Latosol
Encyclopedia
Latosol is a name given to soils found under tropical rainforest
s. They are red or yellowish-red in colour throughout and they do not have distinct horizons like a podsol
. The red colour comes from the oxide
s of iron and aluminium which remain in the soil. They are deep soils, often 20-30m deep whereas podsols are 1-2m deep.
The soil generally contains a thin but very fertile layer of humus dropped from plants and animals in the forest above, followed by an infertile second layer due to rapid leaching
in the high rainfall. The 3rd level, weathered bedrock, is common to almost all soil types.
The Latosol is completely reliant on the rainforest to maintain fertility, as all nutrients leach away quickly when the forest is felled and the layer of humus is no longer being replaced.
Tropical rainforest
A tropical rainforest is an ecosystem type that occurs roughly within the latitudes 28 degrees north or south of the equator . This ecosystem experiences high average temperatures and a significant amount of rainfall...
s. They are red or yellowish-red in colour throughout and they do not have distinct horizons like a podsol
Podsol
In soil science, podzols are the typical soils of coniferous, or boreal forests. They are also the typical soils of eucalypt forests and heathlands in southern Australia...
. The red colour comes from the oxide
Oxide
An oxide is a chemical compound that contains at least one oxygen atom in its chemical formula. Metal oxides typically contain an anion of oxygen in the oxidation state of −2....
s of iron and aluminium which remain in the soil. They are deep soils, often 20-30m deep whereas podsols are 1-2m deep.
The soil generally contains a thin but very fertile layer of humus dropped from plants and animals in the forest above, followed by an infertile second layer due to rapid leaching
Leaching
In general, leaching is the extraction of certain materials from a carrier into a liquid . Specifically, it may refer to:...
in the high rainfall. The 3rd level, weathered bedrock, is common to almost all soil types.
The Latosol is completely reliant on the rainforest to maintain fertility, as all nutrients leach away quickly when the forest is felled and the layer of humus is no longer being replaced.