Soils of the - Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

eluviation : The transportation of soil material in suspension or in solution within the soil by the downward o r
lateral movement of water .
eolian deposit : Sand, or silt, or both, deposited by the wind . See also loess and dunes .
erosion : The group of processes whereby surficial or rock materials are loosened, or dissolved and remove d
from any part of the earth's surface . It includes the processes of weathering, solution, corrosion an d
transportation .
evapotranspiration : The loss of water from a given area during a specified time by evaporation from the soi l
surface and by transpiration from the plants .
exchange capacity : The total ionic charge of the adsorption complex that is active in the adsorption of ions .
family, soil : A category in the Canadian sytem of soil classification . Differentiae are primarily texture, drainage ,
thickness of horizons, permeability, mineralogy, consistence, and reaction .
fan, alluvial : A fan-shaped landform that can be likened to the segment of a cone, and possessing a
perceptible gradient from apex to toe .
fen : An area covered by, or filled with, peat material which generally consists of well to moderately decomposed
sedge and reed vegetation .
fibric layer : A layer of organic soil material containing large amounts of weakly decomposed fiber whos e
botanical origin is readily identifiable .
field capacity : The percentage of water remaining in the soil 2 or 3 days after the soil has been saturated an d
free drainage has practically ceased . The percentage may be expressed in terms of weight or volume .
fine texture : Consisting of or containing large quantities of the fine fractions, particularly of silt and clay . I t
includes all the textural classes of clay loams and clays : clay loam, sandy clay loam, silty clay loam, sand y
clay, silty clay, and clay. Sometimes it is subdivided into clayey texture and moderately fine texture .
firm : A term describing the consistence of a moist soil that offers distinctly noticeable resistance to crushing ,
but can be crushed with moderate pressure between the thumb and forefinger .
floodplain : The land bordering a stream or river, built up of sediments from overflow of the stream and subjec t
to inundation when the stream is at flood stage .
fluvial deposits : All sediments, past and present, deposited by flowing water, including glaciofluvial deposits .
Wave-worked deposits and deposits resulting from sheet erosion and mass wasting are not included .
forest floor : All dead vegetable and organic matter, including litter and unincorporated humus, on the minera l
soil surface under forest vegetation .
friable : A consistence term pertaining to the ease of crumbling of soils .
genesis, soil : The mode of origin of the soil, especially the processes or soil-forming factors responsible fo r
the development of the solum from unconsolidated parent material .
glaciofluvial deposits : Material moved by glaciers and subsequently sorted and deposited by ream s
flowing from the melting ice . The deposits are stratified and may occur in the form of outwash plains, deltas ,
kames, eskers, and kame terraces .
gleyed soil : Soil affected by gleysation .
gleysation : A soil-forming process, operating under poor drainage conditions, which results in the reductio n
of iron and other elements and in gray colours, and mottles .
Gleysolic : An order of soils developed under wet conditions and permanent or periodic reduction . These soil s
have low chromas, or prominent mottling, or both, in some horizons .
gravel : Rock fragments 2 mm to 7 .5 cm (3 inches) in diameter .
gravelly : Containing appreciable or significant amounts of gravel . The term is used to describe soils or lands .
great group : A category in the Canadian system of soil classification . It is a taxonomic group of soils havin g
certain morphological features in common and a similar pedogenic environment .
groundwater : Water that is passing through or standing in the soil and the underlying strata . It is free to move
by gravity. See also water table .
horizon, soil : A layer of soil or soil material approximately parallel to the land surface ; it differs from adjacen t
genetically related layers in properties such as colour, structure, texture, consistence, and chemical ,
biological, and mineralogical composition . A list of the designations and properties of soil horizons may be
found in The Canadian System of Soil Classification, 1978 .
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