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Leaching. When rainfall washes nutrients and minerals down through the A Horizon into the B Horizon – a form of leaching occurs Leaching will have an impact on the fertility of the soil. The nutrients will no longer be present to roots of plants and will prevent their development.
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Leaching • When rainfall washes nutrients and minerals down through the A Horizon into the B Horizon – a form of leaching occurs • Leaching will have an impact on the fertility of the soil. The nutrients will no longer be present to roots of plants and will prevent their development. • Severe Leaching can lead to the development of a hard pan which will not allow water through and lead to waterlogging.
Podzols Brown Earth • Coniferous forest • Not much Plant Litter – pine needles • Found in colder climates so break down of humus slow • Found in areas of high rainfall – leaching • Grey colour • Not very fertile • Damp uplands Cork, Galway, Wexford and Tyrone • Deciduous forest • Large amounts of Plant Litter • Lots of Humus • Limited rainfall so no leaching • Brown colour • Very fertile • South Midlands and East
Tropical Red Soils • Regions that have a tropical climate • Formation influenced by the hot wet climate • Chemical weathering very active causing rock to decompose rapidly creating very deeps soils. • Heavily Leached • Red in colour • Where these soils are protected by rainforest soils very fertile (lots of plant litter and micro organisms) – but when trees are removed soils are exposed to heavy rain and leacing occurs. • Acids of decomposing humus assist in the chemical weathering of bedrock
