Andosol
an Andosol profile
Used inWRB
WRB codeAN
ProfileAh-Bwβ-Cγ
Parent materialtephra
Climatevarious

Andosols are soils found in volcanic areas formed in volcanic tephra. In some cases Andosols can also be found outside active volcanic areas.[1] Andosols cover an estimated 1–2% of earth's ice-free land surface. Andosols are a Reference Soil Group of the World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB).[2] They are closely related to other types of soils such as Vitrosols, Vitrandosols, Vitrons and Pumice Soils that are used in different soil classification systems. The name comes from Japanese an (暗 'dark') and do (土 'soil'), synonymous with kuroboku (黒ぼく).[3] In the USDA soil taxonomy (ST), many Andosols belong to the order of the Andisols.[4] However, the definitions are different. Some Histosols (WRB) belong to the Andisols (ST), and some Andosols (WRB) belong to the Inceptisols (ST).

Andosols typically develop in parent materials containing high proportions of glass. If significant amounts of glasses are still present, they show vitric properties and receive the Vitric qualifier. With advanced weathering of the glasses, they show andic properties. There are two possibilities of soil formation. In more acidic tephras in humid climates, complexes of organic matter with Al ions develop, and the Andosols are characterized by the Aluandic qualifier. If the tephras are more basic or the climate is dry, amorphous colloidal materials, including allophane and imogolite develop, and the Andosols are given the Silandic qualifier.[5] In both cases, they contain many ferrihydrite and have a bulk density ≤ 0.9 kg/dm3.[6] Silandic Andosols are very fertile except in cases where phosphorus is easily fixed (this sometimes occurs in the tropics). They can usually support intensive cropping, with areas used for wet rice in Java supporting some of the densest populations in the world. Other Andosol areas support crops of fruit, maize, tea, coffee or tobacco. In the Pacific Northwest USA, Andosols support very productive forests.

Andosols occupy ~1-2% of global ice-free land area. Most occur around the Pacific Ring of Fire, with the largest areas found in central Chile, Ecuador, Colombia, Mexico, the Pacific Northwest US, Japan, Java and New Zealand's North Island. Other areas occur in the East African Rift, Italy, Iceland and Hawaiʻi. They are the most common type of soil in the Azores.[7]

Fossil Andosols are known from areas far from present-day volcanic activity and have in some cases been dated as far back as the Precambrian 1.5 billion years ago.[8][9]

Important qualifiers

  • Vitric – Andosols with limited soil formation, still containing significant amounts of volcanic glasses.
  • Aluandic – Andosols with advanced soil formation containing many complexes of organic substances and aluminium.
  • Silandic – Andosols with advanced soil formation containing many allophanes and imogolites.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Andosols by Olafur Arnalds in Encyclopedia of Soil Science, pp. 39–26.
  2. ↑ IUSS Working Group WRB (2022). "World Reference Base for Soil Resources, fourth edition" (PDF). International Union of Soil Sciences, Vienna.
  3. ↑ Pavel Vladimirovich Krasilʹnikov (2009). A Handbook of Soil Terminology, Correlation and Classification. Earthscan. p. 376. ISBN 978-1-84977-435-2. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
  4. ↑ Major Soils of the World. ISRIC Wageningen, The Netherlands. 2001 Archived 2014-10-23 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ↑ W. Zech, P. Schad, G. Hintermaier-Erhard (2022). Soils of the World. Springer. p. 256. ISBN 978-3-540-30460-9.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ↑ "Andisols". National Resource Conservation Service. United States Department of Agriculture. Archived from the original on 9 May 2006. Retrieved 2006-05-14.
  7. ↑ "Caracterização e Diagnóstico da Ilha do Pico" (PDF). servicos-sraa.azores.gov.pt. p. 62. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  8. ↑ Grunwald, Sabine. "Andisols". Soil & Water Sciences. University of Florida. Retrieved 2006-05-14.
  9. ↑ "Andisols". Soil and Land Sciences Division. University of Idaho. Archived from the original on 2009-03-09. Retrieved 2006-05-14.

Further reading

  • W. Zech, P. Schad, G. Hintermaier-Erhard: Soils of the World. Springer, Berlin 2022, Chapter 11.3.3. ISBN 978-3-540-30460-9
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