Reference soil United States of America 16: Chernozem

US016

Chernozems are typically found in the long-grass steppe regions of the world, particularly in Eastern Europe and North America (Canada and the USA).

Characteristics

Soils having a very dark mollic horizon (thick, brownish or blackish surface horizon with a significant accumulation of organic matter and high base saturation) and secondary carbonates within 50 cm of the lower limit of the Ah horizon, but within 200 cm from the soil surface. They have no petrocalcic horizon between 25 and 100 cm from the soil surface, no secondary gypsum and no uncoated sand and silt grains on structural pedfaces

Distribution of Chernozems (rough estimation supplied by soilgrids)

Reference soil US016: Chernozems

Classification

WRB 1998

Silti-calcic horizon- Chernozem (Vermic)

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1988

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1974

Silti-Calcic Chernozem

Calcic Chernozem

Local classification:	Singsass silt loam

Other classification

USDA-NRCS (1999)	Entic Vermustoll ustic fine-loamy mixed frigid
USDA-SCS (1975)	Entic Vermiboroll ustic fine-loamy mixed frigid

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
0-23	0	0.7	2.5	4.8	6.7	4.3	19	26.9	23.9	50.8	30.2
23-33	0	0.3	1	2.6	3.7	2.9	10.5	32	27.4	59.4	30.1
33-48	0	0.5	1.3	2.7	4.4	3.6	12.5	33.6	26.9	60.5	27
48-81	8	2.7	5	8.8	12.5	7.3	36.3	14.5	22.4	36.9	26.8
81-104	7	3.5	5.3	9.7	13.5	8.2	40.2	15.5	20.7	36.2	23.6
104-152	6	3.3	5.2	10.1	12.9	7.6	39.1	15.6	22.4	38	22.9

Water retention characteristics

Depth (cm)	Bulk density kg/dm³	Spec. Surf. Area m²/g	COLE cm/cm	Water disp. clay %	Clay % w/w
0-23	1.44	-	-	-	30.2
23-33	1.44	-	-	-	30.1
33-48	1.54	-	-	-	27
48-81	1.64	-	-	-	26.8
81-104	1.68	-	-	-	23.6
104-152	1.72	-	-	-	22.9

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
0-23	1.44	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	14.9
23-33	1.44	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	14.9
33-48	1.54	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	13.1
48-81	1.64	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	9.9
81-104	1.68	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	9.9
104-152	1.72	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	10

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
0-23	6.8	-	-	-	2.56	0.24	11	4.9	-	20.5	5.8	0.5	0.2	27
23-33	6.8	-	-	-	1.18	0.17	7	4.7	-	18.6	6.8	0.4	0.3	26.1
33-48	7.2	-	-	-	1.09	0.09	12	2.2	-	16.5	7.3	0.4	0.3	24.5
48-81	8.5	-	-	25	0.33	0.04	8	-	-	-	7.5	0.2	0.2	7.9
81-104	8.6	-	-	23	0.21	-	-	-	-	-	9.2	0.2	0.4	9.8
104-152	8.5	-	-	23	0.18	-	-	-	-	-	9.1	0.2	0.3	9.6

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 %
0-23	99	27.2	90	9	-	-	1
23-33	100	26.2	87	6.2	-	-	1
33-48	103	23.7	88	3.8	-	-	1
48-81	-	12.8	48	1.2	-	-	2
81-104	-	10.9	46	0.7	-	-	4
104-152	-	10.4	45	0.6	-	-	3

Clay mineralogy

Depth (cm)	Chlorite	Feldspar	Gibbsite	Goethite	Halloysite	Hematite	Kaolinite	Mica / illite	Mixed-layer	Quartz	Smec	Vermiculite
33-48	-	-	-	-	-	-	weak	very weak to weak	-	very weak	strong	very weak
81-104	-	-	-	-	-	-	weak	very weak to weak	-	very weak	strong	-

Rare clay minerals

Depth (cm)	Amphibole	Augite	Calcite	Lepidococrite	Pyrophillite	Pyroxene	Weddelite
81-104	-	-	very weak to weak	-	-	-	-

