Cinnamon-Colored Soils

(korichnezems), type of soils that form under xerophytic trees and brush where there is little leaching. They have a cinnamon color and gradually become lighter with depth. They form under conditions of a variable, moist subtropical (for example Mediterranean) climate with warm, wet winters and moderately dry and hot summers.

Cinnamon-colored soils are common in southern Europe, North Africa, Southwest Asia, the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, China, the western United States, northern Mexico, northwestern Argentina, central Chile, and southern Australia. In the USSR they are found on the southern coast of the Crimea, in the mountain regions of Middle Asia, and in eastern Transcaucasia. Cinnamon-colored soils usually have a coarse texture. They typically exhibit penetration of humus down to 100 cm and deeper and a gradual decrease in humus content with depth. Cinnamon-colored soils have a neutral reaction. Many of the cinnamon-colored soils are highly fertile.