Guidelines for

Soil Description 2006

Otto Spaargaren
ISRIC World Soil Information
Wageningen
The Netherlands

Why soil descriptions ?

In surveys: as typical example of soil mapping

unit or of one of its components

For research: as baseline record to illustrate

the environmental setting and relationships

between the soil attributes

For land resource development: as base for

building geo-referenced land information

systems

FAO Guidelines 2006

FAO Guidelines for Soil
Description. 4th Edition,
2006.
Jointly prepared by
Universitt HalleWittenberg,
Germany
Universitt Kiel, Germany
Leyte State University, The
Philippines
ISRIC World Soil Information,
The Netherlands
Technische Universitt Mnchen,
Germany

Purpose of the FAO Guidelines

To enhance standardization and uniformity of

soil profile descriptions, in order to facilitate

cross-references and comparison between soil
descriptions

To contribute, through the objective

description and recording of soil properties,

both to the understanding of the land of
which the soil forms part, and to the reliable
transfer of technology

Sources for the 2006 FAO

Guidelines
USDA Soil Survey Manual, 1993
USDA Field Book for Describing and Sampling

Soils, Version 2.0, 2002

USDA Keys to Soil Taxonomy, 2003

Kartieranleitung 5, Ad-hoc-AG-Boden, 2005
Updated Global and National Soil and Terrain

Digital Databases, ISRIC, 2005

World Reference Base for Soil Resources,

2006

Content of the FAO Guidelines

General site information, registration and

location

Soil formation factors

Soil description
Genetic and systematic interpretation soil

classification

General Information Section

Profile number
Soil profile description status
Date of description
Author(s)
Location
Elevation
Map sheet number and grid reference

(coordinates)

Soil formation factors

Atmospheric climate and weather conditions
Soil climate
Landform and topography (relief)
Major landform
Position
Slope form
Slope gradient
Land use and vegetation
Land use
Crops
Human influence
Vegetation
Parent material
Age of the land surface

Soil description
Surface characteristics

Andic characteristics

Horizon boundary
Primary constituents

Soil colour (matrix)

Mottling
Soil redox potential and

reducing conditions
Carbonates
Gypsum
Readily soluble salts
Field soil pH
Soil odour

and volcanic glasses

Organic matter content
Organization of the soil
constituents
Bulk density
Voids (porosity)
Concentrations
Biological activity
Human-made materials
Sampling

Genetic and systematic

interpretation soil classification
Soil horizon designation
Principles of classification according to WRB
Checklist of WRB diagnostic horizons,

properties and materials

Appending texture and parent material

information to the reference soil group

Main changes from 1990 to 2006

New records in the soil description
Many new field procedures
Many links from soil description records to soil

classification and interpretation

Expanded number of master horizons and their

subordinate characteristics

Link to the World Reference Base for Soil Resources

2006

Guidelines to provide more systematic and precise

information about texture, parent material and

layering

New records in soil description

Soil redox potential and reducing conditions

Determination of the redox potential by field

method using a millivoltmeter and redox
electrodes (pg 36-37)

Reducing conditions

Colour measurements (N, 2.5Y, 5Y, 5G, 5B)

, dipyridil test to show presence of Fe2+

New records in soil description

Gypsum
Pseudomycelia,

coarse-sized
crystals (nests,
beards, coatings,
groupings of
fibrous crystals),
loose to compact
powdery
accumulations

High EC

New records in soil description

Readily soluble salts
Traditionally: determined in laboratory (EC,

water-soluble salts determination)

New: field method using conductometer

measuring EC2.5 and converting the result into

salt % and ECSE. For the latter conversion an
estimate of water content in the saturation
extract has to be made (pg 40-41).

New records in soil description

Soil odour
To record possible petrochemical

contamination or other chemical reactions in

the soil that produce a distinct odour, e.g.
oxidation of sulphides

New records in soil description

Andic characteristics
Low bulk density (the soil is light); smeary

consistence is common

Field test: pH NaF; pH > 9.5 indicates

presence of abundant allophanic products

and/or organo-aluminium complexes;
alternatively, red colour after applying NaF
to soil sample spread on phenolphtaline paper
is indicative of high pH

New records in soil description

Organic matter content
OM content can be estimated from soil

colour, taking into account the soil textural

class (pg 43).

Note of caution: method tends to overestimate

OM content in soils of dry regions, and to
underestimate OM content in some tropical
soils. Does not work well in strongly coloured
soils.

New records in soil description

Bulk density
Field estimate by

considering porosity,
coherence of soil material,
and penetration resistance
(pg 51)

Laboratory methods: fixed

core, Serin method

New records in soil description

Human-made materials
Artefacts: solid or liquid substances that are

created or substantially modified by humans

as part of an industrial or artisanal
manufacturing process; or
brought to the surface by human activity from
a depth where they were not influenced by
surface processes

Genetic and systematic

interpretation soil classification
Master horizon designation
Organic horizons:
H or O
H = wet
O = dry

Genetic and systematic

interpretation soil classification
Master horizon designation
Mineral horizons:
A
E
B
C

(organic matter)
(eluviation)
(illuviation)
(unconsolidated parent
material)
R (consolidated parent
material)

Genetic and systematic

interpretation soil classification
New master horizon symbols, added in 2006:
I layer: Ice lenses and wedges that contain

at least 75% ice (by volume) and that

distinctly separate organic or mineral layers
in the soil

L layer: Sediment deposited in a body of

water composed of both organic and inorganic

materials, also known as limnic material

W layer: Water layer in soils or water

submerging soils, either permanently or cyclic

within the time frame of 24 hours

Subordinate characteristics of
master horizons
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h

Highly decomposed organic material

Buried genetic horizon
In mineral soils: concretions or nodules
In limnic material (L): coprogenous earth
In mineral soils: dense layer
In limnic material (L): diatomaceous earth
Moderately decomposed organic material
Frozen soil
Stagnic conditions
Accumulation of organic matter

Subordinate characteristics of
master horizons
i
j
k
l
m
n
o
p
q

In mineral soils: slickensides

In organic soils: slightly decomposed organic
material
Jarosite mottling
Accumulation of pedogenetic carbonates
Capillary fringe mottling
In mineral soils: cementation or induration
In limnic material (L): marl
Accumulation of sodium
Residual accumulation of sesquioxides
Ploughing or other disturbance
Accumulation of silica

Subordinate characteristics of
master horizons
r
s
t
u
v
w
x
y
z
@

Strong reduction
Illuvial accumulation of sesquioxides
Accumulation of silicate clay
Urban and other man-made materials
Occurrence of plinthite
Development of colour or structure
Fragipan character
Accumulation of gypsum
Accumulation of salts more soluble than
gypsum
Evidence of cryoturbation

Genetic and systematic

interpretation soil classification
Soil taxonomic classification

WRB 2006 reference group name and

relevant qualifiers
FAO Legend (1974) and Revised Legend
(1988) Soil Map of the World
Soil Taxonomy (2006)
National

Soil climate (Soil Taxonomy 2006)

Soil temperature regime

Soil moisture regime

Texture and parent material

Guidelines are provided to refine information on
the WRB 2006 Reference Soil Groups
providing information on:
Texture (standard textural classes)
Lithology (according to SOTER 2005)
Possible textural and/or lithological

discontinuities

E.g.:

haCMdysl; SiL(UE2)/SSK(UG3)

Haplic Cambisol (Dystric, Siltic); silt loam from loess

over sandy-skeletal from glacio-fluvial gravel

Afterthought
In view of the high costs of soil survey, soil
descriptions should be made as detailed and
comprehensive as possible, so that the
information can serve multiple purposes.