Location
Gleysolic Soils Location
Gleysolic soils cover about 117 000 km2 (1.3%) of Canada's land area.
Information
These soils are periodically or permanently saturated with water and depleted of oxygen. They occur commonly in shallow depressions and level areas of subhumid and humid climate in association with other classes of soil on slopes and hills. After snowmelt or heavy rains, depressions in the landscape may be flooded. If flooding occurs when the soil temperature is above approximately 5°C, microbial activity results in depletion of oxygen within a few days. Depletion of ferric oxide removes the brownish colour common to many soils, leaving them grey. As the soil dries and oxygen re-enters, the reduced iron may be oxidized locally to bright yellow-brown spots.
Uses
With the soils being very moist and depleted of oxygen, it makes it harder to grow things. This soil is okay for forests though, because it allows lots of movement by the tree.