Reference soil Italy 10: Cambisol

IT010

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 IT010: Cambisols

Deep (dark) reddish brown, clayey soil developed in man-induced, stratified colluvial material derived from weathering products of limestone, mixed with volcanic minerals. Upper 60 cm of the soil is well rooted, probably due to a relatively loose packing of the soil materials as compared with the soil materials below. Notably are the large burrows and 'birth chambers' of ants, which occur throughout the soil. LANDFORM: Surroundings rolling at the fringe of the karst basin, and hilly in the limestone mountains. Basin floor flat. HUMAN INFLUENCE: Upper level of basin floor caused by terracing; present cattle grazing has led to bare spots. REFERENCE: Weathering and Soil Formation in a Limestone Area near Pastena (Fr., Italy) by O.C. Spaargaren.

Classification

WRB 2014

Cambisol

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1988

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1974

Fluvi-Chromic Cambisol inundic

Chromic Cambisol

- cm	cambic B horizon
- cm	ochric A horizon
-	fluvic

- cm	cambic B horizon
- cm	ochric A horizon

Local classification:	Suolo rosso mediterraneo

Other classification

USDA-SCS (1975)

Xerochrept xeric very fine mixed (calcareous) thermic

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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
0-14	-	0.3	0.8	1.9	5.3	3.9	12.2	9.2	21.5	30.7	57.1
14-32	-	0.2	0.9	1.7	4.1	3.7	10.6	6.8	24.4	31.2	58.3
32-43	-	0.1	1	1.5	4.3	3.2	10.1	5.3	24.1	29.4	60.6
43-55	-	0.4	1.2	2.5	4.5	3.3	11.9	5.3	25.1	30.4	57.6
55-62	-	0.1	0.5	1.4	4.6	3.3	9.9	6.1	23.1	29.2	61
62-80	-	0.2	0.7	1.4	4.1	3.5	9.9	6.9	25.6	32.5	57.8
80-103	-	0.2	0.5	1.1	3.7	2.1	7.6	6.2	20.6	26.8	64.5
103-115	-	0.2	0.7	1.7	4	2.7	9.3	8.1	21.3	29.4	61.3

Water retention characteristics

Depth (cm)	Bulk density kg/dm³	Spec. Surf. Area m²/g	COLE cm/cm	Water disp. clay %	Clay % w/w
0-14	-	-	-	-	57.1
14-32	-	-	-	-	58.3
32-43	-	-	-	-	60.6
43-55	-	-	-	-	57.6
55-62	-	-	-	-	61
62-80	-	-	-	-	57.8
80-103	-	-	-	-	64.5
103-115	-	-	-	-	61.3

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
0-14	6.8	5.9	0.16	1.6	1.70	0.20	9	-	-	20.9	1.3	0.4	0.2	22.8
14-32	7.2	6.2	0.14	1.6	1.19	0.16	7	-	-	21.4	1.0	0.4	0.1	22.9
32-43	7.3	6.3	0.12	1.6	0.97	0.14	7	-	-	20.3	0.7	0.3	0.1	21.4
43-55	7.3	6.4	0.12	1.7	0.78	0.12	7	-	-	19.6	1.0	0.3	0.1	21
55-62	7.5	6.9	0.2	2	0.94	-	-	-	-	24.0	1.0	0.4	0.1	25.5
62-80	7.5	6.4	0.12	1.7	1.08	-	-	-	-	20.7	1.0	0.4	0.1	22.2
80-103	7.5	6.4	0.12	1.6	0.94	-	-	-	-	20.9	0.7	0.4	0.1	22.1
103-115	7.4	6.3	0.11	1.7	1.04	-	-	-	-	20.2	0.7	0.4	0.1	21.4

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 %
0-14	89	25.6	36	6	-	-	-
14-32	92	24.8	37	4	-	-	-
32-43	91	23.5	34	3.0	-	-	-
43-55	94	22.3	35	3.0	-	-	-
55-62	100	22.3	32	3.0	-	-	-
62-80	96	23.2	35	4	-	-	-
80-103	96	23	31	3.0	-	-	-
103-115	97	22	38	4	-	-	-

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
0-14	-	-	-	0.3	0.1	4.3	0.5	-	-	-	0.5
14-32	-	-	-	0.3	0.1	3.9	0.4	-	-	-	0.5
32-43	-	-	-	0.3	0.1	4.2	0.4	-	-	-	0.5
43-55	-	-	-	0.3	0.1	4.3	0.4	-	-	-	0.6
55-62	-	-	-	0.3	0.1	4.2	0.4	-	-	-	0.5
62-80	-	-	-	0.3	0.1	4.3	0.4	-	-	-	0.4
80-103	-	-	-	0.3	0.1	4.1	0.4	-	-	-	0.5
103-115	-	-	-	0.3	0.1	4.2	0.4	-	-	-	0.5

