Reference soil France 10: Podzol

FR010

Podzols mainly occur in cool temperate and moist regions on coarse textured materials. Areas of Podzols have also been recorded from wet, tropical regions, notably the Amazon basin, southern central Africa and southeast Asia.

Characteristics

Soils having a spodic horizon (a dark coloured subsurface horizon with illuvial amorphous alumino-organic substances) within 200 cm from the soil surface, underlying an albic, histic, umbric or ochric horizon, or an anthropedogenic horizon less than 50 cm thick. Podzols are probably the most extensively researched group of soils.

Distribution of Podzols (rough estimation supplied by soilgrids)

Reference soil FR010: Podzols

PARENT MATERIAL: Sand is locally alternated by clays. Geology: Upper(Bartonian) and middle(Lutetian) Eocene. VEGETATION AND LAND USE: coverage(%) trees 70 herbs & grasses 95 ADDITIONAL NOTES ON PROFILE DESCRIPTION: Bh - streaks of dark reddish brown (5YR3/3) sand. Bs - inclusions: consist of somewhat lighter coloured, coherent sand. 2C1 - color: also 10YR7/3. 2C2 - color: also 5YR5/8. - mottled and horizontally streaked. - with pockets of sandy clay. 3C - yellow, coherent sand.

Classification

WRB 2006

WRB 1998

Albic- Podzol (Ruptic)

Haplic- Podzol

16-39 cm	albic horizon
39-67 cm	spodic horizon
-	lithological discontinuity

1-16 cm	ochric horizon
16-39 cm	albic horizon
39-67 cm	spodic horizon

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1988

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1974

Orthi-Haplic Podzol

Orthic Podzol

1-16 cm	ochric A horizon
16-39 cm	albic E horizon
39-67 cm	spodic B horizon

1-16 cm	ochric A horizon
16-39 cm	albic E horizon
39-67 cm	spodic B horizon

Local classification:	Podzol humo-ferrique

Other classification

USDA-SCS (1975)

Haplohumod

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
0-15	-	0.5	1.1	5.9	72.4	4.6	84.5	4.3	7.8	12.1	3.5
15-25	-	0.1	0.3	2.7	78.4	5.2	86.7	5.1	5.2	10.3	3
25-38	-	0.1	0.2	0.2	82	5.4	87.9	4.3	4.2	8.5	3.5
38-52	-	0	0.2	1.8	87.9	4.2	94.1	0.1	2.5	2.6	3.3
52-66	-	0	0.3	3.9	79.3	1.9	85.4	0.3	2.1	2.4	12.2
75-123	-	0	0.1	0.5	90.6	1.8	93	0.5	0.3	0.8	6.2
123-150	-	0.1	0.2	1.5	88.2	4	94	0.4	2.2	2.6	3.5

Water retention characteristics

Depth (cm)	Bulk density kg/dm³	Spec. Surf. Area m²/g	COLE cm/cm	Water disp. clay %	Clay % w/w
0-15	-	-	-	-	3.5
15-25	-	-	-	-	3
25-38	-	-	-	-	3.5
38-52	-	-	-	-	3.3
52-66	-	-	-	-	12.2
75-123	-	-	-	-	6.2
123-150	-	-	-	-	3.5

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
0-15	4.2	3.1	-	-	4.06	0.31	13	-	-	2.3	0.7	0.3	0.0	3.3
15-25	4.3	3.2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
25-38	4.4	3.4	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
38-52	4.3	3.4	-	-	0.62	0.05	12	-	-	0.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.5
52-66	4.7	3.9	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
75-123	4.9	4.0	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
123-150	4.6	3.8	-	-	0.80	0.03	27	-	-	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	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 %
0-15	13	25.6	731	14.2	-	-	0
38-52	6	7.8	236	2.2	-	-	0
123-150	4	8.1	231	2.8	-	-	0

Profile description

leaves nil

Ah 1-16 cm	very dark brown (10YR 2/2, moist)Description sand organic highly,clear wavy boundary to,
AE 16-26 cm	dark greyish brown (10YR 4/2, moist)Description sand,gradual wavy boundary to,
E 26-39 cm	greyish brown (10YR 5/2, moist)Description sand slightly stony,structureless single grain,loose,gradual wavy boundary to,
Bh 39-58 cm	dark brown (7.5YR 3/2, moist)Description sand,gradual irregular boundary to,
Bs 58-67 cm	(dark) brown (7.5YR 4/2, moist)sandy loam,large soft concretions,weakly cemented pans,clear wavy boundary to,
2C1 67-76 cm	strong brown (7.5YR 5/8, moist)Description sand,weakly cemented pans,
2C2 76-124 cm	very pale brown (10YR 7/3, moist)Description sand,weakly cemented pans,
2C2 76-124 cm	Description sand

Kind 1 (parent material) ; Parker (eds), 1984	sediment, unconsolidated
Mode of accumulation or deposition of parent material	unconsolidated, unspecified
Remarks on Parent Materials	Upper (Bartonian) and Middle (Lutetian) Eocene fine and coarse sand
Texture of parent material	sandy
Texture of parent material (second entry)	sandy
Weathering Resistance	moderate
General characterization of the status of weathering of solid rock	partially or moderately

Land use or vegetation in the immediate vicinity of the site	natural forest and woodland
Remarks on Land Use / Vegetation	VEGETATION: Ground cover of ferns; coverage: trees 70%, herbs and grasses 95%
Major vegetation type; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	deciduous forest

Altitude	205m
Physiographic Unit	plateau
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.	plateau
Slope	1%
Topography; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	steeply dissected

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
Estimated permeability (class) of least permeable part of the profile	moderate
Estimated run off (class)	very slow
Drainage class - intergrade; FAO (2006) - Guidelines for soil description	somewhat excessive

Evidence of alkali ; Soil Survey Manual USDA, 1951	non-alkaline
Evidence of salt; Soil Survey Manual USDA, 1951	non-saline

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Reference soil France 10: Podzol

Characteristics

Reference soil FR010: Podzols

Classification