spodosol

spodosol
/spod"euh sawl', -sol'/, n.
an acidic forest soil of low fertility, common to the cool, humid areas of North America and Eurasia.
[1955-60; < Gk spodó(s) wood ash + -SOL]

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▪ soil type
 one of the 12 soil orders in the U.S. Soil Taxonomy (soil). Spodosols are ashy gray, acidic soils with a strongly leached surface layer. Their suitability for cultivation is limited to acid-tolerant crops and orchards, provided that sufficient lime and fertilizer are applied. Covering about 3.5 percent of the nonpolar continental land area on Earth, they are mainly found bordering the tundras in northern North America and Asia, but they also occur in southern South America (Tierra del Fuego), in subtropical North America (Florida), and in lowland regions of tropical South America (northern Brazil, extending into Colombia and Venezuela).

      The sandy-textured underlying layer, known as the spodic horizon, is found not more than two metres (about six feet) below the land surface and is overlain by a strongly bleached sandy layer that gives the soil profile a spectacular visual contrast. The defining characteristic of the spodic layer is the significant accumulation of iron- and aluminum-bearing minerals intermixed with humus. The horizon develops over centuries as percolating water from ample, but seasonal, precipitation facilitates the translocation (migration) of material from upper horizons. The presence of organic compounds derived from acid-tolerant vegetation, usually needle-leaved evergreen forest, contributes to the acidic humus content of the soil and to the mobilization of the iron and aluminum.

      Spodosols differ from Alfisols (Alfisol) and Ultisols (Ultisol), both of which can exhibit bleached layers, by the absence of subsurface accumulations of translocated layer silicate clay; in addition, Spodosols generally develop under cooler climatic regimes.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Spodosol — Als Spodosole oder Podzole bezeichnet man gemäß der USDA Bodenklassifikation stark saure, tief geschichtete Böden der gemäßigten Breiten, die sich aus sandigem Ausgangsmaterial gebildet haben. Spodosole finden sich hauptsächlich auf der… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Spodosol —   [zu griechisch spodós »Asche« und lateinisch solum »Boden«] der, s, Bodenkunde: Bodentyp der amerikanischen Bodensystematik, mit Eisen , Aluminium und Humusanreicherungshorizont …   Universal-Lexikon

  • spodosol — noun A type of soil that has a spodic horizon; includes most podsols …   Wiktionary

  • Spodosol — Spo|do|sol der; s <zu lat. solum »Boden«> mit Eisen, Aluminium u. Humus angereicherter Bodentyp der amerik. Bodensystematik …   Das große Fremdwörterbuch

  • spodosol — spo·do·sol …   English syllables

  • spodosol — spod•o•sol [[t]ˈspɒd əˌsɔl, ˌsɒl[/t]] n. gel an acidic forest soil of low fertility, common to the cool, humid areas of North America and Eurasia • Etymology: 1955–60; < Gk spodó(s) wood ash + sol …   From formal English to slang

  • spodosol — ˈspädəˌsȯl, ˈspōd noun ( s) Etymology: Greek spodos wood ash + o Latin solum ground, soil more at soil : any of a group of podzols especially of cool humid regions that have a horizon below the surface composed of an illuvial accumulation of… …   Useful english dictionary

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