Question

What is soil profile

Answer 1

If one could dig a massive trench (hole), about 50-100ft vertically downwards into the ground, you will notice that you would have cut through various layers of soil types. A look at the layers from a distance gives one a cross-section view of the ground (beneath the surface) and the kind of soils and rocks it is made up of.

This cross section view is called a Soil Profile. The profile is made up of layers, running parallel to the surface, called Soil Horizons.

Each horizon may be slightly or very different from the other above or below it. Each horizon tells a story about the makeup, age, texture and characteristics of that layer.