ARENOSOL

one of the 30 soil groups in the classification system of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Arenosols are sandy-textured soils that lack any significant soil profile development. They exhibit only a partially formed surface horizon (uppermost layer) that is low in humus, and they are bereft of subsurface clay accumulation. Given their excessive permeability and low nutrient content, agricultural use of these soils requires careful management. They occupy about 7 percent of the continental surface area of the Earth, and they are found in arid regions such as the Sahel of western Africa and the deserts of western Australia, as well as in the tropical regions of Brazil. Arenosols are related to the sandy-textured members of the Entisol order of the U.S. Soil Taxonomy.