Reference soil Romania 10: Cambisol

RO010

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 RO010: Cambisols

VEGETATION: Agrostis tenuis, Phleum montanum, Primula officinalis. ADDITIONAL NOTES ON PROFILE DESCRIPTION: AB - Also slightly gravelly. B - Also slightly gravelly. R - Fractured limestone with soil material penetrations by very thin cracks.

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
0-6	-	1.4	1.4	2.2	4.5	4.1	13.6	8.7	32.6	41.3	44.9
6-21	-	1.9	1.5	2.1	5.2	4.8	15.5	8.4	32.2	40.6	43.8
21-36	-	1.6	0.9	1.4	3.9	4.2	12	8.8	32.1	40.9	47.1
36-58	-	0.7	0.5	0.8	2.7	3	7.7	6	31	37	55.4
60-75	-	1.2	1.2	1.1	2.2	3.3	9	4.5	26.5	31	60

Water retention characteristics

Depth (cm)	Bulk density kg/dm³	Spec. Surf. Area m²/g	COLE cm/cm	Water disp. clay %	Clay % w/w
0-6	-	-	-	-	44.9
6-21	-	-	-	-	43.8
21-36	-	-	-	-	47.1
36-58	-	-	-	-	55.4
60-75	-	-	-	-	60

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
0-6	6.2	5.5	0.49	-	6.73	0.57	12	-	-	36.3	1.5	0.5	0.1	38.4
6-21	6.4	5.1	0.2	-	3.02	0.29	10	-	-	29.2	0.8	0.3	0.0	30.3
21-36	6.7	5.2	0.16	2.8	1.71	0.21	8	-	-	27.7	0.5	0.3	0.0	28.5
36-58	7.1	5.6	0.21	4	1.11	0.16	7	-	-	36.2	0.8	0.5	0.1	37.6
60-75	8.4	7.2	0.24	53.5	0.34	-	-	-	-	51.0	0.8	0.3	0.0	52.1

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 %
0-6	89	43.2	96	23.6	-	-	-
6-21	90	33.8	77	10.6	-	-	-
21-36	89	31.8	68	6	-	-	-
36-58	99	38.1	69	3.9	-	-	-
60-75	229	22.8	38	1.2	-	-	-

Clay mineralogy

Depth (cm)	Chlorite	Feldspar	Gibbsite	Goethite	Halloysite	Hematite	Kaolinite	Mica / illite	Mixed-layer	Quartz	Smec	Vermiculite
0-6	very weak to weak	-	-	-	-	-	weak to medium	weak to medium	weak to medium	strong	strong	-
6-21	very weak	-	-	-	-	-	weak to medium	weak to medium	weak	strong	strong	very weak to weak
21-36	-	-	-	-	-	-	weak to medium	weak to medium	weak	strong	medium to strong	weak
36-58	very weak	-	-	-	-	-	weak to medium	weak to medium	weak	strong	strong	weak
60-75	-	-	-	-	-	-	weak	weak	weak	medium to strong	strong	very weak to weak

Profile description

Ah 0-6 cm	greyish brown (10YR 5/2, dry) very dark greyish brown (10YR 3/2, moist)strong fine and medium granular,very hard firm sticky plastic,(10YR 5/2) and (10YR 6/2),many fine interstitial pores,clear boundary to,
E 6-21 cm	light brownish grey (10YR 6/2, dry) dark greyish brown (10YR 4/2, moist)slightly gravelly,strong fine and medium granular and medium subangular blocky,very hard firm sticky plastic,many fine interstitial pores,clear boundary to,
EB 21-36 cm	pale brown (10YR 6/3, dry) (10YR 4.5/3, moist)stony,strong fine and medium subangular blocky,very hard firm sticky plastic,many fine interstitial pores,
B 36-58 cm	yellowish brown (10YR 5/4, dry) (10YR 3.5/4, moist)bouldery,strong medium subangular blocky,very hard firm sticky plastic,(5YR 5/6) and (5YR 6/6),many fine interstitial pores,abrupt boundary to,
B 36-58 cm	rock

Land use or vegetation in the immediate vicinity of the site	semi-natural grassland, grazed
Remarks on Land Use / Vegetation	Pasture and hay

Altitude	1000m
Physiographic position of the site	slope
Slope	35%
Topography; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	mountainous

Drainage class ; FAO (2006) - Guidelines for soil description	well
Moist From - To	0-58cm

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Reference soil Romania 10: Cambisol

Characteristics

Reference soil RO010: Cambisols

Classification