Soil Types: Definition & Characteristics |

There are different soil types. The soil type provides information about the condition of the soil and is determined using a soil profile. The nature of the soil type depends on various factors such as bedrock, climate, water, relief, vegetation and human influence.

Floor – definition

• habitat function:Soils are the basis of plant photosynthesis.
• production function:Soils enable the growth of plants on which both humans and animals live.
• regulatory function:Soil regulates the natural cycles of water, air, carbon and nitrogen.
• Clean, buffer, transform and save function:Soil purifies water, breaks down pollutants, regulates pH and provides nutrients for plants.
• documentation function:Soils can be used to gain insights into the development of mankind.

Together with the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, the biosphere and the lithosphere, soils form a system that is influenced by human activities.

Soil Types – Soil Structure

If you dig up the ground, you get a soil profile. The soil profile consists of different layers horizons to be named.

There is three layers of soil:

1. Top soil (A horizon)
2. subfloor (B horizon)
3. Parent rock (C horizon).

Soil types – definition

The individual layers of a soil are called soil horizon. These soil horizons occur in different combinations. Soil horizons are characterized by certain features, such as soil color. The various possible combinations are combined into floor profiles. In the end, soils with the same soil profiles are combined into one soil type.

Soil profileHorizonSoil typeDifferent horizonsSoil layersSoils with the same soil profile

When a soil profile is created, the different horizons are symbolized by capital letters. The properties of a horizon are represented by lowercase letters. The following tables show possible labeling of soil profiles.

horizon (uppercase)

L – Scatter Pad

H – humus horizon (peat)

A – Mineral topsoil

B – Mineral subsoil

C – parent rock

G – Horizon influenced by groundwater

S – Horizon affected by backwater

E – Washed out horizon

R – Man-made mixed horizon

Horizon – Properties

The capital letters preceded lowercase letters provide information about geological features or features of the horizon caused by human influences.

The capital letters trailing lowercase letters on the other hand, they provide information about decisive soil properties.

Properties(suffixed lower case letters)Special features(preceding lower case letters)h – humosa – floodplain dynamicsv – browntr – relictico – oxidizedc – carbonicl – lessivated (depleted of clay minerals)m – massive – aluminous or aluminium-poorty – anthropogenically rearranged/ artificialfe – ferruginous or ferruginous – argillaceous

Soil Types – Classification

The classification of soil types makes it possible to organize soils in a meaningful way. The so-called morphogenetic classification classifies soil types into four types. This assignment is based on the characteristics and soil-forming factors of soils. Soil-forming factors are, for example, the climate or the relief.

Lithomorphic soilsClimatic phytomorphic soilsHydromorphic soilsAnthropomorphic soils

• inhibited soil development
• weak profile differentiation
• high erosion on slopes
• too cold or dry climate
• Raw soils and poorly developed soils
• example: Rendzina

• Dominance of characteristics dependent on climate
• stronger profile differentiation
• Formation of an ABC profile
• example: brown earth

• Hydro = ancient Greek for water

• characterized by stagnant backwater and groundwater
• example: Pseudogley and Gley

• Anthropology = human science
• Natural soils become cultivated soils
• Only cultivated soils with a newly formed profile count here
• example: city soil

Soil types – overview

The table below gives you an overview of the most important soil types.

Soil Types and Soil Types – Difference

If you deal with the subject of soil, you will come across the terms soil type and type of soil. As already explained, the soil type is the appearance of a soil, i.e. the result of soil formation.

The soil type can be determined by the grain sizes. Depending on the grain size composition of the soil, there is a different type of soil. The soil type is given separately for each horizon of a soil profile. The reason for this is that the soil type can change within a soil profile, since the grain sizes can occur in a different composition in each horizon.

Soil types – Europe

Parabraunerde and Braunerde are the most common in Central Europe. In the regions around the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea and on the Mediterranean islands, Mediterranean brown soils also occur extensively. In Central Europe, in the high mountains, in depressions and in some river valleys, isolated moors can be found. Large areas of bog can only be found in the cold zone of the boreal coniferous forests in northern Scandinavia and Eastern Europe.

Rendzina soils are predominantly developed in the southern German strata. floodplain soils are widespread in the floodplains of the Danube, Moselle and Rhine. If these are not flooded, they develop into brown earth and parabrown earth. Pseudogley is also widespread in Central Europe, both in the lowlands and in the low mountain ranges.