134 All currently available symbols for subordinate horizons (based on WRB 2022)
DB Column: horizon_subordinate
| Symbol | Criteria | With master horizon |
|---|---|---|
| L | Litter: in combination with O (organic) indicates a subhorizon characterized by the accumulation of mainly leaves/needles, twigs and woody materials. Most of the original plant organs are easily discernible to the naked eye. Leaves and/or needles may be discoloured and slightly fragmented. Humic component amounts to less than 10% by volume; recognizable remains 10% and more, up to 100% in non-decomposed litter | O |
| F | Fragmented: in combinated with O (organic) indicates a subhorizon characterized by the accumulation of fragmented, bleached, and/or skeletonized leaves and/or needles, without any entire plant organ to the exception of recalcitrant plant remains such as twigs and bark pieces. The proportion of humic component is 10% to 70% by volume | O |
| H | Humus: in combination with O (organic) indicates a subhorizon characterized by an accumulation of zoogenically transformed material, i.e. black, grey-brown, brown, reddish-brown more or less aged animal droppings. A large part of the original plant organs are not discernible, the humic component amounting to more than 70% by volume | O |
| F | Fibric: in combination with H (Histic organic horizon), indicates a (sub)horizon consisting almost entirely of practically un- changed plant remains. Fibric component ≥ 90%, sapric component < 10% of horizon volume. | H |
| M | Mesic: in combination with H (Histic organic horizon) consists of half decomposed organic material not fitting the definition of Fibric (HF) or Sapric (HS). Fibric component 10% to 70%, sapric component 90% to 30% by volume. | H |
| S | Sapric: in combination with H (Histic organic horizon) is in advanced stage of decomposition. Sapric content ≥ 70% of the horizon volume; fibric component less than 30%. | H |
| 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 | 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 |
| i | slickenside: Slickensides and/or wedge-shaped aggregates | B |
| j | jarosite: Accumulation of jarosite and/or schwertmannite (related to the fine earth plus accumulations of jarosite and/or schwertmannite of any size and any cementation class) | H, O, A, E, B, C |
| k | karbonat: Accumulation of secondary carbonates (related to the fine earth plus accumulations of secondary carbonates of any size and any cementation class), evident by one or both of the following: • visible even in moist state, • has a calcium carbonate equivalent of ≥ 5% higher (absolute, related to the fine earth plus accumulations of secondary carbonates of any size and any cementation class) than that of an underlying layer and no lithic discontinuity between the two layers. | H, O, A, E, B, C |
| l | capillary: Accumulation of Fe and/or Mn in reduced form by upward-moving capillary water with subsequent oxidation (related to the fine earth plus accumulations of Fe and/or Mn oxides of any size and any cementation class): accumulation predominantly at soil aggregate surfaces, if present, and reduction of these oxides inside the aggregates | H, A, B, C |
| m | cemented: Pedogenic cementation in ≥ 50% of the volume (related to the whole soil); cementation class: at least moderately cemented; only used if following another suffix (k, l, q, s, v, y, z) that indicates the cementing agent | |
| n | natrium: Exchangeable sodium percentage ≥ 6% | E, B, C |
| o | oxide: Residual accumulation of large amounts of pedogenic oxides in strongly weathered horizons | B |
| p | plough: Modification by cultivation (e.g. ploughing); mineral layers are designated A, even if they belonged to another layer before cultivation | H, O, A |
| 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 |