Plinthosols are iron-rich soils characterized by the presence of plinthite, petroplinthite or pisoliths.

Plinthosols
Groundwater Laterite, Plinthaquox (USDA)
Used inWRB
WRB codePT
Key processAccumulation of Fe under hydromorphic conditions
Parent materialbasic rock, Fe
Climatewet tropics

Distribution

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Regional Distribution of Plinthosols

Softer plinthosols are common in the wet tropics, including in the eastern Amazon basin, the central Congo Basin and parts of Southeast Asia. Dryer areas, including the Sudano-Sahelian zone, Southern African savannah, the Indian subcontinent, and parts of Southeast Asia and northern Australia feature mostly harder pisoliths and petroplinthite.

See also

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  • Laterite – Product of rock weathering in wet tropical climates rich in iron and aluminium

References

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  • IUSS Working Group WRB: World Reference Base for Soil Resources, fourth edition. International Union of Soil Sciences, Vienna 2022. ISBN 979-8-9862451-1-9 ([1]).

Further reading

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  • W. Zech, P. Schad, G. Hintermaier-Erhard: Soils of the World. Springer, Berlin 2022, Chapter 10.3.2. ISBN 978-3-540-30460-9
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