Reference soil Germany 13: Chernozem

DE013

Chernozems are typically found in the long-grass steppe regions of the world, particularly in Eastern Europe and North America (Canada and the USA).

Characteristics

Soils having a very dark mollic horizon (thick, brownish or blackish surface horizon with a significant accumulation of organic matter and high base saturation) and secondary carbonates within 50 cm of the lower limit of the Ah horizon, but within 200 cm from the soil surface. They have no petrocalcic horizon between 25 and 100 cm from the soil surface, no secondary gypsum and no uncoated sand and silt grains on structural pedfaces

Distribution of Chernozems (rough estimation supplied by soilgrids)

Reference soil DE013: Chernozems

A moderatly well drained loess soil in weakly undulating (gradient 1-5 %) landscape, with high worm activity in upper 50 cm and an irregularly mottled AC horizon (10 YR 2/2 to 2.5 Y 4/2) due to bioturbation (animal burrowing. Therefore, Ah material caneven be found in C1 horizon (mottles). (additional climatic data: insolation (hrs))

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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
0-26	-	-	-	-	-	-	5.2	58.4	21.9	80.3	14.5
26-32	-	-	-	-	-	-	3.9	57.4	22.7	80.1	16.1
32-42	-	-	-	-	-	-	3.4	56.6	22.5	79.1	17.5
42-50	-	-	-	-	-	-	2.7	53.3	23.5	76.8	20.5
50-60	-	-	-	-	-	-	2.3	54.9	23.9	78.8	18.9
60-75	14	-	-	-	-	-	2.2	58	25.6	83.6	14.2
75-95	13	-	-	-	-	-	2	62.4	26.8	89.2	8.8
180-180	-	-	-	-	-	-	1.2	13.3	27.5	40.8	58

Water retention characteristics

Depth (cm)	Bulk density kg/dm³	Spec. Surf. Area m²/g	COLE cm/cm	Water disp. clay %	Clay % w/w
0-26	-	-	-	-	14.5
26-32	-	-	-	-	16.1
32-42	-	-	-	-	17.5
42-50	-	-	-	-	20.5
50-60	-	-	-	-	18.9
60-75	-	-	-	-	14.2
75-95	-	-	-	-	8.8
180-180	-	-	-	-	58

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
0-26	6.7	6.1	-	-	2.19	0.19	12	-	-	14.8	1.1	0.2	0.0	16.1
26-32	7.3	6.4	-	0.5	1.47	0.16	9	-	-	16.4	1.2	0.2	0.0	17.8
32-42	7.7	6.6	-	1.3	1.68	0.14	12	-	-	16.9	1.3	0.1	0.0	18.3
42-50	8.0	7.1	-	1.3	1.38	0.14	10	-	-	18.0	1.5	0	0.0	19.5
50-60	8.0	7.2	-	1.9	0.65	0.08	8	-	-	14.8	1.3	0.1	0.0	16.2
60-75	8.3	7.4	-	12.4	0.19	0.03	6	-	-	9.6	1.1	0.1	0.0	10.8
75-95	8.3	7.1	-	14.6	0.10	0.02	5	-	-	8.1	1.1	0.1	0.0	9.3
180-180	7.8	6.6	-	1.3	0.42	0.06	7	-	-	18.7	4.5	0.1	0.0	23.3

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 %
0-26	61	26.2	181	7.7	-	-	-
26-32	82	21.8	135	5.1	-	-	-
32-42	82	22.3	127	5.9	-	-	-
42-50	84	23.2	113	4.8	-	-	-
50-60	101	16	85	2.3	-	-	-
60-75	116	9.3	65	0.7	-	-	-
75-95	106	8.8	100	0.4	-	-	-
180-180	86	27.2	47	1.5	-	-	-

Clay mineralogy

Depth (cm)	Chlorite	Feldspar	Gibbsite	Goethite	Halloysite	Hematite	Kaolinite	Mica / illite	Mixed-layer	Quartz	Smec	Vermiculite
0-26	very weak to weak	very weak to weak	-	-	-	-	strong	strong	very weak to weak	weak to medium	very strong	-
26-32	very weak to weak	very weak to weak	-	-	-	-	strong	strong	very weak to weak	weak to medium	very strong	-
32-42	very weak to weak	very weak to weak	-	-	-	-	strong	strong	very weak to weak	weak to medium	very strong	-
42-50	very weak to weak	very weak to weak	-	-	-	-	strong	strong	very weak to weak	weak to medium	very strong	-
50-60	weak to medium	very weak to weak	-	-	-	-	strong	strong	very weak to weak	weak to medium	very strong	-
60-75	weak to medium	very weak to weak	-	-	-	-	strong	strong	very weak to weak	weak to medium	very strong	-
75-95	weak to medium	very weak to weak	-	-	-	-	strong	strong	very weak to weak	weak to medium	very strong	-
180-180	-	very weak to weak	-	-	-	-	strong	strong	very weak to weak	very weak to weak	very strong	-

Profile description

Ap 0-26 cm	very dark brown (10YR 2/2, moist)silt loam,strong medium subangular blocky and strong crumb,soft very friable slightly sticky slightly plastic,many very fine fine pores and common medium pores,clear smooth boundary to,
Ah1 26-32 cm	very dark brown (10YR 2/2, moist)silt loam,moderate coarse platy parting to moderate medium angular blocky,slightly hard friable slightly sticky slightly plastic,gradual smooth boundary to,
Ah2 32-50 cm	very dark brown (10YR 2/2, moist)silt loam,strong fine and medium subangular blocky and strong fine crumb,slightly hard very friable slightly sticky slightly plastic,many very fine medium pores highly porous (>60 vol%),frequent worm channels,clear wavy boundary to,
AC 50-60 cm	silt loammoderate fine and medium subangular blocky,slightly hard friable slightly sticky slightly plastic,many very fine medium pores,few medium manganiferous concretions,clear wavy boundary to,
C1 60-75 cm	(10YR 6/5, moist)yellowish brown (10YR 5/4, moist),silt,silt,moderate medium subangular blocky,very weak coarse subangular blocky and structureless porous massive,friable,hard friable slightly sticky slightly plastic,common fine distinct mottles,fine distinct mottles (7.5 YR 6/8) and fine distinct mottles (10 YR 6/3),many very fine fine pores,calcareous concretions,medium manganiferous concretions hard argillaceous concretions,clear wavy boundary to,

Mode of accumulation or deposition of parent material	eolian loess
Remarks on Parent Materials	Weichsel loess

Altitude	85m
Regional landform; McDonald, R.C., Isbell, R.F. et all, 1984; Australian soil and land survey Field Handbook, Inkata Press, Melbourne.	hill
Slope	0%
Topography; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	undulating

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Reference soil Germany 13: Chernozem

Characteristics

Reference soil DE013: Chernozems

Classification