Brown earths
The class of brown earths includes the soil type: brown earth
Brown soils are characterized by the brown color of the B v horizon. They arise in the temperate humid climate on silicate rock. The horizon sequence is A h ( upper mineral soil horizon created by enrichment of humus ) - B v - C (general for the rock)
Emergence
Brown earth is created from a creeper (A h C soils) through the processes of browning and silting. In the area of the company, loamy silts in sedimentation areas and limestone in all other areas are the starting material .
During browning, iron ions released by weathering oxidize and gradually form brownish-yellow reddish colored iron (III) oxide (goethite), which envelop the mineral granules as fine skins. This creates the typical color of the B v horizon. A second process is closely related to browning. In the case of deception, d. H. Clay enrichment , silicates are weathered by the high soil moisture . New clay minerals are formed in the process.
In base-rich brown soils, brown earths develop further to parabrown earth and in base-poor brown earths to podsol .
Properties and use
The properties and thus also the agricultural use are strongly related to the available raw material. This is particularly true of the pore distribution and the water and air balance. Basically it can be said that brown earths are easy to work with and have a pH value in the moderately to strongly acidic range. Agriculture and pasture are possible as agricultural uses.
Under the prevailing climate, the natural vegetation would be a mixed forest of oak , red beech and spruce .
See also
Web links
Terrestrial soils ( Memento from March 28, 2005 in the Internet Archive )