Reference soil Netherlands 49: Histosol

NL049

Large areas of Histosols are found in the circumpolar region of the northern hemisphere, as well as in Southeast Asia. Histosols are formed in 'organic material' with physical, chemical and mechanical properties that differ strongly from those of mineral soil materials. Organic soil material accumaulates in conditions where plant matter is produced by a climax vegetation and where decomposition is slow.

Characteristics

Soils having a histic or folic horizon (wet or dry organic horizons, respectively) either 10 cm or more thick if overlying a lithic or paralithic contact, or 40 cm or more thick and starting within 30 cm from the soil surface. Histosols do not have an andic or vitric horizon that starts within 30 cm from the soil surface.

Distribution of Histosols (rough estimation supplied by soilgrids)

Reference soil NL049: Histosol

Classification

WRB 2014

Histosol

Local classification:	Weideveengrond

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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
0-33	-	0.013	0.189	0.633	1.617	0.997	3.4	0	17.034	17	79.6
33-48	-	0	0.014	0.043	0.272	0.386	0.7	0.1	18.941	19	80.3
48-70	-	0	0.082	0.225	0.429	0.449	1.1	0	16.891	16.9	81.997
70-200	-	0	0.049	0.171	0.659	0.806	1.7	0	27.539	27.5	70.76

Water retention characteristics

Depth (cm)	Bulk density kg/dm³	Spec. Surf. Area m²/g	COLE cm/cm	Water disp. clay %	Clay % w/w
0-33	0.62	-	-	-	79.6
33-48	0.53	-	-	-	80.3
48-70	0.21	-	-	-	81.997
70-200	0.12	-	-	-	70.76

Other physical data

Depth (cm)	Bulk density kg/dm³	pF 0 % v/v	pF 1.0 % v/v	pF 1.5 % v/v	pF 2.0 % v/v	pF 2.3 % v/v	pF 2.7 % v/v	pF 3.4 % v/v	pF 4.2 % v/v
0-33	0.62	-	-	0.81	0.78	-	-	-	0.21
33-48	0.53	-	-	0.83	0.82	-	-	-	0.33
48-70	0.21	-	-	0.9	0.84	-	-	-	0.1
70-200	0.12	-	-	0.91	0.77	-	-	-	0.07

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
0-33	5.36	4.47	0.636	0.098	12.828	1.17	10.963	-	-	52.735	4.4	0.396	0	57.5
33-48	5.97	5.01	0.467	0.032	17.076	1.25	13.658	-	-	78.76	3.853	0.28	0	83
48-70	5.56	4.9	1.458	-	28.59	1.447	19.755	-	-	85.6	3.774	0.194	0	89.6
70-200	5.17	4.66	1.593	-	34	1.912	17.782	-	-	95.982	4.101	0.149	0	100.2

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 %
0-33	89	64.938	-	-	-	-	-
33-48	95	87.341	-	-	-	-	-
48-70	99	90.487	-	-	-	-	-
70-200	97	102.854	-	-	-	-	-

Depth (cm)	CaSO4.2H2O %	P Bray mg/kg	P Olsen mg/kg	pH CaCl2	clay_noncarbonate % w/w	clay_carbonate % w/w	phosphorus4 mg/kg	phosphorus1 mg/kg	total_sulfur % w/w
0-33	0	-	-	5.1	79.6	-	-	3.794	0.245
33-48	-	-	-	5.65	80.3	-	-	4.343	0.34
48-70	0.01	-	-	5.45	81.997	-	-	3.982	0.973
70-200	0.427	-	-	5.15	70.76	-	-	1.881	1.28

Profile description

1Ahg 0-33 cm
1Ahg 0-33 cm
2Ha 33-48 cm
2Ha 33-48 cm
2He1 48-70 cm
2He1 48-70 cm
2He2 70-200 cm
2He2 70-200 cm
3Cr 200-210 cm

Age of the land Surface	holocene (100–10 000 years) natural: with loss by erosion or deposition of materials such as on tidal flats, of coastal dunes, in river valleys, landslides or desert areas.
Remarks on Parent Materials	Fen peat with clayey topsoil

Soil erosion type	no evidence of erosion
Classification of total area affected by erosion and deposition	0%

Land improvements ; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	not known
Land use or vegetation in the immediate vicinity of the site	extensive grazing
Major vegetation type; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	medium grassland

Altitude	6m
Hierarchy of major landforms	plain
Physiograpy description	Alluvial plain
Topography; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	flat

Drainage class ; FAO (2006) - Guidelines for soil description	very poorly drained
Depth to groundwater table	35cm

Surface stoniness class (FAO (2006) - Guidelines for soil description)	none (0%)
Recommended classification of rock outcrops - distance between rock outcrops	none (0%)
Classification of salt characteristics - cover	none (0-2%)
Classification of salt characteristics - thickness	none

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Reference soil Netherlands 49: Histosol

Characteristics

Reference soil NL049: Histosol

Classification