SOIL TAXONOMY

(A SYSTEM OF SOIL CLASSIFICATION)

Ms.  Rochelle  Joie  A.  Saracanlao  

 Soil Classification
• The systematic arrangement of soils into
groups or categories on the basis of their
characteristics
 Soil Classification
• Objectives
Ø Organize knowledge about soils
Ø Understand relationship among different soils
Ø Establish groups/classes for practical purposes
a. Predicting behavior
b. Identifying best uses
c. Estimating productivity
d. Extending research results
 Individual Soils
• Pedon
- a hexagonal column of soil measuring from
1 to 10m in top surface area
- the basic sampling unit used in soil surveys.
• Polypedon
- an essential soil individual, comprising an
identifiable series of soils in an area
 Individual Soils
• Polypedon
- made up of multiple pedons and has distinctive
characteristics that differenitate it from
surrounding polypedons
• Series
- soils series is a class of soils and the basic
units used to classify soils
- nearly 400 soil series in the Philippines.
 Requirements
§ Temperature regimes
- mean annual soil temperature measured at
50 cm from surface
§ Moisture regimes
- number of days when soil contains available
water during the period when soil
temperature at 50 cm below the surface is
above 50⁰C
 Requirements
§ Diagnostic horizons
- distinct types of horizons that reflect nature
of soil formation
• Epipedon
- surface diagnostic horizon
• Subsurface diagnostic horizon
 Requirements
§ Mineralogy
- dominant type of clay minerals
§ Particle size distribution
- proportion of coarse fragments (2 mm – 74
mm size particles) in combination with fine
fragments (<2 mm size particles)
 Soil Temperature Regimes
• Pergelic
- mean annual temperature (MAT) is <0⁰  C;  
permafrost  is  present  
• Cryic    
 -­‐  MAT  is  0⁰C  -­‐  8  ⁰C  
• Frigid
- MAT is < 8 ⁰C  (warmer  than  cryic  in  
summer)
 Soil Temperature Regimes
• Mesic
- MAT is 8  ⁰C  –  15  ⁰C  
• Thermic  
 -­‐  MAT  is    15  ⁰C  –  22  ⁰C  
• Hyperthermic
- MAT is > 22 ⁰C  (warmer  than  cyic  in  
summer)
 Soil Temperature Regimes
• Isofrigid
- MAT is < 8 ⁰C
• Isomesic
- MAT is 8 ⁰C  –  15  ⁰C    
• Isothermic
- MAT is 15 ⁰C  –  22  ⁰C  
 Soil Temperature Regimes
• Isohyperthermic
- MAT is > 22 ⁰C

v Prefix ‘ Iso’ is used to indicate that the

average soil temperature for the 3 warmest
months (June, July, August) differs by < 5  ⁰C  
from the average temperature of the 3 coldest
months (December, January, February)
 Soil Moisture Regimes
• refers to the presence/absence of either
water-saturated conditions (usually
groundwater) or plant available soil water
 Soil Moisture Regimes
a. Aquic moisture regime
- soil is saturated and no dissolved oxygen
( reducing regime)
-usually wet, prolonged periods of poor
aeration

b. udic- enough water throughout the year

 Soil Moisture Regimes
c. Perudic
- extremely wet, excess water for leaching
throughout the year

d. Ustic
- intermediate between udic and aridic,
deficient sometime during the year
 Soil Moisture Regimes
e. Aridic or torric
-very deficient, long dry periods, short wet
periods, moist for <90 consecutive days

f. xeric
-only in the temperate areas; dry- >45
consecutive days in summer and moist > 45
consecutive days in winter
 Diagnostic Horizon
Surface  (Epipedon)   Subsurface  
Mollic     Argilic    
Umbric   Natric  
His9c     Spodic  
Ochric   Oxic    
Cambric  
 Surface (Epipedon)
§ Mollic Epipedon
- thick, dark, soft, surface layer
- characteristics:
a. thick – greater than 10 inches;
high base saturation >50%
b. mineral soil
c. Soils formed under prairie
vegetation
 Surface (Epipedon)
§ Umbric
- like mollic, but low base saturation
§ Histic
- Organic soil, saturated with water
§ Ochric
- thin, light colored
- surface layers that do not fit any of the
surface
 Other Epipedons
§ Melanic
- mineral horizon; very black in color, high
OM content (organic C > 6%)
-characteristic of soils high in allophane;
developed from volcanic ash
-thick- >30cm
-extremely light and fluffy for a mineral
soil
 Comparison of Epipedons

Ochric
Histic
Lighter in
thinner color
More OM

Mollic

Low base
Common in saturation
volcanic ash soils
Umbric
Melanic
 Subsurface
§ Argilic (Bt)
- illuvial horizon of clay accumulation

§ Natric (Btn)
- same as argillic but with > 15% exchangeable
sodium (Na)
 Subsurface
§ Spodic (Bhs or Bs)
- illuvial accumulation of oxides of Al and Fe
(sesquioxides) and OM
- red or dark red in color
- only found in acid sandy soils, with high
rainfall
- generally found below E horizon
 Subsurface
§ Oxic (Bo)
- very weathered layer of only Fe and Al
oxides and 1:1 clay minerals
- low pH and not very fertile
§ Cambic (Bw)
- slightly altered layer
- not weathered enough to be argilic
§ NONE
- no diagnostic subsurface horizon present
Comparison of Subsurface Diagnostic
Horizons
Spodic
Cambic
More Al and
Fe Less
developed
Argillic

