Rendzina
Encyclopedia
Rendzina is a dark, grayish-brown, humus-rich, intrazonal soil
. It is one of the soils most closely associated with the bedrock
type and an example of initial stages of soil development. It is usually formed by weathering of soft rock types: usually carbonate rocks (dolomite
, limestone
, marl
, chalk
) but occasionally sulfate rocks (gypsum
).
This is one of the most interesting of the soil names; it originates from a Polish
colloquial word "rzędzić", which means "to chat": the soil of this type contains a significant amount of gravel
and stones, which, during plowing, produce various sound effects (clicking, screeching, etc.), i.e., "talk" to the ploughman.
The term is used for a class of shallow soils over limestone, in which the topsoil is calcareous – i.e., it contains free calcium carbonate
, which gives a fizz if dilute acid is dripped onto a soil sample. This makes for a very distinctive soil. The rendzinas in Wales, UK, for example constitute a simple A-C profile, a dark calcareous topsoil immediately over shattered limestone. Because the soils are shallow and stony, there is much semi-natural vegetation to be found in these areas. The plant communities are distinctive, with much scrub and calcareous grassland
, often with unusual or even rare species.
The term 'rendzina' appears in various soil classification systems, both current and obsolete.
Soil
Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...
. It is one of the soils most closely associated with the bedrock
Bedrock
In stratigraphy, bedrock is the native consolidated rock underlying the surface of a terrestrial planet, usually the Earth. Above the bedrock is usually an area of broken and weathered unconsolidated rock in the basal subsoil...
type and an example of initial stages of soil development. It is usually formed by weathering of soft rock types: usually carbonate rocks (dolomite
Dolomite
Dolomite is a carbonate mineral composed of calcium magnesium carbonate CaMg2. The term is also used to describe the sedimentary carbonate rock dolostone....
, limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
, marl
Marl
Marl or marlstone is a calcium carbonate or lime-rich mud or mudstone which contains variable amounts of clays and aragonite. Marl was originally an old term loosely applied to a variety of materials, most of which occur as loose, earthy deposits consisting chiefly of an intimate mixture of clay...
, chalk
Chalk
Chalk is a soft, white, porous sedimentary rock, a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite. Calcite is calcium carbonate or CaCO3. It forms under reasonably deep marine conditions from the gradual accumulation of minute calcite plates shed from micro-organisms called coccolithophores....
) but occasionally sulfate rocks (gypsum
Gypsum
Gypsum is a very soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula CaSO4·2H2O. It is found in alabaster, a decorative stone used in Ancient Egypt. It is the second softest mineral on the Mohs Hardness Scale...
).
This is one of the most interesting of the soil names; it originates from a Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
colloquial word "rzędzić", which means "to chat": the soil of this type contains a significant amount of gravel
Gravel
Gravel is composed of unconsolidated rock fragments that have a general particle size range and include size classes from granule- to boulder-sized fragments. Gravel can be sub-categorized into granule and cobble...
and stones, which, during plowing, produce various sound effects (clicking, screeching, etc.), i.e., "talk" to the ploughman.
The term is used for a class of shallow soils over limestone, in which the topsoil is calcareous – i.e., it contains free calcium carbonate
Calcium carbonate
Calcium carbonate is a chemical compound with the formula CaCO3. It is a common substance found in rocks in all parts of the world, and is the main component of shells of marine organisms, snails, coal balls, pearls, and eggshells. Calcium carbonate is the active ingredient in agricultural lime,...
, which gives a fizz if dilute acid is dripped onto a soil sample. This makes for a very distinctive soil. The rendzinas in Wales, UK, for example constitute a simple A-C profile, a dark calcareous topsoil immediately over shattered limestone. Because the soils are shallow and stony, there is much semi-natural vegetation to be found in these areas. The plant communities are distinctive, with much scrub and calcareous grassland
Calcareous grassland
Calcareous grassland is an ecosystem associated with thin basic soil, such as that on chalk and limestone downland. Plants on calcareous grassland are typically short and hardy, and include grasses and herbs such as clover...
, often with unusual or even rare species.
The term 'rendzina' appears in various soil classification systems, both current and obsolete.