Reference soil United States of America 27: Podzol

US027

Podzols mainly occur in cool temperate and moist regions on coarse textured materials. Areas of Podzols have also been recorded from wet, tropical regions, notably the Amazon basin, southern central Africa and southeast Asia.

Characteristics

Soils having a spodic horizon (a dark coloured subsurface horizon with illuvial amorphous alumino-organic substances) within 200 cm from the soil surface, underlying an albic, histic, umbric or ochric horizon, or an anthropedogenic horizon less than 50 cm thick. Podzols are probably the most extensively researched group of soils.

Distribution of Podzols (rough estimation supplied by soilgrids)

Reference soil US027: Podzols

Classification

WRB 1998

Densi-Gleyic- Podzol

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1988

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1974

Gleyic Podzol

Local classification:	Lawnwood sand

Other classification

USDA-NRCS (1999)	Arenic Alaquod aquic siliceous hyperthermic
USDA-SCS (1975)	Arenic Haplaquod aquic sandy siliceous hyperthermic

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	0	0.6	7.7	38.1	42.7	6.2	95.3	2	2.1	4.1	0.6
15-30	0	0.7	7.6	33	45.5	9.1	95.9	2.5	1.6	4.1	0
30-45	0	0.3	6.9	32.4	46.6	9.7	95.9	2.4	1.7	4.1	0
45-57	0	0.7	7.1	31.9	46.3	9.8	95.8	2.2	1.8	4	0.2
57-72	0	0.8	8	33	41.3	7.6	90.7	2.3	3.3	5.6	3.7
72-87	1	0.6	6.7	29.4	44.3	9.7	90.7	2.6	2.7	5.3	4
87-102	1	0.5	5.4	28	45.2	10.5	89.6	3	2.5	5.5	4.9
102-117	0	0.7	6.4	27.7	45.7	9.7	90.2	2.5	2	4.5	5.3
117-127	0	0.6	6.6	28.9	44.9	9.5	90.5	2.2	2	4.2	5.3
127-142	0	0.5	6.6	28.8	44.8	12.3	93	2.1	1.5	3.6	3.4
142-152	0	0.8	9.9	36.8	42	5.9	95.4	1.4	1	2.4	2.2

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	-	-	-	-	0.6
15-30	-	-	-	-	0
30-45	-	-	-	-	0
45-57	-	-	-	-	0.2
57-72	1.68	-	-	-	3.7
72-87	1.7	-	-	-	4
87-102	1.75	-	-	-	4.9
102-117	-	-	-	-	5.3
117-127	-	-	-	-	5.3
127-142	-	-	-	-	3.4
142-152	-	-	-	-	2.2

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
57-72	1.68	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	4.7
72-87	1.7	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	4.1
87-102	1.75	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	3.6

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	3.9	2.9	-	-	1.23	0.037	33	-	-	0.7	0.2	0	0.0	0.9
15-30	4.0	3.3	-	-	0.16	0.002	80	-	-	0.1	0.0	0	0.0	0.1
30-45	4.0	3.5	-	-	0.09	0.002	45	-	-	0.0	0.0	0	0.0	0
45-57	4.1	3.6	-	-	0.06	0.002	30	-	-	0.0	0.0	0	0.0	0
57-72	3.8	3.4	-	-	2.31	-	-	-	-	0.1	0.0	0	0.0	0.1
72-87	4.0	3.6	-	-	1.95	-	-	-	-	0.0	0.0	0	0.0	0
87-102	4.4	4.0	-	-	1.06	-	-	-	-	0.0	0.0	0	0.1	0.1
102-117	4.5	4.1	-	-	0.85	-	-	-	-	0.0	0.0	0	0.0	0
117-127	4.5	4.2	-	-	0.92	-	-	-	-	0.0	0.0	0	0.0	0
127-142	4.0	3.6	-	-	0.98	-	-	-	-	0.1	0.0	0	0.0	0.1
142-152	4.4	4.2	-	-	0.44	-	-	-	-	0.0	0.0	0	0.0	0

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	18	5.1	-	4.3	-	-	-
15-30	12	0.8	-	0.6	-	-	-
30-45	7	0.3	-	0.3	-	-	-
45-57	7	0.3	-	0.2	-	-	-
57-72	1	13.1	354	8.1	-	-	-
72-87	0	14	350	6.8	-	-	-
87-102	1	7.1	145	3.7	-	-	-
102-117	0	5.1	96	3.0	-	-	-
117-127	0	5.5	104	3.2	-	-	-
127-142	1	7.2	212	3.4	-	-	-
142-152	1	1.9	86	1.5	-	-	-

