Plinthosol

Plinthosols
Groundwater Laterite, Plinthaquox (USDA)
Used in	WRB
WRB code	PT
Key process	Accumulation of Fe under hydromorphic conditions
Parent material	basic rock, Fe
Climate	wet tropics

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

Distribution

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.

References

• IUSS Working Group WRB: World Reference Base for Soil Resources 2014, Update 2015. World Soil Resources Reports 106, FAO, Rome 2015. ISBN 978-92-5-108369-7 (PDF 2,3 MB).

See also

• Laterite – A soil and rock type rich in iron and aluminium