Reference soil China 27: Cambisol

CN027

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 CN027: Cambisols

PROFILE DESCRIPTION : Shallow, well drained, yellowish brown sandy clay loam derived from granite. The thin dark coloured topsoil has a very high organic carbon content and a moderately developed crumb structure. The soil is strongly acid throughout. GENERAL LANDFORM: the valley has a clear V-shaped form without any accumulation at the transition to the valley bottom / PARENT MATERIAL: within the rotten rock pockets of soil occur to a depth of about 150cm. The weathered granite is pinkish of colour / SLOPE PROCESSES: erosion (rill and gully) is evident along transport lines of cut timber / LAND USE: the flat bottom is intensively cultivated (paddy). Slide nos. of the ISRIC collection: 13905-13912 (landscape, profile, profile details)

Classification

WRB 2006

WRB 1998

Endoleptic- Cambisol (Alumic Humic)

Ferrali-Epileptic- Cambisol (Hyperdystric)

10-47 cm	cambic horizon
-	continuous rock

10-47 cm	cambic horizon
2-10 cm	ochric horizon
-	continuous hard rock

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1988

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1974

Humi-Dystric Cambisol lithic

Dystric Cambisol lithic

10-47 cm	cambic B horizon
2-10 cm	ochric A horizon
- cm	cambic B horizon
- cm	ochric A horizon
-	continuous hard rock
-	strongly humic

10-47 cm	cambic B horizon
2-10 cm	ochric A horizon

Local classification:	Haplic para-yellow soil; Acidi-Udic Cambosol
Common name:	Acid brown earth

Other classification

USDA-SCS (1975)

Dystrochrept udic fine 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
2-10	-	8.0	9.7	8.5	9.6	6.7	42.5	8.2	19.4	27.6	30.0
17-42	-	6.4	7.8	8.5	11.2	4.9	38.8	7.5	18.1	25.6	35.5
52-82	-	19.2	20.5	14.5	13.6	7.4	75.2	13.6	2.9	16.5	8.3

Water retention characteristics

Depth (cm)	Bulk density kg/dm³	Spec. Surf. Area m²/g	COLE cm/cm	Water disp. clay %	Clay % w/w
2-10	-	-	-	-	30.0
25-30	0.916	-	-	-	-
17-42	-	-	-	-	35.5
52-82	-	-	-	-	8.3

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
25-30	0.916	57.7	51.8	42.8	33.8	32.8	28.2	21.6	18.0

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
2-10	4.7	4.0	0.07	-	5.18	0.39	13	2.9	2.8	1.6	0.7	0.1	0.0	2.4
17-42	4.5	4.1	0.02	-	1.75	0.15	12	3.7	3.7	0.0	0.0	0.2	0.1	0.3
52-82	5.0	4.1	0.02	-	0.01	0	-	1.6	1.4	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.1

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 %
2-10	15	15.9	53	18.1	-	18	0
17-42	3	9.7	27	6.1	-	38	1
52-82	2	4.4	53	0.0	-	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
2-10	-	-	-	-	-	1.30	0.40	-	-	-	-
17-42	-	-	-	-	-	1.60	0.50	-	-	-	-
52-82	-	-	-	-	-	0.90	0.10	-	-	-	-

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
2-10	-	1.3	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
17-42	-	0.2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
52-82	-	4.8	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Clay mineralogy

Depth (cm)	Chlorite	Feldspar	Gibbsite	Goethite	Halloysite	Hematite	Kaolinite	Mica / illite	Mixed-layer	Quartz	Smec	Vermiculite
2-10	weak	-	-	-	-	-	strong	weak	medium to strong	weak	-	weak
17-42	very weak	-	-	-	-	-	medium to strong	weak	weak	very weak	-	very weak
52-82	very weak	-	-	-	-	-	medium to strong	weak	weak	-	-	very weak

Profile description

Ah 2-10 cm	dark brown (10YR 3/3, dry) very dark brown (10YR 2/2, moist)sandy clay loam slightly gravelly,leaves nil,moderate fine and medium crumb,slightly hard very friable slightly sticky slightly plastic,many fine continuous exped and inped interstitial random pores and many continuous exped interstitial random pores highly porous (>60 vol%),very few medium gravel weathered granite fragments,very frequent worm channels and pedotubules,clear wavy boundary to,gradual wavy boundary to,
B 10-47 cm	yellowish brown (10YR 5/6, moist)sandy clay loam slightly gravelly,very weak medium subangular blocky,very friable sticky plastic,common fine continuous exped and inped tubular random pores moderately porous (40-60 vol%),very few medium gravel weathered granite fragments,frequent pedotubules,clear irregular boundary to,
R 47-200 cm	brownish yellow (10YR 6/8, moist)sandy clay,SM,firm very sticky plastic,many heterogeneous prominent sharp mottles (10YR 8/1) and many medium prominent mottles (10YR 2/1),few fine continuous exped and inped tubular random pores moderately porous (40-60 vol%),no biological activity,

Kind 1 (parent material) ; Parker (eds), 1984	coarse-grained acid igneous rock
Mode of accumulation or deposition of parent material	residual material
Remarks on Parent Materials	no fresh outcrops
Soil Depth	45cm
Texture of parent material	sandy clay
Texture of parent material (second entry)	sandy clay
Weathering Resistance	moderate
General characterization of the status of weathering of solid rock	highly

Occurrence of soil aggradation (McDonald et al., 1984)	absent
Slope stability	locally unstable

Main type of irrigation; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	no irrigation
Land use or vegetation in the immediate vicinity of the site	(semi-)natural vegetation
Remarks on Land Use / Vegetation	VEGETATION: Bamboo forest and Chinese pines, ferns LANDUSE: The flat valley bottom is intensively cultivated (paddy)
Rotation scheme ; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	crop rotation scheme not relevant
Status of vegetation; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	primary
Major vegetation type; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	evergreen forest

Altitude	700m
Physiographic Unit	lower slope of V-shaped valley
Physiographic position of the site	lower slope
Regional landform; McDonald, R.C., Isbell, R.F. et all, 1984; Australian soil and land survey Field Handbook, Inkata Press, Melbourne.	mountain
Slope	40%
Slope Aspect	west
Form of the slope surrounding the site	straight
Topography; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	mountainous

Drainage class ; FAO (2006) - Guidelines for soil description	well
Dry From - To	0-8cm
Flooding frequency (FAO, 1986)	never
Kind of ground water table (USDA, 1979)	no groundwater table observed
Moist From - To	8-200cm
Estimated run off (class)	medium

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)	no surface slaking/crusting observed
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 27: Cambisol

Characteristics

Reference soil CN027: Cambisols

Classification