Soluble sands

Depth (cm)	Ca mmol(c)/kg	Mg mmol(c)/kg	K mmol(c)/kg	Na mmol(c)/kg	sum cations mmol(c)/kg	CO3 mmol(c)/kg	HCO3 mmol(c)/kg	Cl mmol(c)/kg	NO3 mmol(c)/kg	SO4 mmol(c)/kg	sum anions mmol(c)/kg
0-23	2.2	1.0	0.1	0.3	3.6	0	2.3	0.2	0	0.7	3.2
23-33	1.7	0.8	0.1	0.4	3	0	2	0.2	0	0.5	2.7
33-48	1.6	0.9	0.1	0.3	2.9	0	2	0.2	0	0.5	2.7
48-81	1.9	1.5	0.1	0.5	4	0	3.1	0.2	0	0.6	3.9
81-104	1.8	2	0.1	0.7	4.6	0	2.9	0.2	0.4	0.7	4.2
104-152	1.6	2	0.1	0.8	4.5	0	2.6	0.2	0.4	1.0	4.2

Depth (cm)	Sodium ads. ratio	pH e	EC e dS/m	EC 1 : 5 dS/m
0-23	0.24	6.4	0.35	-
23-33	0.36	6.7	0.27	-
33-48	0.27	6.8	0.27	-
48-81	0.38	7.8	0.39	-
81-104	0.51	7.9	0.43	-
104-152	0.6	7.9	0.45	-

Profile description

Ap 0-23 cm	dark grey (10YR 4/1, dry) black (10YR 2/1, moist)silty clay loam,weak medium subangular blocky parting to weak fine granular,hard friable slightly sticky slightly plastic,few worm channels,6.3,abrupt smooth boundary to,
23-33 cm	dark greyish brown (10YR 4/2, dry) black (10YR 2/1, moist)silty clay loam,moderate medium subangular blocky parting to moderate very fine and fine subangular blocky,hard very friable slightly sticky slightly plastic,many tubular pores,very frequent worm channels,7,clear wavy boundary to,
Bw 33-48 cm	dark greyish brown (10YR 4/2, dry) (dark) brown (10YR 4/3, moist)silty clay loam,weak coarse prismatic parting to moderate fine and medium subangular blocky,hard very friable slightly sticky slightly plastic,many tubular pores,few small soft calcareous pedodes,frequent worm channels,non calcareous 10% HCl 7,clear wavy boundary to,
2Bk1 48-81 cm	light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4, dry) olive brown (2.5Y 4/4, moist)clay loam gravelly,weak coarse prismatic parting to moderate medium subangular blocky,hard friable slightly sticky slightly plastic,many tubular pores,frequent small soft calcareous soft segregations,common medium and coarse gravel pebbles fragments,few worm channels,strongly calcareous 10% HCl throughout 8.2,gradual wavy boundary to,
2Bk2 81-104 cm	light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4, dry) yellowish brown (10YR 5/4, moist)clay loam gravelly,weak coarse prismatic parting to weak medium and coarse subangular blocky,hard friable slightly sticky slightly plastic,common fine distinct mottles (10YR 5/1) and common fine distinct mottles (10YR 5/6),common tubular pores,frequent small soft calcareous soft segregations,common medium and coarse gravel pebbles fragments,few worm channels,strongly calcareous 10% HCl throughout 8.2,gradual wavy boundary to,
2C 104-152 cm	olive (5Y 4/4, moist)gravelly,massive,hard friable slightly sticky slightly plastic,few prominent mottles (2.5YR 4/6) and common distinct mottles (10YR 5/6),common tubular pores,few small soft calcareous soft segregations,common medium and coarse gravel pebbles fragments,few worm channels,strongly calcareous 10% HCl throughout,

Kind 1 (parent material) ; Parker (eds), 1984	mixed lithology and composition
Kind 2 (parent material) (second entry); Parker (eds), 1984	mixed lithology and composition
Mode of accumulation or deposition of parent material	eolian loess
Mode of accumulation or deposition of parent material (second entry)	glacial till
Remarks on Parent Materials	silty material over glacial till
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)	slightly

Intensity of the soil erosion type	slight
Soil erosion type	sheet

Land use or vegetation in the immediate vicinity of the site	arable farming
Remarks on Land Use / Vegetation	VEGETATION: flax stubble, ploughed

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%
Slope Aspect	west
Topography; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	undulating

Drainage class ; FAO (2006) - Guidelines for soil description	well
Dry From - To	0-100cm
Flooding frequency (FAO, 1986)	never
Kind of ground water table (USDA, 1979)	no groundwater table observed
Moist From - To	100-150cm
Estimated permeability (class) of least permeable part of the profile	moderate
Estimated run off (class)	medium

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Reference soil United States of America 16: Chernozem

Characteristics

Reference soil US016: Chernozems

Classification