Doune Series: Brown forest soil developed on acidic, fluvioglacial deposits
Brown soils, often referred to as brown forest soils [1] or brown earths, are well drained with brownish subsoils where iron oxides created through weathering processes are bonded to silicate clays.
Other properties such as texture and level of fertility depend on the nature of the parent material and the degree of alteration it has undergone. In Scotland, their occurrence is restricted to the warmer, drier climate characteristic of eastern areas but they also occur in sheltered highland glens at lower elevations and on areas of base-rich parent materials. Under natural conditions the soils would form under broadleaf forest which promotes rapid decomposition of plant residue and consequent recycling of plant nutrients.
Ah | Surface horizon, usually relatively thin with organic material (mull humus) incorporated throughout mineral matrix. |
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Bw | Brightly coloured mineral subsoil, with good structural development, generally merges into: |
C | Relatively unaltered parent material, usually brightly coloured or colour inherited directly from parent rock. |
Given the deep nature of these soils, their free drainage and often high levels of natural fertility, brown soils are often cultivated.
These soils at lower levels in the Straths and glens of the Highlands are often cultivated for fodder crops or support the better quality grassland.
Links:
[1] https://www.hutton.ac.uk/learning/exploringscotland/soils/brownforestsoils
[2] https://www.hutton.ac.uk/sites/default/files/images/explorescotland/es-soil-association-brownforestsoil.jpg
[3] https://www.hutton.ac.uk/staff/allan-lilly
[4] https://www.hutton.ac.uk/learning/exploringscotland/introduction
[5] https://www.hutton.ac.uk/learning/exploringscotland/soils