sol-, -sol +

(Latin: base, ground, soil, bottom; the lowest part of something; sole of the foot or a shoe)

Soil orders are named by adding the suffix -sol to a root word, as shown in the table of the United States Soil Taxonomy and the soil classification system of the Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO (agency of the United Nations).

Many of the applicable soilwords which are listed and defined in this unit do not use the -sol suffix; however, they are included because they are essential parts of the major listings of the U.S. Soil Taxonomy and the Food and Agriculture Organization presentations.

The soil groups are based on extensive sets of field and laboratory observations and on extensive technical criteria.

Xererts
Temperate Vertisols with very dry summers and wet winters.
Xerolls
Temperate Mollisols consisting of very dry summers and moist winters.
Xerults
Temperate Ultisols with very dry summers and moist winters.

Much of the information presented in this unit was compiled from the following sources:

Encyclopædia Britannica Online; "U.S. Soil Taxonomy"; December 19, 2010.

Soil and Land Resources Division, by Dr. Paul McDaniel;
University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho; College of Agricultural and Life Sciences;

The National Geographic Desk Reference; A Stonesong Press Book;
National Geographic Society; Washington, D.C.; 1999; pages 224-227.