The layers of soil are easily identified by their colour and texture. The vertical section of the soil which is exposed by a soil pit is called the soil horizon profile. The layers or the horizons are basically known as the soil profile. They are arranged during their formation. The soil is arranged in layers or in horizons. While the soil profile is quite defined as the vertical section of the soil which forms the ground surface, this seeps downwards to where the soil meets the underlying bedrocks. The Different Layers of Soil have different functions to do. In the next section, we will take up each of the layers in the soil profile and determine the quality of the soil that influenced such a layer. Thus, clearly, the Soil Horizons are explained. This layer has a mass of rock like granite, basalt, quartzite, limestone and even sandstone, this layer forms the parent material for some soil.

The deposit is present at the Earth’s surface, this is the place from which actually the soil is originated. They are quite rich in minerals, the mineral seeps down from the A or E horizons and gets accumulated in this layer. They are mainly found in older soils and forest soils. Here clay, minerals, and other organic matter, with a concentration of sand and silt particles of quartz are present. This layer serves as a good material for the plants and other organisms to live. Minerals are present in this layer which are generated from the parent material with the organic matter that is being incorporated. The O horizon is particularly thinner in most soils, while thicker in others, also the horizon may not be present at all in other types of soil. This layer is mostly filled with organic content like the decomposing leaves. O Horizon Which Contains Hummus or any Organic Matter: Majorly these soils have three major horizons that are - A, B, C and some have an organic horizon as well denoted by O. Each of the profiles informs about the nature of the particular soil which has been dug deep. Putting the horizons together, they will structure into a soil profile. If anyone would dig down deep into any of the soils, one can see the soil is made of layers, or the horizons (O, A, E, B, C, R).

In this section, we will continue to explain the soil horizons layers.Īs studied vividly on the subject ‘the types of the soil’, we know there are varied types of soil, with each one having distinct characteristics. In our prevailing section, we will plunge deeper into the Soil Horizon Definition in detail, know about each layer of soil and its benefits. These soil horizons are described both in absolute terms like in terms of the particle size distribution for texture, and in terms, they are relatively ‘coarser’ or ‘sandier’ than all the soil horizons above and below. Each layer has its own composition of physical, chemical and biological characteristics, they quite differ from each of the layers above and beneath each layer. Horizons have definite physical features such as the colour and texture of each layer of the soil. Soil horizon can be defined as the parallel layer of the soil surface.

Soil profile and soil horizon definition