Archaeology Wordsmith

           

Results for laterite:

(View exact match)

laterite

CATEGORY: geology
DEFINITION: A soil layer that is rich in iron oxide and derived from a wide variety of rocks weathering under strongly oxidizing and leaching conditions. It forms in tropical and subtropical regions where the climate is humid.

(View exact match)

sol lessivé

SYNONYMS OR RELATED TERMS: podzolic soil, podsolic, lessivé soil
CATEGORY: geology
DEFINITION: Soil usually forming in a broadleaf forest and characterized by moderate leaching, which produces an accumulation of clay and some iron that have been transported (eluviated) from another area by water. The humus formed produces a textural horizon that is less than 50 cm (20 inches) from the surface. Podzolic soils may have laterite in place of the humic horizon or along with it. Sols lessivés are often difficult to identify, but they are the dominant soil type of much of lowland Britain, where forest was cleared to make way for agriculture.