# Regosol

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A **Regosol** in the [World Reference Base for Soil Resources](/source/World_Reference_Base_for_Soil_Resources) (WRB)[1] is very weakly developed mineral [soil](/source/Soil) in [unconsolidated](/source/Soil_consolidation) materials. Regosols are extensive in [eroding lands](/source/Erosion), in particular in [arid](/source/Arid) and [semi-arid](/source/Semi-arid) areas and in [mountain](/source/Mountain) regions. Internationally, Regosols correlate with soil taxa that are marked by incipient soil formation such as [Entisols](/source/Entisols) in the [USDA soil taxonomy](/source/USDA_soil_taxonomy) or Rudosols[2] and possibly some Tenosols[2] in the [Australian Soil Classification](/source/Australian_Soil_Classification).

The group of Regosols is a taxonomic rest group containing all soils that could not be accommodated in any of the other groups. Excluded from the Regosols are weakly developed soils that classify as [Leptosols](/source/Leptosols) (very shallow soils), [Arenosols](/source/Arenosols) (sandy soils) or [Fluvisols](/source/Fluvisols) (in recent [alluvial](/source/Alluvial) [deposits](/source/Sediment)). These soils have AC-[profiles](/source/Soil_profile). Profile development is minimal as a consequence of young age and/or slow [soil formation](/source/Soil_formation).

Land use and management of Regosols vary widely. Some Regosols are used for capital-intensive [irrigated](/source/Irrigation) [farming](/source/Farming) but the most common land use is low volume [grazing](/source/Grazing). Regosols in mountain areas are best left under [forest](/source/Forest).

Regosols occur in all [climate zones](/source/Climate_zone) without [permafrost](/source/Permafrost) and at all elevations. Regosols are particularly common in arid areas, in the [dry tropics](/source/Dry_tropics) and in mountain regions.

Regosols cover an estimated 260 million hectares worldwide, mainly in arid areas in the mid-western United States, [Northern Africa](/source/Northern_Africa), the [Near East](/source/Near_East) and Australia. Some 50 million hectares of Regosols occur in the wet/dry tropics, most especially in northern Australia, and another 36 million hectares in mountain areas.

## See also

- [Pedogenesis](/source/Pedogenesis)
- [Pedology (soil study)](/source/Pedology_(soil_study))
- [Soil classification](/source/Soil_classification)

## References

1. IUSS Working Group WRB (2022). ["World Reference Base for Soil Resources, fourth edition"](https://wrb.isric.org/files/WRB_fourth_edition_2022-12-18.pdf). International Union of Soil Sciences, Vienna.

1. ["Australian Soil Classification - Rudosols"](https://web.archive.org/web/20100921125007/http://www.clw.csiro.au/aclep/asc_re_on_line/ru/rudosols.htm). CSIRO. Archived from [the original](http://www.clw.csiro.au/aclep/asc_re_on_line/ru/rudosols.htm) on 21 September 2010. Retrieved 9 February 2016.

## Further reading

- W. Zech, P. Schad, G. Hintermaier-Erhard: Soils of the World. Springer, Berlin 2022, Chapter 11.3.2. ISBN 978-3-540-30460-9

## External links

- [profile photos (with classification)](https://wrb.isric.org/picture-gallery/) WRB homepage
- [profile photos (with classification)](https://www.iuss.org/index.php?article_id=73|title=IUSS) IUSS World of Soils

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Regosol](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regosol) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regosol?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.