Soil Basics for Describing Wetland Soils

Soil Color
Color is just about the most important charactistics to describe in a wetland soil It is influenced by: organic matter content, amount and type of Fe minerals, moisture content

Ap Horizon

-OM -Fe -OM+Fe

Dr. Martin Rabenhorst

Bt Horizon

-OM -Fe -OM+Fe

Dr. Martin Rabenhorst

Moist Color
All color requirements (hue, value, and chroma) are for moist color. Features are usually more readily identifiable in moist state; they may be missing if soil is too wet (let dry).

Munsell Soil Color

Elements of soil color

Hue Value Chroma

Hue
Hue is created by the wavelength of the light rays. Think of it as one of the rainbow colors. Common soil hues are R (red), YR (yellow-red), and Y (yellow). Other hues found on gleyed pages are N (neutral), GY (green-yellow), G (green), B (blue), and PB (purple-blue)

Gradation of hues
Soil color hues can be expressed as 2.5, 5, 7.5 and 10. A 5 hue (i.e. 5Y) is the purest of that hue (all yellow). As you go higher or lower you get mixtures of other hues (YR is yellowish red).

Hue in the Munsell Soil Color Chart

Gley Hues
Grayish, Bluish, and Greenish Hues on the Gley Page

Gley Hues

Gleyed Matrix

Value: amount of light reflected

All light reflected

10/0 = Pure White

5/0 = Gray

No light reflected

0/0 = Pure Black

Much light reflected

Little light reflected

Chroma: concentration of hue

Neutral Color Pure Color ____|________|______|______|_______|__ _ /0 /2 /4 /6 /8 Increasing concentration of hue ----> <-----Increasing Grayness

Chroma in the Munsell Soil Color Chart

Common Names and Notations given on left-hand side of open book

Munsell notation vs. English name

10 R 6/6 10 R 6/8 2.5 YR 6/8 7.5 YR 6/8 10 YR 6/8 YELLOW 5 Y 6/8 5 B 6/1 LIGHT RED LIGHT RED LIGHT RED REDDISH YELLOW BROWNISH OLIVE YELLOW BLUISH GRAY

Optimum Conditions
Direct Sunlight on color chips Light at Right Angles to pages Soil Moist (required) If conditions are not optimum, document conditions on data sheet.

Whats most important?

Chroma is most important to describe correctly. You must know whether the soil is chroma 2 or less, or >2. Hue is probably least important, unless you have a Gley hue

Chromas of 2 or less

10

Depleted Matrices

Depleted Matrix
Value 5 6 4 or 5 4 Chroma 1 2 2 1 Redox concentrations Not required Not required Required Required

11

Describing Soil Color

Matrix color predominant color Mottle colors splotches of contrasting color
l l l l

Redoximorphic features Lithochromic features Organic matter Other

Describing mottles

Color Abundance Size Contrast

12

Abundance Few < 2% surface area Common 2 to < 20 surface area Many >= 20 surface area

13

Size
Fine < 2 mm Medium 2 to < 5 mm Coarse 5 to < 20 mm Very Coarse 20 to < 76 mm Extremely Coarse >= 76 mm
Recommend giving actual dimension in mm.

Contrast Faint Distinct Prominent

14

Organic Matter
Organic Soil Material Mucky modified mineral Organic coatings

Organic Coatings

70% black 50% black 90% black

15

Organic Soil Material

Soil material that is saturated with water for long periods or artificially drained and, excluding live roots, has an organic carbon content of: 18 percent or more with 60 percent or more clay, or 12 percent or more organic carbon with 0 percent clay. Soils with an intermediate amount of clay have an intermediate amount of organic carbon.

Types of Organic Soil Material

Muck Highly decomposed - <1/6 fibers after rubbing Peat Very little decomposition - 3/4 or more fibers after rubbing. Mucky peat Intermediate decomposition - between 1/6 and 3/4 fibers after rubbing.

