Spodosols: Soils with Subsoil Accumulations of Humus and Sesquioxides
The "white earths," the Spodosols, contrast sharply with the "black earths," the Mollisols. Spodosols encompass many of the soils called Podzols, a term from the Russian pod (beneath) and zol (ash), or "ashy underneath," referring to the light-colored E horizon (bullock and Clayden, 1980). The term "Spodosol" (wood ash) focuses attention of the spodic horizon, a subsurface horizon of illuvial-accumulated organic matter complexed with aluminum, with or without iron. Spodosols are among the most eye-catching and photogenic of soils.