Soil Horizons

Fragment of a discussion from Course talk:APBI200

Hi Gretchen,
Thank you for reviewing those online lecture videos. It is good to know that at least someone has seen them ;-)
In soil science literature (and elsewhere) you will see mineral horizons (ie A, B, and C) both with & without lowercase letters. Which version is used, depends on the context in which one is referring to those horizons. In a general context, when it is not important to indicate the soil formation process for a specific horizon, we can just use capitol letters (A, B, and C). However, in soil classification context & when it is relevant to mention and/or emphasize the soil formation process in a specific horizon, then lowercase must be used.
The C horizon is one exception, since in that horizon there may not be any soil formation processes going on. And when that is the case, we simply use label - C. On the other hand, A and B horizons, always have at least one soil forming process.

MajaKrzic (talk)21:04, 23 March 2020

Thank you!!

GretchenMacNaughton (talk)21:14, 23 March 2020