Siliceous soil
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Siliceous soils are formed from rocks that have silica (SiO2) as a principal constituent. The parent material of siliceous soils may include quartz sands, chert, quartzite, quartz reefs, granite, rhyolite, ademellite, dellenite, quartz sandstone, quartz siltstone, siliceous tuff, among others.[1] These parent materials sometimes originate from silica-secreting organisms such as radiolarians, diatoms, or some types of sponges.[2]
Characteristics
Soils high in siliceous parent material typically have:[1]
- lower cation-exchange capacity,
- higher susceptibility to external sources of sodium,
- lower buffering potential,
- higher acidity, and
- higher erodibility