Reference soil France 10: Podzol
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.
Reference soil FR010: Podzols
PARENT MATERIAL: Sand is locally alternated by clays. Geology: Upper(Bartonian) and middle(Lutetian) Eocene. VEGETATION AND LAND USE: coverage(%) trees 70 herbs & grasses 95 ADDITIONAL NOTES ON PROFILE DESCRIPTION: Bh - streaks of dark reddish brown (5YR3/3) sand. Bs - inclusions: consist of somewhat lighter coloured, coherent sand. 2C1 - color: also 10YR7/3. 2C2 - color: also 5YR5/8. - mottled and horizontally streaked. - with pockets of sandy clay. 3C - yellow, coherent sand.