Table 6

Table 6 Soil orders according to the comprehensive system of classification.

Order Formative syllable Derivation Meaning Diagnostic features Older equivalents

1. Entiso ent Meaningless syllable Recent soil Very weak or no profile Regosols, lithosols, alluvial, some low humic gley

2. Verticol ert Latin: verto, turn Inverted soil Self-mulching; expanding lattice clays; subhumid to arid climates Grumusol, regur, black cotton, tropical black clays, smonitza, some alluvial

3. Inceptisol ept Latin: inceptum, beginning Young soil Weak profile development but no strong illuvial horizon; cambic horizon present Brown forest, subarctic brown forest, tundra, ando, and some lithosols, regosols, and humic gley

4. Aridisol id Latin: aridus, dry Arid soil Soils of arid regions; often have natric, calcic, gypsic, or salic horizons Desert, red desert, sierozem, reddish brown, solonchak, some regosols, and lithosols

5. Mollisol oll Latin: mollis, soft Soft soil Thick, dark A₁ stratum; usually develops under grassy vegetation Chernozem, brunizem (prairie), chestnut, red dish prairie, some humic gley, rendzinas, brown, reddish chestnut, and brown forest soils

6. Spodosol od Greek: spodos, wood ash Ashy soil (podzol) Illuvial horizon shows accumulation of iron and organic colloids; weak to strongly cemented hardpan Podzols, brown podzolic, groundwater podzols

7. Alfisol alf Meaningless syllable Aluminum-iron soil (pedalfer) Argillic horizon of relatively high base saturation (>35%); usually under boreal or deciduous broad-leaf forest Noncalcic brown, gray-wooded; many planosols, some half-bog soils

8. Ultisol ult Latin: ultimus, last Ultimate (of leaching) soil Argillic horizon of low base saturation (<35%); plinthite often present; humid climate; usually forest or savanna vegetation Red-yellow podzolic, reddish-brown lateritic, rubrozem, some gley and groundwater laterites

9. Oxisol ox French: oxide, oxide Oxide soil Argillic horizon very high in iron and aluminum oxides Latosols, and most groundwater laterites

10. Histosol ist Greek: histos, tissue Tissue (organic) soil Organic surface horizon (>30% organic matter) more than 6 inches thick Bog and some half-bog soils

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Table 6 Soil orders according to the comprehensive system of classification.
Order	Formative syllable	Derivation	Meaning	Diagnostic features	Older equivalents
1. Entiso	ent	Meaningless syllable	Recent soil	Very weak or no profile	Regosols, lithosols, alluvial, some low humic gley
2. Verticol	ert	Latin: verto, turn	Inverted soil	Self-mulching; expanding lattice clays; subhumid to arid climates	Grumusol, regur, black cotton, tropical black clays, smonitza, some alluvial
3. Inceptisol	ept	Latin: inceptum, beginning	Young soil	Weak profile development but no strong illuvial horizon; cambic horizon present	Brown forest, subarctic brown forest, tundra, ando, and some lithosols, regosols, and humic gley
4. Aridisol	id	Latin: aridus, dry	Arid soil	Soils of arid regions; often have natric, calcic, gypsic, or salic horizons	Desert, red desert, sierozem, reddish brown, solonchak, some regosols, and lithosols
5. Mollisol	oll	Latin: mollis, soft	Soft soil	Thick, dark A₁ stratum; usually develops under grassy vegetation	Chernozem, brunizem (prairie), chestnut, red dish prairie, some humic gley, rendzinas, brown, reddish chestnut, and brown forest soils
6. Spodosol	od	Greek: spodos, wood ash	Ashy soil (podzol)	Illuvial horizon shows accumulation of iron and organic colloids; weak to strongly cemented hardpan	Podzols, brown podzolic, groundwater podzols
7. Alfisol	alf	Meaningless syllable	Aluminum-iron soil (pedalfer)	Argillic horizon of relatively high base saturation (>35%); usually under boreal or deciduous broad-leaf forest	Noncalcic brown, gray-wooded; many planosols, some half-bog soils
8. Ultisol	ult	Latin: ultimus, last	Ultimate (of leaching) soil	Argillic horizon of low base saturation (<35%); plinthite often present; humid climate; usually forest or savanna vegetation	Red-yellow podzolic, reddish-brown lateritic, rubrozem, some gley and groundwater laterites
9. Oxisol	ox	French: oxide, oxide	Oxide soil	Argillic horizon very high in iron and aluminum oxides	Latosols, and most groundwater laterites
10. Histosol	ist	Greek: histos, tissue	Tissue (organic) soil	Organic surface horizon (>30% organic matter) more than 6 inches thick	Bog and some half-bog soils