Lecture 3a

Naming Soil Horizons

 Soil horizons (layers
in the soil) are
named so
differences
between soils can
be identified.
 Naming soil horizons
takes practice
 When soil
scientists are
describing a
soil they will
discuss a lot
about what
they are seeing
and how it
should be
named.
 And what they
are not seeing
and what it
should not be
called ?
 Soil Judging
 Students wanting more practice at naming soil horizons should
take Soil 4511 and try out for the Soil Judging Team Students
that participate in the “Soil Judging” contest get more practice
with different soils from the region. (MN, SD, ND,MO,IA,KS,NE.
 The contest this fall is in Minnesota near Cloquet.

Contest in Kansas 2006

2007 UM Soils Team in the Team Pit No. 1 in

southwest Iowa: Left to right Meryl Larson, Erin
Andrews, Nick Reep, and Nick Saumweber
 Organic Horizons
 O - horizon - organic
material (no mineral
materials)
1) forest
litter
2) organic soil or peat
soils, or muck
 Oi - undecomposed (fibris)
 Oe - moderate decomp.
(hemis)
 Oa - decomposed (sapric)
 Organic Soil Profile

This trenching
machine is digging
through the Oe
horizon of an
organic soil.

Trenches needed to
remove water so the
peat will dry before
harvest.
 Organic Soil Horizons in a forest litter

Oi

Oe
 Processes of Mineral Soil Horizon Formation
 A. Additions - H2O, organic matter,air, soil
particles, salt
 B. Losses - H2O, organic matter, CO2 ,
nutrients by plant removal
 C. Transformations - Changes to soil
structure, development of clay minerals,
weathering of minerals to elements, chemical
Rx
 D. Translocations - movement from one
horizon to another of O.M. Clay, Water,
Iron, & Nutrients in colloidal size, (very
small particles) clay films on peds are
evidence of this translocation = clay (film)
coating
Mineral Soil Horizons

 A horizon - surface
horizons that accumulate Ap
O.M. EB
 Ap = plowed soil
Bt
Ap
BC

C
E Horizons
 E - (formerly A2) -
Translocation out - Zone A
of Eluviations - Leaching E
out E/B
 lighter in color than
horizons above or below Bt

BC
C
 B Horizons- two kinds:

 a) Translocation in - Bt
below an A, E, or O with
an
accumulation of clay, iron,
humus (O.M. decomposed.)
or carbonates
(CaCO3) zones
of illuviation
 b) or alteration of the
original parent
material, development
of color or
structure - Bw
C Horizons
 C - little affected by
pedogenic processes and
lack properties of O-A-B-
E- or is the Parent
Material

Solum = A+B

C horizon
Rock Horizons
 R = hard rock
 Cr = Soft Rock
Subscripts - all B horizons have a subscript, most transition
horizons do not.

 * a - sapric - organic soils - well decomposed

 * b - buried soil horizon
 d - dense - geogenic soil material (compacted by glacier)
 * e - hemic - mod. decomp. - organic soil
 f - frozen soil - permanently frozen, permafrost
 * g - gleyed soil - gray color due to low O2 - reduction of
Fe
 * h - accumulation of humus - O.M. other than in the A or
O horizons
 * i - fibric - organic - non-decomposed
 * k - accumulation of calcium carbonate (CaCO3)
 * m - cementation - hard - indurated
 Subscripts cont.
 n - sodium accumulation
 * p - plowing - only used with A
 q - silica accumulation - very weathered or old soil
 * r - soft rock - used with C or Cr
 * s - sesquioxides (1.502) (Fe2O3) accumulation of Fe and
Al - red color
 *ss – slickensides present –shiny surface on ped face caused
from soil rubbing against soil
 * t - clay accumulation - clay films
 * w - color or structure development (Bw)
 x - Fragipan - hard, dense layer that developed with time
 y - gypsum accumulation (CaSO4)
 z - salts more soluble than gypsum
(KCL - NaCl - NaSO4)
Transition Horizons

 AB - Like A - some of B
 BA - Like B - some of A
 AE AC BC

 E/B - Both E and B particles

are present -
 “B & E” used for soils
with Lamellae
- thin bands of accumulating
clay and iron
in sandy soils
Lithologic Discontinuity
 A1
 A2
 2B
 Designated by number in
front of horizon.
 (More than one

2 parent
parent material)
materials
Practice at naming horizons –
Soil from Badlands of North Dakota---Texture of horizons 1,2,3,4 = loam---
Note Carbonates in horizon 3
DYAD – Name 4 horizons Using one transition horizon
 ---
A
 ---

AB
 ---

Bk
 ---

C
Sandy soil from Northeast Minnesota
Texture of Horizon 1,2,3,4 = Sand
Goodhue County Soil, Southwest of Redwing Mn.
Texture of horizon 1 & 2 = Silt Loam,
Hrz 5 = Silty Clay
Hrz. 4 = Cobbly loam,
Hrz. 5 = Loam
 A
 E
 Bt
 2BC
 2C