Brown earth

Here, areas of brown earth soil types are found particularly in Japan, Korea, China, eastern Australia and New Zealand.

Due to the reasonable natural fertility of brown earths, large tracts of deciduous woodland have been cut down and the land is now used for farming.

It is biologically active with many soil organisms and plant roots mixing the mull humus with mineral particles.

Horizon C is made up of the parent material, which is generally permeable and non- or slightly acidic, for example clay loam.

[clarification needed] Brown earths are important, because they are permeable and usually easy to work throughout the year, so they are valued for agriculture.

In long-cultivated soils the pH in the topsoil tends to be higher (more alkaline) than in the subsoil as a result of the addition of lime over the years.

The landscapes where these lowland soils occur are typically undulating, and interesting variations in the profiles relate to the slopes where they are found.

The processes of weathering and plant growth that were responsible for the formation of soils from bare parent materials in the first place are still going on.

These are called Umbrisols in the WRB, and are particularly common in western Europe, covering large areas in NW Spain.

[2] Further east in Europe, in more continental climates, the soils show greater leaching of clay and other minerals, and are mapped as luvisols in the WRB.