Mountain Soils - Mountain Geography: Physical and Human Dimensions - page 309

and FAO classification systems. Others do not have direct equivalents between the two
systems because the structures of the classification systems are not the same (Table
6.3). Many excellent Internet resources are available on the broader topic of soil classi-
fication, including those of FAO and the U.S. Soil Taxonomy.
Humid Midlatitude Mountain Soils
In the humid mi-latitude mountains of North America, five soil orders predominate:
Entisols
Inceptisols
Mollisols
Spodosols
Histosols
Each of these is described briefly below.
TABLE 6.2
Soil Orders of the U.S. Soil Taxonomy
ENTISOLS
Entisols are thin, poorly developed soils found on surfaces such as steep slopes, exposed
ridges, and fresh deposits. Owing to their shallow depth and exposure, they are usually