Reference soil Kenya 50: Cambisol

KE050

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 KE050: Cambisols

Parent material: Gabronotite, Gneiss, Talcum. Woodland with Euphorbia nyikae and Acacia senegal. A high bioactivity by termites, large (15mm) and small ants. The soil of this pit is used for the production of local bricks. Slides: 10,105 - 10,113 and 10,134.

Classification

WRB 2006

WRB 1998

Haplic- Cambisol (Hypereutric Chromic)

Hypereutri-Chromic- Cambisol

15-150 cm

cambic horizon

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1988

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1974

Orthi-Chromic Cambisol

Chromic Cambisol

0-15 cm	ochric A horizon
15-150 cm	cambic B horizon

0-15 cm	ochric A horizon
15-150 cm	cambic B horizon

Other classification

USDA-SCS (1975)

Ustropept ustic clayey isohyperthermic

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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
0-15	-	1.7	7.1	13.4	15.8	7.3	45.3	4.9	6.3	11.2	43.5
15-60	-	1.6	6.5	13.0	16.0	7.5	44.6	6.4	8.2	14.6	40.7
60-105	-	1.7	6.7	13.3	15.4	7.4	44.5	6.3	11.6	17.9	37.7
105-150	-	2.5	7.2	13.2	14.7	7.3	44.9	7.4	13.6	21	34.3

Water retention characteristics

Depth (cm)	Bulk density kg/dm³	Spec. Surf. Area m²/g	COLE cm/cm	Water disp. clay %	Clay % w/w
0-15	-	-	-	11.7	43.5
15-60	-	-	-	13.3	40.7
60-105	-	-	-	11.5	37.7
105-150	-	-	-	-	34.3

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
0-15	6.7	5.4	0.10	0.6	0.62	0.08	8	-	-	4.1	7.6	0.7	0.0	12.4
15-60	6.7	4.8	0.07	0.5	0.23	0.04	6	-	-	3.9	7.5	0.2	0.0	11.6
60-105	7.0	5.0	0.06	0.7	0.17	0.04	4	-	-	5.8	6.4	0.2	0.1	12.5
105-150	7.7	6.1	0.18	2.9	0.16	0.04	4	-	-	8.6	6.5	0.3	0.1	15.5

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	114	10.9	25	2.2	-	-	0
15-60	107	10.8	27	0.8	-	-	0
60-105	118	10.6	28	0.6	-	-	1
105-150	134	11.6	34	0.6	-	-	1

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
0-15	-	-	-	0.2	0.0	3.2	0.2	-	-	-	0.4
15-60	-	-	-	0.1	0.0	3.0	0.2	-	-	-	0.3
60-105	-	-	-	0.1	0.0	3.0	0.1	-	-	-	0.3
105-150	-	-	-	0.1	0.0	2.6	0.2	-	-	-	0.2

Clay mineralogy

Depth (cm)	Chlorite	Feldspar	Gibbsite	Goethite	Halloysite	Hematite	Kaolinite	Mica / illite	Mixed-layer	Quartz	Smec	Vermiculite
0-15	-	-	-	weak	-	-	medium	medium	weak	-	-	-
15-60	-	-	-	weak	-	-	medium	medium	weak	-	-	-
60-105	-	-	-	weak	-	-	medium	medium	weak	-	-	-
105-150	-	-	-	weak	-	-	medium	medium	weak	-	-	-

Profile description

0-15 cm

dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4, dry) dusky red (10R 3/4, moist)sandy clay,strong medium and coarse subangular blocky and very fine granular,hard very friable slightly sticky slightly plastic,continuous thin clay cutans,many very fine and common fine and medium pores,common very fine and few fine roots,few stones weathered quartz and mica fragments,slightly calcareous (0-2%),gradual wavy boundary to,

B 15-150 cm

dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4, dry) dusky red (10R 3/4, moist)sandy clay,strong coarse and very coarse subangular blocky,hard very friable slightly sticky slightly plastic,continuous thin clay cutans,many very fine pores and few fine and medium pores,common very fine and few fine roots,few stones fresh quartz fragments,slightly calcareous (0-2%),

Depth1	200cm
Kind 1 (parent material) ; Parker (eds), 1984	gneiss
Mode of accumulation or deposition of parent material	residual material
Remarks on Parent Materials	Basement system, hornblende-biotite gneiss
Soil Depth	150cm
Texture of parent material	sandy clay
Weathering Resistance	moderate
General characterization of the status of weathering of solid rock	partially or moderately

Occurrence of soil aggradation (McDonald et al., 1984)	absent
Intensity of the soil erosion type	moderate
Intensity of the soil erosion type (second entry)	moderate
Soil erosion type	rill
Soil erosion type (second entry)	gully
Slope stability	stable

Land use or vegetation in the immediate vicinity of the site	woodland, grazed
Remarks on Land Use / Vegetation	VEGETATION: Dense Acacia shrubbed wooodland, browsed by cattle. Dominant species Euphorbia nyikae and Acacia senegalensis. LAND USE: Soil is used for the production of bricks
Status of vegetation; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	degraded
Major vegetation type; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	deciduous woodland

Altitude	855m
Physiographic Unit	dissected undulating upland
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.	plain
Slope	4%
Form of the slope surrounding the site	convex
Topography; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	undulating

Lower limit of a slow permeable or stagnating layer in the profile	1cm
Drainage class ; FAO (2006) - Guidelines for soil description	well
Dry From - To	0-150cm
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)	rapid
Upper limit of a slow permeable or stagnating layer in the profile	0cm

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 slaked; sorted sand/silt, some clay films
Micro relief type: small-scale differences in relief in the direct vicinity of the site (FAO, 1986)	termite/ant mounds
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 Kenya 50: Cambisol

Characteristics

Reference soil KE050: Cambisols

Classification