Question

How might a dark colored, coarse soil differ from a reddish smooth soil?

Answer 1

Reddish dark soil may have more iron in it, and will have been eroded longer.

Answer 2

If we have a dark colored, coarse soil and reddish smooth soil for comparison, we can find lots of differences in them.

- The dark soil will have bigger layer of humus, while the reddish one will have a very small almost unnoticeable layer of humus.

- The color differs a lot, while the dark soil will have a dark brownish color, the reddish one will have intense orange-red color.

- The vertical profile of the soils will differ a lot; the dark one will have much bigger top two layers, while the reddish one will have very small upper layers and dominant middle layer.

- The dark soil will be rich in biomass, while the reddish one will be rich in iron and clay.