16

Texture
The relative proportion of sand, silt and clay. Estimated in the field by feel.

Particle Size Classification

Class Gravel Sand Silt Clay Size (mm) > 2.00 0.05 - 2.00 0.002 - 0.05 < 0.002

17

Textural Triangle

Organic Soil Material

Color of organic soil material may be important Muck sapric material Mucky peat hemic material Peat fibric material

18

Mucky modified texture

Mucky modified mineral soil has 0% clay and between 5 and 12% organic carbon, 60% clay and between 12 and 18% organic carbon, or intermediate amounts of clay and intermediate amounts of organic carbon.

Mucky Modified Mineral

A USDA soil texture modifier, e.g. mucky sand. Mucky modified mineral soil with 0 percent clay has between 5 and 12 percent organic carbon. Mucky modified mineral soil with 60 percent clay has between 11 and 18 percent organic carbon. Soils with an intermediate amount of clay have intermediate amounts of organic carbon.

19

Soil Horizons

Master Horizons and Layers

O horizons or layers: Layers dominated by organic material

20

Master Horizons and Layers

A Horizons: Mineral horizons that have formed at the surface or below an O horizon; they exhibit obliteration of all or much of the original rock structure and show one of the following:
l

an accumulation of humified organic matter intimately mixed with the mineral fraction and not dominated by properties characteristic of E or B horizons, or Properties resulting from cultivation, pasturing, or similar kind of disturbance

Master Horizons and Layers

E Horizon: Mineral horizons in which the main feature is loss of silicate clay, iron, or aluminum, or some combination of these, leaving a concentration of sand and sit particles. These horizons exhibit obliteration of all or much of the organic rock structure.

21

Master Horizons and Layers

B Horizon: Horizons which have formed below an A, E, or O horizon; they are dominated by the obliteration of all or much of the original rock structure and show one of the following:
l

Illuvial concentration of silicate clay, iron, aluminum, humus, carbonates, gypsum, or silica, alone or in combination with other characteristics (See keys to soil Taxonomy)

Master Horizons and Layers

C Horizons or Layers: Horizons or layers, excluding hard bedrock, that are little affected by pedogenic processes and lack the properties of O, A, E, or B horizons. Most are mineral layers. The material of C layers may be either like or unlike the material from which the solum has presumably formed. The C horizon may have been modified, even if there is no evidence of pedogenesis. pedogenesis.

22

Master Horizons and Layers

R Layers: Hard Bedrock

Common Horizon Suffixes for Organic Horizons

a Highly decomposed organic material e Organic Material of intermediate decomposition i Slightly decomposed organic material

23

Common Hydric Soil Horizon Suffixes

g strong gleying w weak color or sructure p tillage or other disturbance t accumulation of silicate clays b buried genetic horizon

Soil Horizons
Oi -- Organic slightly decomposed Oe -- Organic moderately decomposed Oa -- Organic highly decomposed A -- mineral mixed with organic (humus) E -- Horizon of maximum eluviation of silicate clay and Fe and Al oxides, etc AB or EB -- Transitional to B, more like A or E BA or BE -- Transitional to A or E, more like B

B -- Most clearly expressed portion of B horizon

BC - Transitional to C, more like B C -- Zone of least weathering, accumulation of Ca and Mg carbonates, cementation, sometimes high bulk density

R -- Bedrock

24

A horizon E horizon

B horizon

C horizon

A horizon

B horizon (unmottled)

B horizon (unmottled)

25

Describing Soils
Look at soil profile and identify top 2. Break profile into layers (horizons) of uniform color, mottles, and cracks 3. Describe each layer (horizon): Color Mottles Depths Type of horizon (A, B, C)
1.

Mottle Color: 10YR 4/2 1 cm diam., 20%

Matrix Color: 10YR 3/1

26

Horizon Description
A, 0-20 cm, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) with 20%, distinct, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) mottles, 1 cm diameter.

27

28