- Rendzina
Rendzina is a dark, grayish-brown,
humus -richsoil . It is one of the soils most closely associated with thebedrock type and an example of initial stages of soil development. It is usually formed by weathering of soft rock types: usuallycarbonate rocks (dolomite ,limestone ,marl ,chalk ) but occasionally sulfate rocks (gypsum ).This is one of the most interesting of the soil names; it originates from a Polish colloquial word "rzędzić", which means "to chat": the soil of this type contains a significant amount of
gravel and stones, which, during plowing, produce various sound effects (clicking, screeching, etc.), i.e., "talk" to theploughman .The term is used for a class of shallow soils over limestone, in which the topsoil is calcareous – i.e., it contains free
calcium carbonate , which gives a fizz if dilute acid is dripped onto a soil sample. This makes for a very distinctive soil. The rendzinas in Wales, UK, for example constitute a simple A-C profile, a dark calcareous topsoil immediately over shattered limestone. Because the soils are shallow and stony, there is much semi-natural vegetation to be found in these areas. The plant communities are distinctive, with much scrub andcalcareous grassland , often with unusual or even rare species.The term 'rendzina' appears in various soil classification systems, both current and obsolete.
ee also
*
1938 USDA soil taxonomy
*Downland
*FAO soil classification
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