Reference soil Germany 06: Gleysol

DE006

Gleysols occur throughout the world where groundwater comes near to the surface, causing soils to become wet for a prolonged part of the year. They are particularly abundant in the low-lying river basins.

Characteristics

Soils having gleyic properties (properties associated with prolonged wetness) within 50 cm from the soil surface. They have no diagnostic horizons other than an anthraquic, histic, mollic, ochric, takyric, or umbric horizon at the surface, or an andic, calcic, cambic, gypsic, plinthic, salic, sulfuric, or vitric horizon within 100 cm from the soil surface.

Distribution of Gleysols (rough estimation supplied by soilgrids)

A typic example of a gley soil with pronounced oxidation resp. reduction horizon. Below 40 cm the profile is gravelly. The Bg horizon has 2 colours (7,5YR 5/6 and 2,5Y 6/2). There is common organic matter in the Ap horizons. Besides, some very coarse dead plant roots can be found in the lowest horizon. The groundwater level has been lowered artificially. Parent material consists of alluvial deposits, maily derived from adjacent loess deposits. (additional climatic data Aachen: insolation (hrs))

WRB 2006:

WRB 1998:

Fluvic Gleysol(Eutric Siltic Drainic)

Eutric Gleysol

22-42 cm	cambic horizon
	gleyic colour pattern
	reducing conditions

0-22 cm	ochric horizon
22-42 cm	cambic horizon
	gleyic properties

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1988:

FAO-UNESCO 1974:

Silti-

Eutric Gleysol

0-22 cm	ochric A horizon
22-42 cm	cambic B horizon
	gleyic properties

0-22 cm	ochric A horizon
22-42 cm	cambic B horizon
	hydromorphic properties

Other classification

Classification (other)

Typischer Gley

Location:

Nordrhein-Westphalen, 6km SE of Jülich in the valley of the Ellebach

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Physical

Particle size distribution:

Depth (cm)		Gravel (%)	Very Coarse Sand (%)	Coarse Sand (%)	Medium Sand (%)	Fine Sand (%)	Very Fine Sand (%)	Total Sand (%)	Coarse Silt (%)	Fine Silt (%)	Total Silt (%)	Clay (%)
0-25	:	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	34.9	24.0	58.9	32.2
25-47	:	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	41.3	24.8	66.1	27.5
47-60	:	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	35.9	21.4	57.3	15.3

Chemical characteristics:

Depth (cm)		pH H2O	pH KCl	EC 1 : 2.5 (mS/cm)	CaCO3 (%)	Org. C (%)	Org. N (%)	C / N	Exch. Acid (cmol/kg)	Exch. Al (cmol/kg)	Ca (cmol/kg)	Mg (cmol/kg)	K (cmol/kg)	Sum Cations (cmol/kg)
0-25	:	6.5	-	-	1.4	-	-	-	-	-	-	1.5	0.5	-
25-47	:	6.8	5.6	-	1.3	0.60	-	-	-	-	17.1	2.2	0.0	-
47-60	:	6.7	5.2	-	0.8	0.37	-	-	-	-	8.3	1.3	0.0	-

Depth (cm)		CEC Soil (cmol/kg)	CEC Clay (cmol/kg)	CEC Org (cmol/kg)	ECEC (cmol/kg)	Base sat. (%)	Al sat. (%)
0-25	:	26.9	-	10.3	-	-	-
25-47	:	23.3	-	2.1	-	-	-
47-60	:	12.4	-	1.3	-	-	-

Depth (cm)		pH NaF	P Retention (%)	ODOE	Melanic Index	Fe o (wt%)	Al o (wt%)	Si o (wt%)	Fe d (wt%)	Al d (wt%)	Fe p (wt%)	Al p (wt%)	C p (wt%)
0-25	:	-	-	-	-	1.18	0.17	0.02	2.92	0.19	-	-	-
25-47	:	-	-	-	-	0.49	0.09	0.01	3.73	0.14	-	-	-
47-60	:	-	-	-	-	0.12	0.05	0.00	0.38	0.03	-	-	-

Elemental composition of the clay:

Depth (cm)		SiO2 (wt%)	Al2O3 (wt%)	Fe2O3 (wt%)	CaO (wt%)	MgO (wt%)	K2O (wt%)	Na2O (wt%)	TiO2 (wt%)
0-25	:	46.0	22.1	14.3	0.61	1.30	2.33	0.30	0.86
25-47	:	44.5	18.6	21.9	0.09	1.31	1.96	0.39	0.81
47-60	:	51.4	22.9	10.3	0.07	1.85	3.44	0.29	0.91

