Plinthosol

Plinthosols
Groundwater Laterite, Plinthaquox (USDA)
Used in	WRB
WRB code	PT
Key process	Accumulation of Fe under hydromorphic conditions
Parent material	basic rock, Fe
Climate	wet tropics

Plinthosols are iron-rich soils characterized by the presence of plinthite, petroplinthite or pisoliths.

Distribution

Regional Distribution of Plinthosols

Softer plinthosols are common in the wet tropics, including in the eastern Amazon basin, the central Congo Basin and parts of Southeast Asia. Dryer areas, including the Sudano-Sahelian zone, Southern African savannah, the Indian subcontinent, and parts of Southeast Asia and northern Australia feature mostly harder pisoliths and petroplinthite.

See also

• Laterite – Product of rock weathering in wet tropical climates rich in iron and aluminium

References

• IUSS Working Group WRB: World Reference Base for Soil Resources, fourth edition. International Union of Soil Sciences, Vienna 2022. ISBN 979-8-9862451-1-9 ([1]).

Further reading

• W. Zech, P. Schad, G. Hintermaier-Erhard: Soils of the World. Springer, Berlin 2022, Chapter 10.3.2. ISBN 978-3-540-30460-9

External links

• profile photos (with classification) WRB homepage
• Profile photos (with classification) IUSS World of Soils