Reference soil India 05: Cambisol

IN005

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 IN005: Cambisols

A moderately deep, well drained brown soil with a silty loam texture, derived from weathered biotite schist and granite gneiss, situated in the southern foothills of the Himalayas. The upper part of the soil is most likely of colluvial origin. In the lower brown and gray mottles appear along the root channels, grading into whitish silt coatings. Soil reaction is neutral near the surface, becoming acid in the subsoil. Organic carbon content of the topsoil is high.

Classification

WRB 2014

Cambisol

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1988

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1974

Orthi-Dystric Cambisol

Dystric Cambisol

- cm	cambic B horizon
- cm	ochric A horizon

- cm	cambic B horizon
- cm	ochric A horizon

Local classification:	Brown hill soil

Other classification

USDA-SCS (1975)

Dystrochrept udic fine-silty mixed thermic

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
0-16	-	0.7	2.9	5.9	10.4	5.2	25.1	4.7	43.3	48	26.9
16-44	-	1.2	4.3	7.3	13.4	5.9	32.1	8.1	32.9	41	27
44-76	-	0.4	1.5	2.3	4.1	3.0	11.3	22.1	42.4	64.5	24.2
76-90	-	0.2	1.1	2.4	4.8	4.1	12.6	24.9	43.1	68	19.4

Water retention characteristics

Depth (cm)	Bulk density kg/dm³	Spec. Surf. Area m²/g	COLE cm/cm	Water disp. clay %	Clay % w/w
0-16	-	-	-	-	26.9
16-44	-	-	-	-	27
44-76	-	-	-	-	24.2
76-90	-	-	-	-	19.4

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
0-16	6.7	5.3	0.31	-	4.44	0.27	16	-	-	16.5	3.1	1.0	1.3	21.9
16-44	5.2	4.0	0.1	-	1.92	0.13	15	-	-	2.0	1.0	0.4	0.1	3.5
44-76	5.1	4.0	0.16	-	0.39	0.05	8	-	-	1.0	0.5	0.3	0.1	1.9
76-90	5.1	3.8	0.15	-	0.12	0.03	4	-	-	1.0	1.2	0.3	0.1	2.6

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 %
0-16	63	34.8	129	15.5	-	-	-
16-44	18	20	74	6.7	-	-	-
44-76	17	10.9	45	1.4	-	-	-
76-90	27	9.6	49	0.4	-	-	-

Profile description

Ah 0-16 cm	dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4, dry) dark greyish brown (10YR 4/2, moist)loam,crumb,slightly hard friable,diffuse smooth boundary to,
16-44 cm	dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4, dry) (dark) brown (10YR 4/3, moist)loam,weak subangular blocky,slightly hard friable,clear smooth boundary to,
2Bw1 44-76 cm	light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4, dry) yellowish brown (10YR 5/6, moist)silt loam,moderate to strong medium subangular blocky,hard firm,clear wavy boundary to,
2Bw2 76-90 cm	very pale brown (10YR 7/3, dry) light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4, moist)silt loam,moderate to strong coarse angular blocky,hard very firm,gradual wavy boundary to,
2BC 90-127 cm	yellowish brown (10YR 5/6, moist)silt loam,very strong coarse angular blocky to massive,clear wavy boundary to,
2BC 90-127 cm	dominant strongly weathered biotite schist granite gneiss fragments

Kind 1 (parent material) ; Parker (eds), 1984	metamorphic rock
Mode of accumulation or deposition of parent material	residual material
Remarks on Parent Materials	biot.sch. & gran.gn.
Soil Depth	125cm
Weathering Resistance	poor
General characterization of the status of weathering of solid rock	highly

Land use or vegetation in the immediate vicinity of the site	(semi-)natural vegetation
Remarks on Land Use / Vegetation	Oak, pine, Rosa muskata
Status of vegetation; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	secondary
Major vegetation type; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	semi-deciduous forest

Altitude	2160m
Physiographic Unit	hill slope
Physiographic position of the site	slope
Regional landform; McDonald, R.C., Isbell, R.F. et all, 1984; Australian soil and land survey Field Handbook, Inkata Press, Melbourne.	hill
Slope	30%
Topography; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	steeply dissected

Drainage class ; FAO (2006) - Guidelines for soil description	well
Dry From - To	0-90cm
Flooding frequency (FAO, 1986)	never
Kind of ground water table (USDA, 1979)	no groundwater table observed
Moist From - To	90-127cm
Estimated run off (class)	rapid

Evidence of alkali ; Soil Survey Manual USDA, 1951	non-alkaline
Evidence of salt; Soil Survey Manual USDA, 1951	non-saline

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Reference soil India 05: Cambisol

Characteristics

Reference soil IN005: Cambisols

Classification