soil profile

noun

1. a vertical succession of horizons, commonly lettered A, B, C (beginning at the surface), that have been subjected to soil-forming processes, chiefly leaching and oxidation.

2. a diagram of a vertical section of soil depicting the horizons.

Word History and Origins

Origin of soil profile¹

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

Measuring soil organic carbon, for example, requires digging a core to the root zone, about 30 centimeters deep to obtain a topsoil profile and until the core hits bedrock to obtain an entire soil profile.

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“It would slow down and have to soak into the soil profile. It would be stored then for release later in the season when the river got low.”

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Farmland typically has horizontal soil profiles, but the sloping nature of the land means the soil profile is vertical.

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You tell it your location, and the app gives you the soil profile of the ground you’re standing on.

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When you combine these thin layers of volcanic ash interspersed with soil, you have a soil profile that reads like a book.’’

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