Relict Soils

soils whose structure and properties contain features that developed under soil-forming conditions different from those of the present. Examples of relict soils include the laterite soils in the Australian deserts, soils found outside the areas of present-day permafrost but bearing obvious traces of permafrost phenomena, and soils with thick humus horizons that occur on the forested river terraces of the forest zone. A distinction is made between relict soils proper, in which the basic properties have a relict character (for example, the laterite soils in deserts or in temperate climates) and soils with relict characteristics, in which relict features do not play a decisive role (for example, ferruginous concretions in chernozem, attesting to excess soil moisture in the past).