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  • Soil Orders
  1. Home/
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  3. Soil Orders/
  4. Entisols

Entisols are soils of recent origin. The central concept is soils developed in unconsolidated parent material with usually no genetic horizons except an A horizon. All soils that do not fit into one of the other 11 orders are Entisols. Thus, they are characterized by great diversity, both in environmental setting and land use. Many Entisols are found in steep, rocky settings. However, Entisols of large river valleys and associated shore deposits provide cropland and habitat for millions of people worldwide. Entisols are divided into five suborders: Wassents, Aquents, Psamments, Fluvents and Orthents.

Globally Entisols are the most extensive of the soil orders, occupying approximately 18% of the Earth's ice-free land area. In the U.S., Entisols occupy approximately 12.3% of the land area.

Entisols
Because Entisols are the last soil order to key out, they defined on the basis of lacking the diagnostic horizons and features associated with other soil orders. Few if any discernable horizons are typically visible. (USDA-NRCS)

Soil Orders

  • Alfisols
  • Andisols
  • Aridisols
  • Entisols
  • Gelisols
  • Histosols
  • Inceptisols
  • Mollisols
  • Oxisols
  • Spodosols
  • Ultisols
  • Vertisols

Wassents, Psamments

Wassents — Entisols that are submerged for more than 21 hours every day; Psamments—very sandy Entisols

Fluvents

Alluvial Entisols commonly found on floodplains

Orthents

Common Entisols that don’t meet criteria of other suborders

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Soil Orders

  • Alfisols
  • Andisols
  • Aridisols
  • Entisols
  • Gelisols
  • Histosols
  • Inceptisols
  • Mollisols
  • Oxisols
  • Spodosols
  • Ultisols
  • Vertisols

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Department of Soil and Water Systems

Email: rheinse@uidaho.edu
Location: E. J. Iddings Agricultural Science Laboratory, Rm 242; 606 S Rayburn St
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875 Perimeter Drive MS 2340
Moscow, ID 83844-2340

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