Pedocal

Pedocal is a subdivision of the zonal soil order. It is a class of soil which forms in semiarid and arid regions. It is rich in calcium carbonate and has low soil organic matter. With only a thin A horizon (topsoil), and intermittent precipitation calcite, other soluble minerals ordinarily removed by water may build up in the B horizon (subsoil) forming a cemented layer known as caliche. It is not used in the current United States system of soil classification but the term commonly shows up in college geology texts.

Marbut's Pedocal/Pedalfer boundary lies near the 98 meridian and 30 inches annual precipitation. (after Marbut, 1935)

See also

• Pedalfer
• USDA soil taxonomy

References

Baldwin, M.; C.E. Kellogg; J. Thorp (1938). "Soil Classification". Soils and Men: Yearbook of Agriculture 1938. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. pp. 979–1001.

Brevik, Eric C. (November 2002). "Soil Classification in Geology Textbooks" (PDF). Journal of Geoscience Education. 50 (5): 539–543. doi:10.5408/1089-9995-50.5.539. S2CID 116487861. Retrieved 2006-04-06.

Marshak, Stephen (2004). Essentials of Geology ((First Edition) ed.). W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. ISBN 0-393-92411-4.