Elemental composition of the clay:

Depth (cm)		MnO2 (wt%)	P2O5 (wt%)	Ign.Loss clay (wt%)	Total clay (%)	SiO2 / Al2O3 (mol/mol)	SiO2 / Fe2O3 (mol/mol)	SiO2 / R (mol/mol)	Al2O3 / Fe2O3 (mol/mol)
0-25	:	0.06	0.39	11.0	99.2	3.5	8.6	2.5	2.4
25-47	:	0.04	0.12	9.8	99.5	4.1	5.4	2.3	1.3
47-60	:	0.02	0.07	7.7	99.0	3.8	13.3	3.0	3.5

Elemental composition of the soil:

Depth (cm)		SiO2 (wt%)	Al2O3 (wt%)	Fe2O3 (wt%)	CaO (wt%)	MgO (wt%)	K2O (wt%)	Na2O (wt%)	TiO2 (wt%)
0-25	:	69.6	9.9	6.4	0.86	0.52	1.77	0.55	0.64
25-47	:	74.0	9.1	7.9	0.75	0.58	1.88	0.66	0.63
47-60	:	79.3	9.2	3.0	0.45	0.76	2.00	0.55	0.55

Elemental composition of the soil:

Depth (cm)		MnO2 (wt%)	P2O5 (wt%)	LOI (wt%)	SiO2 / Al2O3 (mol/mol)	SiO2 / Fe2O3 (mol/mol)	SiO2 / R (mol/mol)	Al2O3 / Fe2O3 (mol/mol)
0-25	:	0.05	0.17	8.9	11.9	29.0	8.4	2.4
25-47	:	0.02	0.04	4.3	13.8	24.9	8.9	1.8
47-60	:	0.01	0.04	2.8	14.6	70.4	12.1	4.8

Clay mineralogy:

Depth (cm)		Kaolinite	Mica / illite	Vermiculite	Chlorite	Smec	Halloysite	Mixed layer	Quar	Feldspar	Gibbsite	Goethite	Hematite
0-25	:	strong	strong	-	medium to strong	strong	-	medium to strong	strong	medium to strong	-	-	-
25-47	:	strong	strong	-	medium to strong	very strong	-	medium to strong	strong	weak	-	strong	-
47-60	:	strong	strong	-	medium to strong	very strong	-	medium to strong	strong	medium to strong	-	-	-

Profile description:

Ap1 0-16 cm	dark greyish brown (10YR 4/2, moist), silty clay loam, moderate medium subangular blocky and strong medium crumb, friable, abrupt smooth boundary to,
Ap2 16-22 cm	dark greyish brown (10YR 4/2, moist), silty clay loam slightly gravelly, weak medium subangular blocky and weak medium angular blocky, friable, abrupt smooth boundary to,
Bg 22-42 cm	silty clay loam slightly gravelly, weak medium granular, firm, clear smooth boundary to,
cm	light olive grey (5Y 6/2, moist), silt loam gravelly, structureless, non sticky non plastic, few medium mottles (7.5 YR 5/6),

The main parent rock/ material over which the soil has been formed (1st entry)	sediment, unconsolidated
Mode of Accumulation or deposition of parent material (1st entry)	fluvial
Texture of parent material (1st entry)	silty
Weathering status of solid rock (1st entry)	slightly
Resistance against weathering (solid rock) (1st entry)	poor
Remarks on Parent Materials	fluviatile deposits derived from loess

Current land use at the site	cultivated pasture
Vegetation Type;The natural vegetation at the site	grassland
Remarks on Land Use / Vegetation	Land use: Groundwater level has been artificially lowered several meters in 1962

The altitude of the soil profile relative to mean sea level, specified in meters	90 m asl
Regional landform	floodplain
Topography of the surrounding country	flat or almost flat
Physiographic Unit in the immediate surrounding of the site	valley bottom
The slope refers to the inclination of the land immediately surrounding the site. The measured or estimated slope angle is specified to the nearest per cent	0 %
The physiographic position of the site where the profile is located	flat

Kind of groundwater table	no groundwater table observed
Runoff	very slow
Estimated permeablity (class) of least permeable part of the profile	slow
Drainage Class	poor

Rockiness	none
Stoniness	none

Soil erosion type (1st entry)
Occurrence of soil aggradation
Slope Stability

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Reference soil Germany 06: Gleysol

Characteristics