Or podsol; Type of light-colored soil found predominantly under coniferous forests and on moorlands in cool regions where rainfall exceeds evaporation. The constant downward movement of water leaches nutrients from the upper layers, making podzols poor agricultural soils.
The leaching of minerals such as iron, lime, and alumina leads to the formation of a bleached zone, often also depleted of clay.
These minerals can accumulate lower down the soil profile to form a hard, impermeable layer which restricts the drainage of water through the soil.A soil that develops in temperate to cold moist climates under coniferous or heath vegetation; an organic mat over a gray leached layer; SYN. podzol soil, podsol, podsol soil, podsolic soil.
Acidic soil with ash-like subsurface layer