Alfisol profile

Alfisols are a soil order in USA soil taxonomy. Alfisols form in semiarid to humid areas, typically under a hardwood forest cover. They have a clay and nutrient-enriched subsoil. "Alf" refers to aluminium (Al) and iron (Fe). Because of their productivity and abundance, the Alfisols represent one of the more important soil orders. Soil taxonomy provided by United States Department of Agriculture / Natural Resources Conservation Centre provides an elaborate classification of soil types according to several parameters and in several levels: Order, Suborder, Great Group, Subgroup, Family, and Series. ...

Alfisols represent the youngest forest soil order. Because of this they are less leached, and have a greater than 35% base saturation. They are more weathered than inceptisols but less weathered than spodosols. Inceptisols are a soil order in USA soil taxonomy. ... Podsol (also spelled Podzol, or known as Spodosol) is the typical soil of coniferous, or Boreal forests. ...

Suborders

Aqualfs — wet soils; aquic soil moisture regime

Cryalfs — cold climate; frigid or cryic soil temperature regime

Udalfs — humid climate; udic moisture regime

Ustalfs — subhumid climate; ustic moisture regime

Xeralfs — Mediterranean climate; xeric moisture regime

The udic moisture regime is common to soils of humid climates which have well-distributed rainfall, or which have enough rain in summer so that the amount of stored moisture plus rainfall is approximately equal to, or exceeds, the amount of evapotranspiration. ...

See also

• Pedogenesis
• Pedology (soil study)
• Soil classification
• Soil science
• Soil type

Pedogenesis or soil evolution (formation) is the process by which soil is created. ... Pedology (pědǒlōgy), (from Russian: pedologiya, from the Greek pedon = soil, earth), is the study of soils and soil formation. ... Soil classification deals with the systematic categorization of soils based on distinguishing characteristics as well as criteria that dictate choices in use. ... Soil science deals with soil as a natural resource on the surface of the earth including soil formation, classification and mapping; physical, chemical, biological, and fertility properties of soils per se; and these properties in relation to the use and management of soils. ... soil types In terms of soil texture, Soil type usually refers to the different sizes of mineral particles in a particular sample. ...

References

• Alfisols^{[dead link – history]} USDA-NRCS Url accessed May 14, 2006
• Alfisols. University of Idaho. Retrieved on 2006-05-14.