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The Australian Soil Classification is the classification system currently used to describe and classify soils in Australia. It is a general-purpose, hierarchical classification system, and consists of five categorical levels from the most general to the most specific: Order, Suborder, Great Group, Subgroup, and Family. An online key is available. The Australian Soil Classification supersedes other classification systems previously developed for Australian soils, including the Factual Key (1960) and the Handbook of Australian Soils (1968).

The Australian Soil Classification was developed by Ray Isbell, a retired soil scientist with CSIRO, and first published in 1996. A revised first edition was published in 2002, a second edition in 2010 and a third edition in March 2021. Since Ray Isbell's death in 2001 the National Committee on Soil and Terrain has led the updates and improvements to the classification and this committee is now listed as a co-author with Ray Isbell.

Structure of the classification system

Order level

At the top, most general, level of the Australian Soil Classification, there are fifteen Soil Orders. They are: Anthroposols, Arenosols, Calcarosols, Chromosols, Dermosols, Ferrosols, Hydrosols, Kandosols, Kurosols, Organosols, Podosols, Rudosols, Sodosols, Tenosols and Vertosols. The character of many of the Soil Orders reflects the arid, strongly-weathered nature of the Australian continent.

Suborder level

For the Vertosol, Kurosol, Sodosol, Chromosol, Ferrosol, Dermosol and Kandosol orders, the suborder-level categories reflect the dominant colour of the upper part of the B2 horizon. There are five suborder colour categories, namely Red, Brown, Yellow, Grey and Black. The colour classes have the same names as, but are not directly equivalent to, those used in the Factual Key and estimated using a subset of the Munsell Colour System. The full suborder designation then becomes Red Kurosol, Grey Vertosol, for example.

The remaining soil orders have suborder categories that reflect unique characteristics of the given order. For example, the Hydrosol order is split into Intertidal Hydrosols, Supratidal Hydrosols, Extratidal Hydrosols, Hypersalic Hydrosols, Salic Hydrosols, Redoxic Hydrosols and Oxyaquic Hydrosols. On the other hand, the Rudosols are split into Hypergypsic Rudosols, Hypersalic Rudosols, Shelly Rudosols, Carbic Rudosols, Arenic Rudosols, Lutic Rudosols, Stratic Rudosols, Clastic Rudosols and Leptic Rudosols at the suborder level.

See also

• Soil classification

References

1. "Australian Soil Classification (as Online Key)". CSIRO. March 2021. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
2. Isbell, Raymond F. (1996). The Australian Soil Classification (1st ed.). Collingwood, Victoria: CSIRO Publishing. ISBN 0-643-05813-3.
3. Isbell, Raymond F. (2002). The Australian Soil Classification (Revised ed.). Collingwood, Victoria: CSIRO Publishing. ISBN 0-643-06898-8.
4. CSIRO. "How to Classify". The Australian Soil Classification. Retrieved 13 July 2010.
5. The National Committee on Soil and Terrain (2 June 2021). "The Australian Soil Classification". Soil Science Australia. Archived from the original on 2021-05-10. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
6. ^ Northcote, Keith H. (1960). A factual key for the recognition of Australian soils. Divisional Report No. 4/60. CSIRO Division of Soils.
7. Northcote, Keith H. (1971). A factual key for the recognition of Australian soils (3rd ed.). Glenside, South Australia: Rellim Technical Publications.
8. Stace, H.C.T.; Hubble, G.D.; Brewer, R; Northcote, K.H.; Sleeman, J.R.; Mulcahy, M.J.; Hallsworth, E.G. (1968). A Handbook of Australian Soils. Glenside, South Australia: Rellim Technical Publications.
9. Fitzpatrick, R.W.; Powell, B.; McKenzie, N.J.; Maschmedt, D.J.; Schoknecht, N. (2003). "Demands on soil classification in Australia". In Eswaran, H.; Rice, T.; Ahrens, R.; Stewart, B.A. (eds.). Soil Classification: A Global Desk Reference. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press. ISBN 0-8493-1339-2.
10. CSIRO. "Colour Classes". The Australian Soil Classification. Retrieved 14 July 2010.
11. CSIRO. "Hydrosols". The Australian Soil Classification. Retrieved 14 July 2010.
12. CSIRO. "Rudosols". The Australian Soil Classification. Retrieved 14 July 2010.

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Main fields	Pedology Edaphology Soil biology Soil microbiology Soil zoology Soil ecology Soil physics Soil mechanics Soil chemistry Environmental soil science Agricultural soil science
Soil topics	Soil Pedosphere Soil morphology Pedodiversity Soil formation Soil erosion Soil contamination Soil retrogression and degradation Soil compaction Soil compaction (agriculture) Soil sealing Soil salinity Alkali soil Soil pH Soil acidification Soil health Soil life Soil biodiversity Soil quality Soil value Soil fertility Soil resilience Soil color Soil texture Soil structure Pore space in soil Pore water pressure Soil crust Soil horizon Soil biomantle Soil carbon Soil gas Soil respiration Soil organic matter Soil moisture Soil water (retention)
Soil type	v t e Soil classification World Reference Base for Soil Resources (1998–) Acrisols Alisols Andosols Anthrosols Arenosols Calcisols Cambisols Chernozem Cryosols Durisols Ferralsols Fluvisols Gleysols Gypsisols Histosol Kastanozems Leptosols Lixisols Luvisols Nitisols Phaeozems Planosols Plinthosols Podzols Regosols Retisols Solonchaks Solonetz Stagnosol Technosols Umbrisols Vertisols USDA soil taxonomy Alfisols Andisols Aridisols Entisols Gelisols Histosols Inceptisols Mollisols Oxisols Spodosols Ultisols Vertisols Other systems FAO soil classification (1974–1998) Unified Soil Classification System AASHTO Soil Classification System Référentiel pédologique (French classification system) Canadian system of soil classification Australian Soil Classification Polish Soil Classification 1938 USDA soil taxonomy List of U.S. state soils List of vineyard soil types Non-systematic soil types Sand Silt Clay Loam Topsoil Subsoil Soil crust Claypan Hardpan Gypcrust Caliche Parent material Pedosphere Laimosphere Rhizosphere Bulk soil Alkali soil Bay mud Blue goo Brickearth Brown earth Calcareous grassland Dark earth Dry quicksand Duplex soil Eluvium Expansive clay Fill dirt Fuller's earth Hydrophobic soil Loess Lunar soil Martian soil Mud Muskeg Paleosol Peat Prime farmland Quicksand Serpentine soil Spodic soil Stagnogley Subaqueous soil Takir Terra preta Terra rossa Tropical peat Yedoma Types of soil
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Societies, Initiatives	Australian Society of Soil Science Incorporated Canadian Society of Soil Science Central Soil Salinity Research Institute (India) German Soil Science Society Indian Institute of Soil Science International Union of Soil Sciences International Year of Soil National Society of Consulting Soil Scientists (US) OPAL Soil Centre (UK) Soil Science Society of Poland Soil and Water Conservation Society (US) Soil Science Society of America World Congress of Soil Science
Scientific journals	Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica B Journal of Soil and Water Conservation Plant and Soil Pochvovedenie Soil Research Soil Science Society of America Journal
See also	Land use Land conversion Land management Vegetation Infiltration (hydrology) Groundwater Crust (geology) Impervious surface/Surface runoff Petrichor
Misplaced Pages:WikiProject Soil   Category soil   Category soil science List of soil scientists

• Pedology
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• Types of soil