Entisols

Ent ~ Recent

Characteristics

• Soils of recent development • Highly resistant parent materials• The exposed land surface is young, due to

erosion • Typical Profile: A, C, or A, Bw, C (Bw is not

cambic due to being too sandy)

Typical Environments

• Found in largely diverse land settings• Steep rocky settings• Large river valleys• Most extensive of the soil orders• 18% of Earth’s ice free land area• 12.3% of U.S. land area

Inceptisols

Inceptum ~ Beginning

Characteristics

• Immature soils, but show more development than Entisols

• Altered horizons, but not weathered enough to become illuvial horizons

• Supports about 20% of the world’s pop.

Characteristics cont.

• Diagnostic features: ochric, epipedon, and cambic horizon. Typical sequence: A, Bw, C.

• 15% of Earth’s ice free land area• 9.7% U.S. land area

Typical Environment

• Widely distributed across a wide range of ecological settings

• Steep slopes, young geomorphic surfaces, on resistant parent materials

• Excluded from areas with permafrost• Not found in arid regions.