	weak	-	-	strong	very weak	medium to strong	very weak	-	-
46-95	medium to strong	-	-	weak	-	-	strong	very weak	medium to strong	-	-	-
95-140	medium to strong	-	-	weak	-	-	medium to strong	very weak	weak	-	-	-
140-180	medium to strong	-	-	weak	-	-	medium to strong	very weak	weak	-	-	-

Profile description

Ah 0-22 cm	yellowish brown (10YR 5/8, moist)sandy loam,weakly coherent porous massive,hard very friable slightly sticky slightly plastic,common medium distinct mottles (10YR 6/8),common very fine tubular pores,clear smooth boundary to,
22-46 cm	yellowish brown (10YR 5/8, moist)sandy loam,weak fine subangular blocky,hard very friable slightly sticky slightly plastic,common medium distinct mottles (10YR 6/8),many micro pores and few tubular pores,gradual smooth boundary to,
Bg1 46-95 cm	red (2.5YR 4/8, moist)red (2.5YR 4/6, moist),sandy clay loam,sandy clay loam,weak medium subangular blocky,moderate fine and medium subangular blocky,friable slightly sticky slightly plastic,friable slightly sticky slightly plastic,many coarse prominent mottles (7.5YR 6/6) and many coarse prominent mottles (7.5YR 7/3),many medium distinct mottles (10YR 5/6),patchy moderately thick clay cutans,few very fine pores,diffuse smooth boundary to,

Kind 1 (parent material) ; Parker (eds), 1984	sandstone
Mode of accumulation or deposition of parent material	residual material
Remarks on Parent Materials	fine sandstone
Soil Depth	100cm
Texture of parent material	loamy

Intensity of the soil erosion type	moderate
Soil erosion type	sheet

Land use or vegetation in the immediate vicinity of the site	fallow
Remarks on Land Use / Vegetation	LANDUSE: Near site arable farming; crops: tea, buck-wheat, tunip, peanuts, millet

Altitude	40m
Physiographic Unit	low, broad interfluve
Physiographic position of the site	crest
Regional landform; McDonald, R.C., Isbell, R.F. et all, 1984; Australian soil and land survey Field Handbook, Inkata Press, Melbourne.	intermontane basin
Slope	2%
Form of the slope surrounding the site	convex
Topography; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	undulating

Lower limit of a slow permeable or stagnating layer in the profile	200cm
Drainage class ; FAO (2006) - Guidelines for soil description	moderately well
Dry From - To	0-100cm
Flooding frequency (FAO, 1986)	never
Kind of ground water table (USDA, 1979)	no groundwater table observed
Moist From - To	100-200cm
Estimated permeability (class) of least permeable part of the profile	slow
Estimated run off (class)	rapid
Drainage class - intergrade; FAO (2006) - Guidelines for soil description	well
Upper limit of a slow permeable or stagnating layer in the profile	100cm

Evidence of alkali ; Soil Survey Manual USDA, 1951	non-alkaline
Surface cracking	no cracks observed
Slaking of aggregates by tillage, rainfall or frost (USDA/SCS, 1979)	surface slaked; sorted sand/silt, some clay films
Rock outcrop class (FAO (2006) - Guidelines for soil description)	none
Evidence of salt; Soil Survey Manual USDA, 1951	non-saline
Surface stoniness class (FAO (2006) - Guidelines for soil description)	none

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Reference soil China 22: Alisol

Characteristics

Reference soil CN022: Alisols

Classification