Mollisol

Mollisol is a soil type which has deep, high

organic matter, nutrient-enriched surface
soil (A horizon), typically between 60 and
80 cm in depth. This fertile surface
horizon, called a mollic epipedon, is the
defining diagnostic feature of Mollisols.
Mollic epipedons are created by long-term
addition of organic materials derived from
plant roots and typically have soft,
granular soil structure.
 Mollisol

A Mollisol profile

Used in USDA soil taxonomy

Parent material Loess, Limestone

Climate Humid continental,

semi-arid

Mollisols typically occur in savannahs and

mountain valleys (such as Central Asia,
and the North American Great Plains).
These environments have historically been
strongly influenced by fire and abundant
pedoturbation from organisms such as
ants and earthworms. It was estimated
that in 2003, only 14 to 26 percent of
grassland ecosystems still remained in a
relatively natural state (that is, they were
not used for agriculture due to the fertility
of the horizon). Globally, they represent
~7% of ice-free land area. As the world's
agriculturally most productive soil order,
the Mollisols represent one of the most
economically important soil orders.
Though most other soil orders known
today were formed at the beginning of the
Carboniferous Ice Age 280 million years
ago, Mollisols are best known from the
paleopedological record as early as the
Eocene. Their development is very closely
associated with cooling and drying of the
global climate that occurred during the
Oligocene, Miocene and Pliocene.

Suborders
Albolls—wet soils; aquic soil moisture
regime with an eluvial horizon
Aquolls—wet soils; aquic soil moisture
regime
 Cryolls—cold climate; frigid or cryic soil
temperature regime
Gelolls—very cold climate; mean annual
soil temperature < 0 °C
Rendolls—lime parent material
Udolls—humid climate; udic moisture
regime
Ustolls—subhumid climate; ustic
moisture regime
Xerolls—Mediterranean climate; xeric
moisture regime

Soils which are mostly similar to Mollisols

but contain either continuous or
discontinuous permafrost, consequently
affected by cryoturbation are common in
high mountain plateaus of Tibet and the
Andean altiplano. Such soils are called
Molliturbels or Mollorthels and provide
the best grazing land in such cold climates
because they are not acidic like many
other soils of very cold climates.

Other soils which have a mollic epipedon

are classified as Vertisols because high
shrink swell characteristics and relatively
high clay contents dominate over the
mollic epipedon. These soils are especially
common in parts of South America in the
Paraná River basin receiving abundant but
erratic rainfall and extensive deposition of
clay-rich minerals from the Andes. Mollic
epipedons also occur in some Andisols
but the andic properties take precedence.

In the World Reference Base for Soil

Resources (WRB), Mollisols are split up
into Chernozems, Kastanozems and
Phaeozems. Shallow or gravelly Mollisols
may belong to the Leptosols. Many
Aquolls are Gleysols, Stagnosols or
Planosols. Mollisols with a natric horizon
belong to the Solonetz.[1]

See also
Pedogenesis
Pedology (soil study)
 Soil classification
Soil science
Soil type

References
1. IUSS Working Group WRB (2015). "World
Reference Base for Soil Resources 2014,
Update 2015" (http://www.fao.org/3/i3794e
n/I3794en.pdf) (PDF). World Soil
Resources Reports 106, FAO, Rome.

Brady, N.C. and Weil, R.R. (1996). ‘The

Nature and Properties of Soils.’ 11th
edition. (Prentice Hall, New Jersey).
Buol, S.W., Southard, R.J., Graham, R.C.,
and McDaniel, P.A. (2003). ‘Soil Genesis
 and Classification.’ 5th edition. (Iowa
State University Press - Blackwell,
Ames.)

External links
"Mollisols" (https://web.archive.org/we
b/20060509223503/http://soils.usda.go
v/technical/classification/orders/mollis
ols.html) . USDA-NRCS. Archived from
the original (https://soils.usda.gov/tech
nical/classification/orders/mollisols.ht
ml) on 2006-05-09. Retrieved
2006-05-14.
"Mollisols" (https://web.archive.org/we
b/20060404180459/http://grunwald.ifa
s.ufl.edu/Nat_resources/soil_orders/mo
 llisols.htm) . University of Florida.
Archived from the original (http://grunw
ald.ifas.ufl.edu/Nat_resources/soil_orde
rs/mollisols.htm) on April 4, 2006.
Retrieved 2006-05-14.
"Mollisols" (https://web.archive.org/we
b/20060515133106/http://soils.ag.uida
ho.edu/soilorders/mollisols.htm) .
University of Idaho. Archived from the
original (http://soils.ag.uidaho.edu/soilo
rders/mollisols.htm) on 2006-05-15.
Retrieved 2006-05-14.

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