What Is Clay Subsoils?

Subsoil is the layer of soil under the topsoil on the surface of the ground. ... Clay-based subsoil has been the primary source of material for adobe, cob, rammed earth, wattle and daub, and other earthen construction methods for millennia.

What does B horizon mean?

The B horizon is a mineral horizon below an A, E, or O horizon in which all or much of the original parent material structures or bedding features have been obliterated. The B horizon can have a range of pedogenic features resulting from translocation of soil materials, in situ processes, or both.

How is subsoil formed?

The subsoil may contain some broken down organic matter but it is mostly made of weathered rocks and clay minerals. Plants send their roots into both of these layers to find water stored in the soil and to find nutrients that they need to grow and to use for photosynthesis.