Soil classification
Amber Anderson
- Understand structure of both NRCS and FAO classification systems
- Discuss major soils features given a classification at the great group or subgroup level
Classification
As for classification systems of living organisms, classification for soils helps organize our knowledge and communicate important information. Different systems have been developed in different countries, so in this section we will cover the basics of the classification system commonly used in the US, as well as the younger world reference base classification.
Using the system
This system works on the first-fall out principle, accept whatever order you cannot reject first when moving down the list as ordered above.
- Order-most broad group, 12 options (ex: Mollisol, Entisol)
- Suborder-adds one more distinct trait, usually related to water/climate (ex: udoll, aquent)
- Great group-adds another trait for a total of three syllables (ex: hapludoll, fluvaquent)
- Subgroup– additional trait (ex: Typic Hapludoll, Aeric Fluvaquent)
- Family-adds temperature, mineralogy, and textural info (Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Hapludolls)
- Series-locally described soil with a range of properties and horizons within a described range: (ex: A Clarion series is a Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Hapludoll)
Watch this overview video at: https://youtu.be/sQ8O4rTF9cY
World Reference Base Classification system
View full WRB documentation and versions online[1]
The international classification system, developed more recently than the NRCS system, to create an ‘international units’ for communicating soil properties globally. This system incorporates aspects of several national systems, including the US and Russian systems.
Instead of soil orders, 32 reference soil groups (RSG) are used instead of soil orders. Principal and supplementary qualifiers are used to communicate additional information.
- Soils are classified by major features, generally that impact management
- Classification helps us to communicate significant amounts of information quickly
- https://www.fao.org/soils-portal/data-hub/soil-classification/world-reference-base/en/ ↵