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	-	22	-	0.01	0.1	0	0	0	0	-	0.01
15-30	-	27	-	0.01	0.1	0	0	0	0	-	0.01
30-45	-	27	-	0.01	0.1	0	0	0	0	-	0.01
45-57	-	27	-	0.01	0.1	0	0	0	0	-	0.01
57-72	-	15	2	0.28	0.1	0.1	0.3	0	0.4	-	0.05
72-87	-	31	1	0.39	0.1	0.1	0.4	0	0.4	-	0.03
87-102	-	42	1	0.32	0.1	0.1	0.3	0.1	0.5	-	0.03
102-117	-	29	-	0.28	0.1	0	0.3	0	0.5	-	0.02
117-127	-	31	-	0.33	0.1	0.2	0.3	0.1	0.4	-	0.04
127-142	-	31	1	0.18	0.1	0	0.2	0	0.3	-	0.01
142-152	-	27	-	0.13	0.1	0	0.1	0	0.3	-	0.01

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
0-15	-	-	-	3.1	-	-	-	-	-
15-30	-	-	-	3.4	-	-	-	-	-
30-45	-	-	-	3.7	-	-	-	-	-
45-57	-	-	-	3.8	-	-	-	-	-
57-72	-	-	-	3.3	-	-	-	-	-
72-87	-	-	-	3.6	-	-	-	-	-
87-102	-	-	-	4	-	-	-	-	-
102-117	-	-	-	4.1	-	-	-	-	-
117-127	-	-	-	4.2	-	-	-	-	-
127-142	-	-	-	3.5	-	-	-	-	-
142-152	-	-	-	4.1	-	-	-	-	-

Clay mineralogy

Depth (cm)	Chlorite	Feldspar	Gibbsite	Goethite	Halloysite	Hematite	Kaolinite	Mica / illite	Mixed-layer	Quartz	Smec	Vermiculite
57-72	-	-	-	-	-	-	very weak	-	-	very weak	-	-
87-102	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	very weak	very weak	-
127-142	-	-	-	-	-	-	very weak to weak	-	-	-	very weak	-

Profile description

Ah 0-15 cm	dark grey (10YR 4/1, dry) very dark grey (10YR 3/1, moist)Description sand,weak fine granular,loose,many fine and medium roots,clear smooth boundary to,
E1 15-30 cm	grey (10YR 5/1, dry) dark grey (10YR 4/1, moist)Description sand,single grain,loose,many fine and medium few coarse roots,gradual wavy boundary to,
E2 30-57 cm	(light) grey (10YR 6/1, dry) grey (10YR 5/1, moist)Description sand,single grain,loose,many fine and medium roots,clear wavy boundary to,
Bhm1 57-72 cm	very dark grey (5YR 3/1, dry) (5YR 2/1, moist)Description sand,massive parting to moderate medium granular,firm,discontinuous massive strongly cemented ortstein pans,clear wavy boundary to,
Bhm2 72-87 cm	reddish brown (5YR 4/3, dry) dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3, moist)Description sand,weak medium subangular blocky,very firm,common fine and medium roots,discontinuous massive strongly cemented ortstein pans,gradual wavy boundary to,
Bhm3 87-102 cm	reddish brown (5YR 4/4, dry) dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3, moist)yellowish brown (10YR 5/6, dry) dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6, moist),Description sand,Description sand,weak medium subangular blocky,weak fine granular,very friable,very firm,few fine roots,clear wavy boundary to,
B'h 127-142 cm	black (10YR 2/1, dry) (5YR 2/1, moist)Description sand,weak medium subangular blocky,firm,clear wavy boundary to,
142-152 cm	yellowish brown (10YR 5/6, dry) yellowish brown (10YR 5/6, moist)Description sand,single grain,loose,

Altitude	44m
Slope	2%

Drainage class ; FAO (2006) - Guidelines for soil description	poor
Estimated permeability (class) of least permeable part of the profile	high

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Reference soil United States of America 27: Podzol

Characteristics

Reference soil US027: Podzols

Classification