Reference soil China 44: Cambisol

CN044

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 CN044: Cambisols

PROFILE DESCRIPTION : Very deep, well drained, reddish brown to red clay loam developed from alluvial deposits derived from sandstone. PARENT MATERIAL: The parent material at a depth of 370 cm consists of a 50 cm thick layer of gravel deposited by a side branch of the Lancang Jiang river (Me Kong). The river, at a distance of 100m from the roadcut where the profile was described, has formed a deep valley and runs actually 50 m lower than the profile is situated. Under the alluvial deposits another type of parent material is found, limestone/sandstone.

Classification

WRB 2006

WRB 1998

Ferralic- Cambisol (Alumic Chromic)

Chromi-Ferralic- Cambisol (Hyperdystric)

40-260 cm	cambic horizon
-	ferralic

0-98 cm	ochric horizon
40-260 cm	cambic horizon
-	ferralic

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1988

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1974

Alumi-Ferralic Cambisol

Ferralic Cambisol

0-98 cm	ochric A horizon
- cm	cambic B horizon
- cm	ochric A horizon
-	ferralic

0-98 cm	ochric A horizon
98-260 cm	cambic B horizon
-	ferralic

Local classification:	Haplic latosol; Hapli-Udic Ferrosol
Common name:	Acid red clay

Other classification

USDA-SCS (1975)

Dystrochrept udic fine kaolinitic hyperthermic

More images

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
0-40	-	0.1	0.6	2.9	14.4	18.1	36.1	16.1	14.4	30.5	33.5
40-70	-	0.5	0.8	2.7	14.0	15.4	33.4	14.2	15.1	29.3	37.4
70-98	-	0.4	0.7	2.6	12.4	19.2	35.3	12.5	15.2	27.7	37.0
98-175	-	0.2	0.4	2.2	13.8	16.3	32.9	11.7	15.6	27.3	39.6
175-260	-	0.2	0.6	2.0	11.0	18.4	32.2	12.6	15.4	28.0	39.9
260-355	-	0.1	0.7	2.2	13.4	16.4	32.8	17.2	12.9	30.1	37.2
355-420	-	0.3	2.3	7.9	22.5	11.6	44.6	8.4	34.9	43.3	12.0

Water retention characteristics

Depth (cm)	Bulk density kg/dm³	Spec. Surf. Area m²/g	COLE cm/cm	Water disp. clay %	Clay % w/w
0-40	1.115	-	-	10.2	33.5
40-70	1.212	-	-	17.7	37.4
70-98	-	-	-	16.7	37.0
98-175	1.355	-	-	13.7	39.6
175-260	-	-	-	5.4	39.9
260-355	-	-	-	2.5	37.2
355-420	-	-	-	0.0	12.0

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
0-40	1.115	49.8	44.7	38.9	34.3	31.4	28.3	23.3	22.1
40-70	1.212	44.1	37.0	32.7	30.7	29.8	28.7	26.4	25.0
98-175	1.355	45.4	44.3	38.8	35.1	33.5	32.0	29.0	28.3

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
0-40	3.9	3.6	0.11	-	1.57	0.15	10	8.2	7.9	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.1
40-70	4.4	3.6	0.03	-	0.58	0.08	7	8.2	7.3	0.2	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.2
70-98	4.3	3.6	0.04	-	0.65	0.08	8	8.1	7.3	0.4	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.5
98-175	4.5	3.7	0.02	-	0.39	0.07	6	6.3	5.9	0.2	0.0	0.0	0.2	0.4
175-260	4.5	3.8	0.02	-	0.30	0.06	5	6	5.2	0.4	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.4
260-355	4.7	3.7	0.01	-	0.15	0.04	4	6	5.4	0.2	0.0	0.0	0.2	0.4
355-420	4.7	3.9	0.02	-	0.04	0.03	1	3.3	2.9	0.2	0.0	0.1	0.6	0.9

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 %
0-40	1	8.0	24	5.5	-	99	0
40-70	4	5.3	14	2.0	-	138	0
70-98	8	6.6	18	2.3	-	111	2
98-175	9	4.3	11	1.4	-	137	5
175-260	5	8.3	21	1.1	-	63	0
260-355	5	8.2	22	0.5	-	66	2
355-420	21	4.2	35	0.1	-	69	14

