Identification of soil parent materials is based on visual interpretation skills, which can be developed by viewing and reviewing numerous soil pits and/or monolith photographs. Please remember that parent material properties are best observed in the relatively unaltered C horizon.
The tables provided in the pages under the Parent Material Index category will allow you to quickly locate specific types of parent materials shown on soil monoliths in the UBC’s collection. Please note that:
- there are no examples of glacio-lacustrine, eolian, loess, and volcanic types of parent material in the UBC’s collection and
- not all monoliths feature the parent material since it was too difficult to excavate it.
To see more examples of parent materials and associated landforms in their natural settings visit our web-based tool “Soil Formation and Parent Material” available at [ ].
The tables below show transported parent materials featured in the UBC collection that are associated with water as the mode of transportation and deposition.
Click the links on the table of contents below to jump to the table of a specific parent material type.
Alluvial (fluvial)
| Parent Material Type | Soil Classification Category | Monolith No. |
|---|---|---|
| Alluvial (fluvial) | Orthic Humo-Ferric Podzol | 7-24 |
| Alluvial (fluvial) | Orthic Regosol | 8-01 |
| Alluvial (fluvial) | Cumulic Regosol | 8-03 |
| Alluvial (fluvial) | Cumulic Regosol | 8-05 |
Lacustrine
| Parent Material Type | Soil Classification Category | Monolith No. |
|---|---|---|
| Lacustrine | Gleyed Sombric Brunisol | 1-03 |
| Lacustrine | Orthic Melanic Brunisol | 1-04 |
| Lacustrine | Orthic Melanic Brunisol | 1-07 |
| Lacustrine | Orthic Eutric Brunisol | 1-11 |
| Lacustrine | Eluviated Eutric Brunisol | 1-16 |
| Lacustrine | Eluviated Eutric Brunisol | 1-17 |
| Lacustrine | Eluviated Eutric Brunisol | 1-19 |
| Lacustrine | Orthic Black Chernozem | 2-08 |
| Lacustrine | Orthic Dark Gray Chernozem | 2-09 |
| Lacustrine | Rego Dark Gray Chernozem | 2-12 |
| Lacustrine | Humic Luvic Gleysol | 4-01 |
| Lacustrine | Orthic Humic Gleysol | 4-02 |
| Lacustrine | Orthic Humic Gleysol | 4-03 |
| Lacustrine | Humic Luvic Gleysol | 4-04 |
| Lacustrine | Humic Luvic Gleysol | 4-05 |
| Lacustrine | Orthic Humic Gleysol | 4-06 |
| Lacustrine | Podzolic Gray Luvisol | 5-01 |
| Lacustrine | Podzolic Gray Luvisol | 5-05 |
| Lacustrine | Orthic Gray Luvisol | 5-06 |
| Lacustrine | Orthic Gray Luvisol | 5-07 |
| Lacustrine | Orthic Gray Luvisol | 5-08 |
| Lacustrine | Orthic Gray Luvisol | 5-09 |
| Lacustrine | Orthic Gray Luvisol | 5-10 |
| Lacustrine | Orthic Gray Luvisol | 5-14 |
| Lacustrine | Podzolic Gray Luvisol | 5-19 |
| Lacustrine | Orthic Gray Luvisol | 5-20 |
| Lacustrine | Orthic Gray Luvisol | 5-21 |
| Lacustrine | Orthic Gray Luvisol | 5-22 |
| Lacustrine | Orthic Gray Luvisol | 5-23 |
| Lacustrine | Orthic Gray Luvisol | 5-28 |
| Lacustrine | Orthic Gray Luvisol | 5-29 |
| Lacustrine | Orthic Gray Luvisol | 5-30 |
| Lacustrine | Orthic Dark Gray Luvisol | 5-31 |
| Lacustrine | Orthic Gray Luvisol | 5-32 |
| Lacustrine | Orthic Gray Luvisol | 5-34 |
| Lacustrine | Orthic Gray Luvisol | 5-36 |
| Lacustrine | Gleyed Gray Luvisol | 5-37 |
| Lacustrine | Gleyed Gray Luvisol | 5-38 |
| Lacustrine | Gleyed Gray Luvisol | 5-39 |
| Lacustrine | Gleyed Gray Luvisol | 5-40 |
| Lacustrine | Gleyed Gray Luvisol | 5-41 |
| Lacustrine | Gleyed Gray Luvisol | 5-42 |
| Lacustrine | Gleyed Gray Luvisol | 5-43 |
| Lacustrine | Dark Gray Luvisol | 5-47 |
| Lacustrine | Dark Gray Luvisol | 5-49 |
| Lacustrine | Dark Gray Luvisol | 5-50 |
| Lacustrine | Brunisolic Gray Luvisol | 5-52 |
| Lacustrine | Brunisolic Gray Luvisol | 5-53 |
| Lacustrine | Brunisolic Gray Luvisol | 5-54 |
| Lacustrine | Brunisolic Gray Luvisol | 5-56 |
| Lacustrine | Brunisolic Gray Luvisol | 5-57 |
| Lacustrine | Brunisolic Gray Luvisol | 5-61 |
| Lacustrine | Brunisolic Gray Luvisol | 5-62 |
| Lacustrine | Terric Humisol | 6-01 |
| Lacustrine | Orthic Humo-Ferric Podzol | 7-04 |
| Lacustrine | Orthic Humo-Ferric Podzol | 7-09 |
| Lacustrine | Orthic Humo-Ferric Podzol | 7-11 |
| Lacustrine | Orthic Humo-Ferric Podzol | 7-12 |
| Lacustrine | Orthic Humo-Ferric Podzol | 7-14 |
| Lacustrine | Orthic Humo-Ferric Podzol | 7-17 |
| Lacustrine | Orthic Humo-Ferric Podzol | 7-18 |
| Lacustrine | Orthic Humo-Ferric Podzol | 7-34 |
| Lacustrine | Orthic Humo-Ferric Podzol | 7-49 |
| Lacustrine | Orthic Regosol | 8-01 |
| Lacustrine | Dark Gray Solod | 9-02 |
| Lacustrine | Gray Solod | 9-08 |
| Lacustrine | Gray Solod | 9-10 |
| Lacustrine | Gray Solod | 9-11 |
| Lacustrine | Gray Solod | 9-12 |
| Lacustrine | Brown Solod | 9-14 |
| Lacustrine | Brown Solod | 9-15 |
| Lacustrine | Brown Solod | 9-17 |
| Lacustrine | Black Solod | 9-19 |
| Lacustrine | Black Solonetz | 9-21 |
Marine
| Parent Material Type | Soil Classification Category | Monolith No. |
|---|---|---|
| Marine | Gleyed Melanic Brunisol | 1-08 |
| Marine | Orthic Eutric Brunisol | 1-09 |
| Marine | Orthic Humo-Ferric Podzol | 7-01 |
| Marine | Orthic Humo-Ferric Podzol | 7-02 |
| Marine | Orthic Humo-Ferric Podzol | 7-03 |
| Marine | Orthic Humo-Ferric Podzol | 7-20 |
| Marine | Orthic Humo-Ferric Podzol | 7-43 |
| Marine | Gleyed Humo-Ferric Podzol | 7-52 |