Definitions and Basics
This word comes from the Greek "Histos," which has the same meaning as this word in English.
Tissue
The least decomposed suborder; plant parts are still clearly visible.
Fibrists
This value in histosols is typically below 0.3 g/cm³, which is much lower than that of typical mineral clays.
Bulk Density
The phenomenon of land "lowering" when water is drained from a swampy area.
Subsidence
A plant that is the main component of peat in cold regions.
Sphagnum Moss
The minimum percentage of organic matter (by weight) that land must have to be classified as a histosol.
20-30%
Muck soil that has decomposed to the point where plant structure is no longer visible belongs in this group.
Saprists
An environment lacking this factor is a major reason why organic matter does not decompose.
Oxygen
When soil histosols dry, they become highly flammable, and this process is very difficult to extinguish.
Peat Fire
This is the pH value most commonly found in soil histosols.
Acidic
The minimum thickness (in cm) of the organic matter layer according to most USDA criteria.
40cm
A suborder caused by the accumulation of leaves on rocks or coarse material; not found in standing water.
Folists
Soil histosols have the ability to "hold" something many times their own weight.
Water
The crucial global role of soil histosols in mitigating global warming (2 words)
Carbon Sink
In early Europe, peat was dug up, dried, and used for this purpose in the household.
Fuel
A common name for soft, water-saturated histosols (often found in southern Thailand).
Peat Soil
A suborder with a level of degradation midway between Fibrists and Saprists.
Hemists
The very high concentration of negative charges in this soil type results in a higher Chemical Efficiency Classification (CEC) value than clay.
Cation Exchange Capacity
A type of macronutrient that is often deficient in peat soil because it is easily leached away.
Potassium (K)
A term used to describe exceptionally well-preserved human remains in peat soil for thousands of years.
Bog Bodies
Another soil order that may have high organic matter content but "lacks" a permafrost layer like the histosols in cold regions.
Gelisols (Histels)
The color of soil histosols typically falls within this range according to the Munsell Color Chart due to humus accumulation.
Wassists
The color of soil histosols typically falls within this range according to the Munsell Color Chart due to humus accumulation.
Black/Dark Brown (Low Value/Chroma)
The release of this gas into the atmosphere will immediately spike when soil histosols are drained for oil palm farming.
Narathiwat soil
The most famous soil family in Thailand classified as histosols (Hint: Narathiwat Province).
Narathiwat Series