Alfisols
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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.
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.
[edit] 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
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Alfisols (archive link, was dead; history) USDA-NRCS Url accessed May 14, 2006
- Alfisols. University of Idaho. Retrieved on May 14, 2006.
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