Soils are arranged into 12 Orders. Each order divided into several Suborders.
This classification system is called Soil Taxonomy.
| Orders | Alfisols | Andisols | Aridisols | Entisols | Gelisols | Histosols |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suborders | Aqualfs | Aquands | Cryids | Aquents | Histels | Folists |
| Cryalfs | Gelands | Salids | Arents | Turbels | Fibrists | |
| Ustalfs | Cryands | Durids | Psamments | Orthels | Hemists | |
| Xeralfs | Torrands | Gypisds | Fluvents | Saprists | ||
| Udalfs | Xerands | Argids | Orthents | |||
| Vitrands | Calcids | |||||
| Ustands | Cambids | |||||
| Udands | ||||||
| Orders | Inceptisols | Mollisols | Oxisols | Spodosols | Ultisols | Vertisols |
| Suborders | Aquepts | Albolls | Aquox | Aquods | Aquults | Aquerts |
| Anthrepts | Aquolls | Torrox | Gelods | Humults | Cryerts | |
| Cryepts | Rendolls | Ustox | Cryods | Udults | Xererts | |
| Ustepts | Cryolls | Perox | Humods | Ustults | Torrerts | |
| Xerepts | Xerolls | Udox | Orthods | Xerults | Usterts | |
| Udepts | Ustolls | Uderts | ||||
| Udolls |
Soils may have special features such as accumulation of clay, organic matter or minerals which give additional properties to the soils.
Secondary minerals (minerals that crystalize or form in the soil) indicate special micro-environments, or specific process that the soils have undergone and are used to interpret soils.
More on the Orders and Suborders with maps can be found here
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