More
Highly weathered sodium
Natric
oxic
 Soil Categories based on Diagnostic
Characteristics
Fine clayey, kaolinitic, isohyperthermic, Typic Palehumults

Order
Suborder
Great Group
Subgroup
Family
Series
 Order
Fine clayey, kaolinitic, isohyperthermic, Typic Palehumults

Ø Highest and most general of the soil

classification system
Ø Based on the conditions under which
Order
the soil is developed. ult= ultisols
 Suborder
Fine clayey, kaolinitic, isohyperthermic, Typic Palehumults

Ø Grouped by similarities in soil

formation such as wetter/dryer soil, colder/
Suborder

warmer soil, presence of Order

organic matter, etc. hum= humus

 Great Group
Fine clayey, kaolinitic, isohyperthermic, Typic Palehumults

Ø Based on differences between Great Group

soil horizons Suborder

Order

Pale=
excessive
development
 Family
Fine clayey, kaolinitic, isohyperthermic, Typic Palehumults

Subgroup
Family
Great Group
Texture, clay minerals, temp.,
Ø Based on soil properties that affect Suborder

management and root penetration, Order

such as texture, temperature and depth

 Series: Luisiana
Fine clayey, kaolinitic, isohyperthermic, Typic Palehumults

Subgroup
Family
Great Group

Ø Named after a geographic feature Suborder

(town, river, etc.,) near where they Order

were first recognized.

 12 Soil Orders
§ Entisol
§ Inceptisol
§ Andisols
§ Spodosols
§ Mollisols
§ Alfisols
 12 Soil Orders
§ Ultisol
§ Oxisols
§ Aridisols
§ Vertisols
§ Histosols
§ Gelisols
12 SOIL ORDERS
 1. Entisol

- recent soils
- minimal development, little
horizonation, young soils
- characteristically have A/C or A/R
profiles, exhibit only ephemeral soil
development
- largely confined to surface horizons.
- may have an Ap horizon
-12.5% of the world
 Vertisols
- inverted
- soils with high clay content, large shrink
swell potential, gradually invert on
themselves
- mollic or ochric + none
-2.1% of the world
 Inceptisols
- inception
- soils shows the beginning of horizons
development little or no illuviation
- ochric or umbric + cambic
-15.8% of the world
 Aridisols
- arid regions of the world (19%)
- <10 in of rainfall, usually contain
carbonates
- NaCl salt accumulates on the surface and
in the subsurface
-ochric + cambic or argillic or other
diagnostic feature
 12 Soil Orders
5. Mollisols – oll
- soils with thick, dark, soft surface
- mollic + cambic, natric, argillic or none
- high base saturation
- soils of the grassland
 12 Soil Orders
6. Spodosols – od
- acid sandy soils with thick E and red Bhs
- ochric and spodic
7. Alfisol – alf
- fertile forested soils with ochric and
argillic
- high base saturation >35%
 12 Soil Orders
8. Ultisols – ult
- soils more weathered than Alfisols
- ochric and argillic
- low base saturation < 35%
- redder and more acidic than Alfisols
 12 Soil Orders
9. Histosols – ist
- peat soils – organic material – histic
- Peat: undecomposed to slightly
decomposed OM in waterlogged areas
- Muck: highly decomposed OM
 12 Soil Orders
10. Andisols – and
- sois from volcanic ejecta (ash, cinder,
pumice, basalt)
- very light, low bulk density
- early-stage secondary minerals
(allophane, imogolite, ferrihydrite clays)
- High P fixing capacity
 12 Soil Orders
11. Oxisols
- soils with oxic horizon
- highly weathered soils of the tropics
- low pH (acid soils)
- high in 1:1 clay minerals
 12 Soil Orders
12. Gelisols – el
- new order as of 1998
- soils with permafrost (formerly
Cyochrepts or frozen Inceptisols)
- soils formed in cool climate (pergelic
temperature regime)
 Soil Survey
• It describes the characteristics of the soils in
a given area
• Usually a province is the unit of publication
• Classifies the soils according to a standard
system of classification
• Plots the boundaries of the soils on a map
uses an aerial photo as base
• Make predictions about the behavior of soils
 Map Scale
• Soil maps differ in their scale
• It refers to how many inches on the map
represents inches on the ground
• Scale of 1:24,000 says 1 inch on map =
24,000 inch on the ground
 Orders of Soil Survey
1. First Order
- very intensive (detailed); experimental
plots, building sites; minimum size
delineation ≤ 1 hectare

2. Second Order
- intensive (detailed); general agriculture,
urban planning; minimum size delineation
0.6 to 4 hectares
 Orders of Soil Survey
3. Third Order
- extensive; rangeland, community area
planning; minimum size delineation: 1.6 to
16 hectares

4. Fourth Order
- extensive(reconnaissance); for broad land
use potential and general land management;
minimum size delineation: 16 – 252 has.
 Orders of Soil Survey
5. Fifth Order
- exploratory; regional planning, national
planning; minimum size delineation: 252 to
4000 hectares.