134 All currently available symbols for subordinate horizons (based on WRB 2022)
DB Column: horizon_subordinate
| Symbol | Criteria | With horizon |
|---|---|---|
| a | advanced: Organic material in an advanced state of decomposition; after gently rubbing, ≤ one sixth of the volume (related to the fine earth plus all dead plant remnants) consists of recognizable dead plant tissues | H,O |
| b | buried: Buried horizon; first, the horizon has formed, and then, it was buried by mineral material | H, O, A, E, B |
| c | concretion: Concretions or nodules (only used if following another suffix (k, q, v, y) that indicates the accumulated substance) | |
| d | drained | H |
| e | intermediate: Organic material in an intermediate state of decomposition; after gently rubbing, ≤ two thirds and > one sixth of the volume (related to the fine earth plus all dead plant remnants) consist of recognizable dead plant tissues | H, O |
| e | saprolite | C |
| f | permafrost | H, O, A, E, B, C |
| g | stagnic: Accumulation of Fe and/or Mn oxides (related to the fine earth plus accumulations of Fe and/or Mn oxides of any size and any cementation class) predominantly inside soil aggregates, if present, and loss of these oxides on aggregate surfaces (A, B, and C horizons), | A, B, C |
| g | stagnic: or loss of Fe and/or Mn by lateral subsurface flow (pale colours in ≥ 50% of the exposed area; E horizons); transport in reduced form | E |
| h | humus: Significant amount of organic matter: in A horizons at least partly modified in situ; in B horizons predominantly by illuviation; in C horizons forming part of the parent material | A, B, C |
| q | quartz: Accumulation of secondary silica (related to the fine earth plus accumulations of secondary silica of any size and any cementation class) | A, E, B, C |
| r | reduction: Strong reduction | A, E, B, C |
| s | sesquioxide: Accumulation of Fe oxides, Mn oxides and/or Al (related to the fine earth plus accumulations of Fe oxides, Mn oxides and/or Al of any size and any cementation class) by vertical illuviation processes from above | B, C |
| t | clay, Ton (German): Accumulation of clay minerals by illuviation processes | B, C |
| u | urban: Containing artefacts or consisting of artefacts (related to the whole soil) | H, O, A, E, B, C, R |
| v | plinthite: Plinthite (related to the fine earth plus accumulations of Fe and/or Mn oxides of any size and any cementation class) [the suffix v has no connotation] | H, O, A, E, B, C, R |
| w | weathered: Formation of soil structure and/or oxides and/or clay minerals (layer silicates, allophanes and/or imogolites) | B |
| x | Fragic characteristics: soil aggregates with a rupture resistance of at least firm and a brittle manner of failure, not allowing roots to enter the aggregates) [the x refers to the impossibility to enter the aggregates] | B |
| y | gypsum, yeso (Spanish): Accumulation of secondary gypsum (related to the fine earth plus accumulations of secondary gypsum of any size and any cementation class) | A, E, B, C |
| z | zout (Dutch): Presence of readily soluble salts | A, E, B, C |
| @ | Cryogenic alteration | H, O, A, E, B, C |
| α | carbonate: Presence of primary carbonates (in R layers related to the rock, in all other layers related to the fine earth) | H, A, E, B, C, R |
| β | bulk density: Bulk density ≤ 0.9 kg dm-3 | B |
| γ | glass: Containing ≥ 5% (by grain count) volcanic glasses in the fraction between > 0.02 and ≤ 2 mm | H, O, A, E, B, C |
| δ | dense: High bulk density (natural or anthropogenic - not due to cementation (symbol ..m), not in fragic horizons (symbol x), not in layers with retic properties (symbol Bt/E)), so that roots cannot enter, except along cracks | A, E, B, C |
| λ | limnic: Deposited in a body of water (limnic) | H, A, C |
| ρ | relict: Relict features (only used if following another suffix (g, k, l, p, r, @) that indicates the relict feature) | |
| σ | saturation: Permanent water saturation and no redoximorphic features | A, E, B, C |
| τ | transported: Human-transported natural material (related to the whole soil) | H, O, A, B, C |
| φ | flow: Accumulation of Fe and/or Mn in reduced form by lateral subsurface flow with subsequent oxidation (related to the fine earth plus accumulations of Fe and/or Mn oxides of any size and any cementation class) | A, B, C |