A Cambisol in the
World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB)
is a
soil in the beginning of
soil formation. The
horizon
The horizon is the apparent line that separates the surface of a celestial body from its sky when viewed from the perspective of an observer on or near the surface of the relevant body. This line divides all viewing directions based on whether i ...
differentiation is weak. This is evident from weak, mostly brownish discolouration and/or structure formation in the
soil profile.
Cambisols are developed in medium and fine-textured materials derived from a wide range of rocks, mostly in
alluvial,
colluvial and
aeolian deposits.
Most of these soils make good agricultural land and are intensively used. Cambisols in temperate
climates are among the most productive soils on earth.
Cambisols cover an estimated 15 million square kilometres worldwide. They are well represented in
temperate and boreal regions that were under the influence of
glaciation during the
Pleistocene, partly because the soil's parent material is still young, but also because soil formation is comparatively slow in the cool, northern regions. Cambisols are less common in the tropics and subtropics, but they are common in areas with active
erosion where they may occur in association with mature tropical soils.
See also
*
Pedogenesis
*
Pedology (soil study)
*
Soil classification
References
Further reading
* W. Zech, P. Schad, G. Hintermaier-Erhard: Soils of the World. Springer, Berlin 2022, Chapter 4.3.1.
External links
profile photos (with classification)WRB homepage
profile photos (with classification)IUSS World of Soils
{{Soil type
Pedology
Types of soil