Podsols

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Acidic soils that have a bleached upper layer and a darker layer of accumulated organic matter and minerals beneath, typically found under coniferous forests in cool climates
2. Infertile, acidic soil types marked by a pale, leached surface horizon above a dark, iron- and humus-rich subsoil, commonly developed in cold, wet northern regions
3. Soils belonging to a particular class whose upper layers have been washed of nutrients, leaving a grey or ash-coloured zone over a reddish-brown accumulation layer

Etymology: "Podsols" is simply the plural of "podsol", the name for an acidic, leached soil type found mostly in cool, wet climates. The singular form is the one to know: podsols are soils in which iron, aluminium and organic matter have been washed downward through the profile, leaving a pale, bleached layer near the surface.

Synonyms: podzol