GT-0107 · Mollisol
Polochic Mollisol
Deep black earth that feeds the valley.
Soil profile
Tap a horizon to see its details.
A0–35 cm
A thick, black, granular horizon. It crumbles into soft crumbs.
- Munsell colour
- 10YR 2/1
- Texture
- Loam
AB35–60 cm
A gradual transition. Still many earthworm channels.
- Munsell colour
- 10YR 3/2
- Texture
- Clay loam
Bk60–100 cm
Small white specks of calcium carbonate.
- Munsell colour
- 10YR 4/3
- Texture
- Clay loam
C100–150 cm
Layers of sand and silt left by the river.
- Munsell colour
- 10YR 5/4
- Texture
- Sandy loam
The river brings new earth every time it floods. Plants and earthworms mix it and turn it black and soft. It is like the pantry of the valley!
Mollisols have a thick, dark surface horizon rich in organic matter and nutrients such as calcium and magnesium. In the Polochic valley they form on river sediments. They are very productive soils, but they compact when worked wet.
Core idea: organic matter gives dark colour and structure. Activity: rub a dry sample on white paper and compare colour intensity with other soils. Links to nutrient cycles and food security.
Typic Hapludoll on recent alluvium. A 35 cm mollic epipedon, base saturation above 50% throughout and incipient secondary carbonate accumulation between 60 and 100 cm. Moderately drained; subsurface compaction risk under mechanised tillage.
- USDA Soil Taxonomy
- Typic Hapludoll
- WRB 2022
- Haplic Phaeozem (Loamic)
See the scientific data
Analytical data by horizon
| Horizon | Depth (cm) | Munsell colour | Texture | pH (H₂O) | O.M. % | CEC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 0–35 | 10YR 2/1 | Loam | 6.6 | 5.9 | 36 |
| AB | 35–60 | 10YR 3/2 | Clay loam | 6.9 | 3.1 | 33 |
| Bk | 60–100 | 10YR 4/3 | Clay loam | 7.6 | 1.3 | 29 |
| C | 100–150 | 10YR 5/4 | Sandy loam | 7.8 | 0.5 | 17 |
CEC: cmol(+)/kg
- 6.6A
- 6.9AB
- 7.6Bk
- 7.8C
- 5.9A
- 3.1AB
- 1.3Bk
- 0.5C
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