Aridisols are a soil order in USA soil taxonomy. Aridisols (from the Latin aridus, for “dry”) form in an arid or semi-arid climate. Aridisols dominate the deserts and xeric shrublands

Deserts and xeric shrublands

Deserts and xeric shrublands is a biome characterized by, relating to, or requiring only a small amount of moisture.-Definition and occurrence:...

, which occupy about one third of the Earth's land surface. Aridisols have a very low concentration of organic matter

Organic matter

Organic matter is matter that has come from a once-living organism; is capable of decay, or the product of decay; or is composed of organic compounds...

, reflecting the paucity of vegetative production on these dry soils.
Water deficiency is the major defining characteristic of Aridisols. Also required is sufficient age to exhibit sub-soil weathering and development. Limited leaching in Aridisols often results in one or more subsurface soil horizons in which suspended or dissolved minerals have been deposited: silicate clays, sodium, calcium carbonate, gypsum or soluble salts. These subsoil horizons can also be cemented

Cementation (geology)

Cementation involves ions carried in groundwater chemically precipitating to form new crystalline material within sediment pores; this is how "sediment" becomes "rock". The new pore-filling minerals form "bridges" between original sediment grains, thereby binding them together. So sand becomes...

 by carbonates, gypsum or silica. Accumulation of salts on the surface can result in salinization.

See also

• Pedogenesis
  Pedogenesis
  Pedogenesis is the science and study of the processes that lead to the formation of soil ' and first explored by the Russian geologist Vasily Dokuchaev , the so called grandfather of soil science, who determined that soil formed over time as a consequence of...
  
  
• Pedology (soil study)
  Pedology (soil study)
  Pedology is the study of soils in their natural environment. It is one of two main branches of soil science, the other being edaphology...
  
  
• Soil classification
  Soil classification
  Soil classification deals with the systematic categorization of soils based on distinguishing characteristics as well as criteria that dictate choices in use.- Overview :...
  
  
• Soil science
  Soil science
  Soil science is the study of soil as a natural resource on the surface of the earth including soil formation, classification and mapping; physical, chemical, biological, and fertility properties of soils; and these properties in relation to the use and management of soils.Sometimes terms which...
  
  
• Soil type
  Soil type
  In terms of soil texture, soil type usually refers to the different sizes of mineral particles in a particular sample. Soil is made up in part of finely ground rock particles, grouped according to size as sand, silt and clay...