Reference soil China 43: Ferralsol

CN043

Ferralsols occur in tropical and subtropical regions of the world, mainly on old and stable land surfaces.

Characteristics

Soils having a ferralic horizon (strongly weathered horizon with low-activity clays and very low amounts of weatherable minerals) between 25 and 200 cm from the soil surface. They lack a nitic horizon (a horizon with strongly developed, nut-shaped structure) and do not have a layer which fulfils the requirements of an argic horizon and which has, in the upper 30 cm, 10 percent or more water-dispersible clay.

Distribution of Ferralsols (rough estimation supplied by soilgrids)

Very deep, well drained, red clay developed from alluvial and colluvial deposits derived from limestone. The soil is moderately to strongly structured and highly porous. Manganiferous concretions are present in the subsurface horizons.

Classification

WRB 2006		WRB 1998
Lixic- Ferralsol (Clayic)		Chromi-Lixic Ferralsol
35-280 cm	ferralic horizon	0-35 cm	ferralic horizon
35-280 cm	argic horizon	35-280 cm	argic horizon
		35-280 cm	ferralic horizon
FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1988		FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1974
Pachi-Haplic Acriso		Ferric Acrisol
0-35 cm	ochric A horizon	0-35 cm	ochric A horizon
35-280 cm	argic B horizon	35-280 cm	argillic B horizon
		-	ferric

Local classification

Classification information	Argillic red soil;
Common name	Red clay

Other classification

USDA-NRCS (1999)	Typic Kandiudult
USDA-SCS (1975)	Typic Hapludult udic clayey mixed mesic

Location:

Main road 324 to Luliang, km 2542.5; dirt road to Ma Se Shuo, km 2

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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
0-13	-	1.1	1.6	3.6	9.1	5.7	21.1	6.6	11.9	18.5	60.4
13-35	-	0.8	1.8	3.7	9.7	8.0	24	7.1	10.9	18.0	58.1
35-85	-	0.5	0.5	1.1	2.3	2.1	6.5	5.7	14.5	20.2	73.2
85-280	-	0.7	0.9	1.1	1.7	1.2	5.6	3.5	5.1	8.6	85.8

Water retention characteristics

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
0-13	1.176	50.2	47.9	41.6	35.3	32.7	30.7	27.5	26.2
13-35	1.331	47.0	45.9	41.0	36.5	34.0	32.3	29.7	29.0
35-85	1.132	56.1	54.7	49.9	45.4	42.5	40.6	38.0	35.8

Other physical data

Depth (cm)	Bulk density kg/dm³	Spec. Surf. Area m²/g	COLE cm/cm	Water disp. clay %	Clay % w/w
0-13	1.176	-	-	33.8	60.4
13-35	1.331	-	-	37.3	58.1
35-85	1.132	-	-	2.1	73.2
85-280	-	-	-	1.1	85.8

Chemical characteristics

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
0-13	6.8	5.7	0.23	0.7	1.12	0.12	9	-	-	16.2	1.4	0.4	0.2	18.2
13-35	6.6	6.4	0.20	1.8	0.83	0.08	10	-	-	17.4	0.7	0.3	0.1	18.5
35-85	6.5	5.8	0.13	-	0.25	0.04	6	-	-	6.8	0.3	0.2	0.1	7.4
85-280	4.8	4.1	0.04	-	0.23	0.03	8	2.4	1.7	1.8	1.0	0.2	0.0	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 %
0-13	225	8.1	13	3.9	-	-	2
13-35	193	9.6	17	2.9	-	-	1
35-85	95	7.8	11	0.9	-	-	1
85-280	37	8.1	9	0.8	-	21	0

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
0-13	-	11.7	12.9	-	-	-	-	-	-
13-35	-	3.6	11.8	-	-	-	-	-	-
35-85	-	0.7	4.4	-	-	-	-	-	-
85-280	-	0.8	3.5	-	-	-	-	-	-

Clay mineralogy

Depth (cm)

