Reference soil Ireland 12: Gleysol

IE012

Gleysols occur throughout the world where groundwater comes near to the surface, causing soils to become wet for a prolonged part of the year. They are particularly abundant in the low-lying river basins.

Characteristics

Soils having gleyic properties (properties associated with prolonged wetness) within 50 cm from the soil surface. They have no diagnostic horizons other than an anthraquic, histic, mollic, ochric, takyric, or umbric horizon at the surface, or an andic, calcic, cambic, gypsic, plinthic, salic, sulfuric, or vitric horizon within 100 cm from the soil surface.

Distribution of Gleysols (rough estimation supplied by soilgrids)

Reference soil IE012: Gleysols

Classification

WRB 1998

Dystri-Saprihistic- Gleysol

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1988

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1974

Silti-Umbric Gleysol

Humic Gleysol

Local classification:	Gley, Abbeyfeale Series

Other classification

USDA-SCS (1975)

Humaquept aquic fine-loamy mixed mesic

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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
31-66	12	-	-	-	-	-	18	19.4	37.3	56.7	25.3
66-81	21	-	-	-	-	-	15	37.9	33	70.9	14.1
81-101	39	-	-	-	-	-	30.2	24.1	32.8	56.9	12.9

Water retention characteristics

Depth (cm)	Bulk density kg/dm³	Spec. Surf. Area m²/g	COLE cm/cm	Water disp. clay %	Clay % w/w
31-66	-	-	-	-	25.3
66-81	-	-	-	-	14.1
81-101	-	-	-	-	12.9

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
1-29	4.7	4.0	-	-	60	2.00	30	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
31-66	4.4	3.4	-	-	0.83	0.07	12	-	-	0.7	1.0	0.1	0.0	1.8
66-81	4.2	3.5	-	-	0.39	0.05	8	-	-	0.4	1.1	0.1	0.0	1.6
81-101	4.7	3.5	-	-	0.20	0.04	5	-	-	0.4	1.1	0.1	0.0	1.6

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 %
31-66	17	10.4	41	-	-	-	-
66-81	21	7.7	55	-	-	-	-
81-101	35	4.6	36	-	-	-	-

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
66-81	-	-	-	0	0	0	0	0	0	-	0
81-101	-	-	-	0	0	0	0	0	0	-	0
0-66	-	-	-	0	0	0	0	0	0	-	0

Profile description

H 0-28 cm	black (10YR 2/1, dry)organic highly,weak fine crumb,slightly sticky,many fine pores highly porous (>60 vol%),many fine and medium roots,abrupt smooth boundary to,
Cg 28-65 cm	(2.5Y 7/no, dry)silt loam slightly gravelly,porous massive,plastic,few fine distinct mottles (7.5YR 5/8),many medium continuous tubular vertical pores slightly porous (<40 vol%),common fine and medium throughout roots,common medium and coarse gravel weathered sandstone fragments,clear smooth boundary to,
2Cg 65-80 cm	(2.5Y 7/no, dry)silt loam gravelly,porous massive,plastic,common fine distinct mottles (7.5YR 5/8),few fine continuous tubular vertical pores slightly porous (<40 vol%),few fine roots,many fine and medium gravel weathered sandstone fragments,abrupt smooth boundary to,
3Cg 80-125 cm	very pale brown (10YR 7/3, dry)silt loam gravelly,porous massive,plastic,common medium distinct mottles (7.5YR 5/8),few fine continuous tubular vertical pores slightly porous (<40 vol%),no roots,many fine and medium gravel weathered sandstone and schist common coarse gravel and stones weathered sandstone and schist fragments,

Kind 1 (parent material) ; Parker (eds), 1984	mixed lithology and composition
Kind 2 (parent material) (second entry); Parker (eds), 1984	shale
Mode of accumulation or deposition of parent material	glacial drift
Mode of accumulation or deposition of parent material (second entry)	solid rock
Remarks on Parent Materials	glacial drift and soliflucted material of pper Carboniferous shale and sandstone composition, mainly of Saale age
Soil Depth	100cm
Texture of parent material	loamy
Texture of parent material (second entry)	loamy
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

Land use or vegetation in the immediate vicinity of the site	semi-natural grassland, grazed
Remarks on Land Use / Vegetation	Juncus acutifloris (jointed rush), J. conglomeratus, Lotus uliginosus (marsh bird's-foot trefoil), Succisa pratensis (devil's bit), Carex spp. (sedges) and other moisture demanding species are found.

Altitude	100m
Physiographic Unit	almost flat part in undulating to rolling terrain
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.	glacial plain
Slope	2%
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	very poor
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	slow
Estimated run off (class)	very slow

Evidence of alkali ; Soil Survey Manual USDA, 1951	non-alkaline
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 Ireland 12: Gleysol

Characteristics

Reference soil IE012: Gleysols

Classification