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
0-40	-	2.1	6.8	-	-	-	-	-	-
40-70	-	0.7	0.6	-	-	-	-	-	-
70-98	-	0.7	0.6	-	-	-	-	-	-
98-175	-	0.7	0.6	-	-	-	-	-	-
175-260	-	0.7	2.4	-	-	-	-	-	-
260-355	-	0.0	2.4	-	-	-	-	-	-
355-420	-	0.7	0.6	-	-	-	-	-	-

Clay mineralogy

Depth (cm)	Chlorite	Feldspar	Gibbsite	Goethite	Halloysite	Hematite	Kaolinite	Mica / illite	Mixed-layer	Quartz	Smec	Vermiculite
0-40	weak	very weak	-	weak	-	-	strong	weak	strong	very weak	-	-
40-70	weak	very weak	-	weak	-	-	strong	weak	strong	very weak	-	-
70-98	weak	very weak	-	weak	-	-	strong	weak	strong	very weak	-	-
98-175	weak	very weak	-	weak	-	-	strong	weak	strong	very weak	-	-
175-260	weak	-	-	weak	-	-	strong	weak	strong	very weak	-	-
260-355	weak	-	-	weak	-	-	strong	weak	strong	-	-	-
355-420	-	weak	-	weak	-	-	medium to strong	medium to strong	-	weak	weak	-

Profile description

Ah 0-40 cm	dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4, moist)clay loam leaves moderately,moderate fine granular to strong fine granular,friable,common very fine random exped and inped tubular random pores moderately porous (40-60 vol%),very frequent termite channels,gradual wavy boundary to,
40-70 cm	dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4, moist)clay loam,moderate fine granular and moderate fine subangular blocky,friable,common very fine random exped and inped tubular random pores moderately porous (40-60 vol%),very frequent termite channels,gradual wavy boundary to,
70-98 cm	dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4, moist)clay loam,moderate fine granular and moderate fine subangular blocky,friable,common very fine random exped and inped tubular random pores moderately porous (40-60 vol%),gradual wavy boundary to,
Bw 98-260 cm	red (2.5YR 4/6, moist)clay loam,weak to moderate fine subangular blocky to weak to moderate medium subangular blocky,friable,few very fine random exped and inped tubular random pores slightly porous (<40 vol%),gradual wavy boundary to,
260-370 cm	red (2.5YR 4/6, moist)clay loam,moderate to strong medium wedge-shaped angular blocky,firm,abrupt smooth boundary to,
C1 370-420 cm	loam gravelabrupt smooth boundary to,
C1 370-420 cm	stones

Depth1	400cm
Kind 1 (parent material) ; Parker (eds), 1984	sandstone
Kind 2 (parent material) (second entry); Parker (eds), 1984	limestone/sandstone
Mode of accumulation or deposition of parent material	fluvial
Mode of accumulation or deposition of parent material (second entry)	residual material
Remarks on Parent Materials	1 deposited on 2
Soil Depth	370cm
Texture of parent material	stony
Texture of parent material (second entry)	sandy
Weathering Resistance	moderate
General characterization of the status of weathering of solid rock	partially or moderately
General characterization of the status of weathering of solid rock (second entry)	partially or moderately

Major crops	rubber
Land use or vegetation in the immediate vicinity of the site	woodland, grazed
Remarks on Land Use / Vegetation	LANDUSE: Semi-natural vegetation grazed by cattle
Status of vegetation; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	modified
Major vegetation type; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	evergreen woodland

Altitude	580m
Physiographic Unit	upper slope of river valley
Physiographic position of the site	upper slope
Regional landform; McDonald, R.C., Isbell, R.F. et all, 1984; Australian soil and land survey Field Handbook, Inkata Press, Melbourne.	valley
Slope	16%
Slope Aspect	south
Form of the slope surrounding the site	convex
Topography; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	hilly

Drainage class ; FAO (2006) - Guidelines for soil description	well
Flooding frequency (FAO, 1986)	never
Kind of ground water table (USDA, 1979)	no groundwater table observed
Moist From - To	0-370cm
Estimated run off (class)	rapid

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

You are here

Reference soil China 44: Cambisol

Characteristics

Reference soil CN044: Cambisols

Classification