Chlorite

Feldspar

Gibbsite

Goethite

Halloysite

Hematite

Kaolinite

Mica / illite

Mixed-layer

Quartz

Smec

Vermiculite

0-13

medium to strong

very weak

medium to strong

weak

medium to strong

weak

13-35

medium to strong

very weak

medium to strong

weak

medium to strong

weak

35-85

weak

medium to strong

very weak

medium to strong

weak

85-280

weak

medium to strong

very weak

medium to strong

weak

Profile description

Ap 0-13 cm	dark red (2.5YR 3/6, moist)clay,moderate fine and medium granular,friable,many very fine continuous exped and inped tubular random pores highly porous (>60 vol%),few small irregular hard manganiferous concretions,very few fine gravel weathered sand/limestone fragments,abrupt smooth boundary to,
13-35 cm	red (2.5YR 4/6, moist)clay,strong medium and coarse angular blocky to moderate medium columnar,firm,patchy thin clay in root channels and pores cutans,many very fine continuous exped and inped tubular random pores highly porous (>60 vol%),frequent small irregular hard manganiferous concretions,gradual smooth boundary to,
Bt1 35-85 cm	red (2.5YR 4/8, moist)clay,strong medium and coarse angular blocky to strong medium columnar,firm,patchy thin clay in root channels and pores cutans,common very fine continuous exped and inped tubular random pores highly porous (>60 vol%),frequent small irregular hard manganiferous concretions,abrupt wavy boundary to,
Bt2 85-280 cm	red (2.5YR 4/8, moist)clay,strong medium angular blocky to strong medium and coarse columnar,firm,few very fine continuous exped and inped tubular random pores moderately porous (40-60 vol%),few medium gravel weathered sand/limestone frequent fine gravel weathered sand/limestone fragments,

Depth1	500cm
Kind 1 (parent material) ; Parker (eds), 1984	limestone
Kind 2 (parent material) (second entry); Parker (eds), 1984	limestone
Mode of accumulation or deposition of parent material	fluvial
Mode of accumulation or deposition of parent material (second entry)	colluvial
Remarks on Parent Materials	Red Quaternary clay
Soil Depth	280cm

Occurrence of soil aggradation (McDonald et al., 1984)	absent
Intensity of the soil erosion type	moderate
Intensity of the soil erosion type (second entry)	severe
Soil erosion type	rill
Soil erosion type (second entry)	wind
Slope stability	stable

Land use or vegetation in the immediate vicinity of the site	medium level arable farming
Remarks on Land Use / Vegetation	LANDUSE: Potatoes intercropped with mulberry

Altitude	1800m
Physiographic Unit	basin with steep limest. hills
Physiographic position of the site	slope
Regional landform; McDonald, R.C., Isbell, R.F. et all, 1984; Australian soil and land survey Field Handbook, Inkata Press, Melbourne.	basin
Slope	3%
Slope Aspect	south-west
Form of the slope surrounding the site	straight
Topography; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	undulating

Drainage class ; FAO (2006) - Guidelines for soil description	moderately well
Flooding frequency (FAO, 1986)	never
Kind of ground water table (USDA, 1979)	no groundwater table observed
Moist From - To	0-280cm
Estimated run off (class)	medium
Drainage class - intergrade; FAO (2006) - Guidelines for soil description	well

Evidence of alkali ; Soil Survey Manual USDA, 1951	non-alkaline
Average size of stone	2
Surface cracking	no cracks observed
Slaking of aggregates by tillage, rainfall or frost (USDA/SCS, 1979)	surface partly slaked, round smooth aggregates
Microrelief Height: variation in height	10
Micro relief type: small-scale differences in relief in the direct vicinity of the site (FAO, 1986)	ripples
Microrelief pattern	linear
Rock outcrop class (FAO (2006) - Guidelines for soil description)	none
Evidence of salt; Soil Survey Manual USDA, 1951	non-saline
Shape of stones (on average)	angular irregular
Surface stoniness class (FAO (2006) - Guidelines for soil description)	very few stones

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Reference soil China 43: Ferralsol

Characteristics

Classification