Clay mineralogy

Depth (cm)	Chlorite	Feldspar	Gibbsite	Goethite	Halloysite	Hematite	Kaolinite	Mica / illite	Mixed-layer	Quartz	Smec	Vermiculite
0-14	-	-	-	very weak	-	-	medium to strong	weak to medium	weak	very weak	very weak to weak	-
32-43	-	-	-	very weak	-	-	medium to strong	weak to medium	weak	very weak	very weak to weak	-
55-62	-	-	-	very weak	-	-	medium to strong	weak to medium	weak	very weak	very weak to weak	-
80-103	-	-	-	very weak	-	-	medium to strong	weak to medium	weak	very weak	weak	-
103-115	-	-	-	very weak	-	-	medium to strong	weak to medium	weak	very weak	weak	-

Profile description

Ap 0-14 cm	dark brown (7.5YR 3/4, moist)clay,moderate medium crumb and moderate medium subangular blocky,friable sticky plastic,common fine continuous inped tubular random pores and few continuous exped tubular vertical pores,very few small spherical soft manganiferous nodules,few fine gravel weathered limestone few pottery/charc. fragments,frequent worm channels and pedotubules,abrupt smooth boundary to,
Bt1 14-32 cm	(5YR 4/3.5, moist)clay,moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky,friable sticky plastic,broken thick clay and sesquioxide on vertical pedfaces cutans,many very fine fine continuous inped tubular random pores and few continuous exped tubular vertical pores,very few small spherical soft manganiferous nodules,few weathered limestone few pottery/charc. fragments,frequent worm channels and pedotubules,clear smooth boundary to,
Bt2 32-43 cm	(5YR 4/3.5, moist)clay,moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky,friable sticky plastic,broken thick clay and sesquioxide on pedfaces cutans,few common medium continuous inped tubular random pores and few continuous exped tubular vertical pores,very few small spherical soft manganiferous nodules,few weathered limestone few pottery/charc. fragments,few worm channels and pedotubules,abrupt smooth boundary to,
2Bt3 43-55 cm	dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4, moist)clay,moderate medium subangular blocky,very friable sticky plastic,common medium distinct sharp mottles (2.5YR 4/8),broken thick clay and sesquioxide in root channels and pores cutans,common fine medium continuous inped tubular pores and few continuous exped tubular vertical pores,few small spherical soft manganiferous nodules,few pottery/charc. fragments,few worm channels and pedotubules,abrupt smooth boundary to,
2Bt4 55-62 cm	dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4, moist)clay gravelly,moderate medium subangular blocky,very friable sticky plastic,broken thick clay and sesquioxide in root channels and pores cutans,common fine medium continuous inped tubular pores and few continuous exped tubular vertical pores,few small spherical soft manganiferous nodules,frequent medium gravel weathered limestone few pottery/charc. fragments,few worm channels and pedotubules,abrupt smooth boundary to,
3Bt5 62-103 cm	dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3, moist)clay,moderate medium prismatic parting to strong medium and coarse angular blocky,friable sticky plastic,broken thick clay and sesquioxide on pedfaces cutans,many medium continuous inped tubular random pores and few continuous exped and inped tubular vertical pores,few small spherical soft manganiferous nodules,few medium gravel weathered limestone few pottery/charc. fragments,few worm channels and pedotubules,abrupt smooth boundary to,
3Bt6 103-125 cm	dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3, moist)clay,moderate medium and coarse prismatic parting to medium and coarse angular blocky,firm sticky plastic,continuous thick clay and sesquioxide on pedfaces cutans,few medium coarse continuous inped tubular random pores and few continuous exped and inped tubular vertical pores,few small spherical soft manganiferous nodules,few weathered limest. gr. few pott./charc. fragments,few channels,

Kind 1 (parent material) ; Parker (eds), 1984	igneous rock
Mode of accumulation or deposition of parent material	colluvial
Remarks on Parent Materials	admix. volcanic min.
Texture of parent material (second entry)	clayey

Occurrence of soil aggradation (McDonald et al., 1984)	not apparent
Intensity of the soil erosion type	harmless
Slope stability	stable

Land use or vegetation in the immediate vicinity of the site	cultivated pasture
Remarks on Land Use / Vegetation	low grasses/herbs for cattle/hay
Major vegetation type; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	grassland

Altitude	280m
Physiographic Unit	upper level of basin floor
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.	basin
Slope	1%
Form of the slope surrounding the site	straight
Topography; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	rolling

Drainage class ; FAO (2006) - Guidelines for soil description	imperfect
Flooding frequency (FAO, 1986)	irregular
Nature of flood water	fresh
(Estimated) maximum (lower) depth to groundwater table	4cm
Depth to groundwater table	0cm
Kind of ground water table (USDA, 1979)	groundwater table observed
(Estimated) minimum (upper) depth to groundwater table	2cm
Moist From - To	0-125cm
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
Surface cracking	no cracks observed
Slaking of aggregates by tillage, rainfall or frost (USDA/SCS, 1979)	surface partly slaked, round smooth aggregates
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)	very few stones

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Reference soil Italy 10: Cambisol

Characteristics

Reference soil IT010: Cambisols

Classification