Protopedon

Protopedon is a subhydric soil (underwater soil ) made up of various sediments ( sand , silt , clay , carbonate-rich deposits, etc.) without any macroscopically visible humus . However, its humus content is very low, as it occurs mainly in areas with stronger water currents. In this way, the breakdown of organic matter can also be accelerated with the help of oxygen-rich water. The organic substance is also quickly eroded again due to the flow conditions. The protopedon is colonized by organisms. It is designed as a Fi-G profile.

In the international soil classification World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB), the underwater character of these soils is expressed by the qualifier Subaquatic. Protopeda can belong to the reference soil groups Gleysol , Arenosol and Fluvisol .

literature

• W. Amelung, H.-P. Blume , H. Fleige, R. Horn, E. Kandeler , I. Kögel-Knabner , R. Kretschmar, K. Stahr , B.-M. Wilke: Scheffer / Schachtschabel textbook of soil science. 17th edition. Heidelberg 2018. ISBN 978-3-662-55870-6 .