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Earth Science Simple #soil#horizons

Soil Profile Horizons

O, A, E, B, C, R - the layered structure of mature soil.

A free, animated soil profile horizons you can read here or embed on any website, from Scrollchart.

Soil Profile Horizons

Soil Profile HorizonsMature soil: six distinct layers from leaf litter to bedrock, each with a unique chemistry0 cm30 cm60 cm90 cm120 cm150 cmDepthOO HorizonOrganic litterAA HorizonTopsoilEE HorizonEluviation zoneBB HorizonSubsoilCC HorizonParent materialRR HorizonBedrock0-5 cm: partially decomposed leaves, twigs, fungi5-30 cm: humus-rich, highest biological activity30-50 cm: silica-rich; clay and Fe leached downward50-90 cm: illuvial clays, Fe/Al oxides accumulate90-140 cm: weathered regolith, little bio-activity140+ cm: unweathered parent rockSurfaceO+A horizons = 30 cm of topsoil that support 95% of terrestrial primary production

Vertical soil cross-section: O (organic), A (topsoil), E (leached), B (subsoil with deposits), C (parent material), R (bedrock). Each horizon's typical depth.

Good for

  • Soil science and geography explainers covering how mature soils develop over millennia
  • Gardening and agriculture articles on why topsoil depth determines crop yield
  • Environmental science content on erosion, desertification, and soil conservation

Source & accuracy

This soil profile horizons is an editorial illustration built to represent the concept accurately. Where it shows figures, they are typical or representative values chosen to make the relationship clear, not a single underlying dataset. The diagram and its explainer are reviewed and maintained centrally, and updated over time as understanding improves.

The layered structure of mature soil

Soil is not a uniform material; it develops distinct layers called horizons over thousands of years. The O horizon is organic matter (leaf litter, decomposing plants). The A horizon (topsoil) is dark and rich with organic material and minerals leached from above. The E horizon is pale and leached of minerals. The B horizon (subsoil) is where minerals accumulate. The C horizon is weathered parent rock, and R is solid bedrock.

Climate and soil development

Soils develop faster in warm, wet climates where decomposition is rapid. Tropical soils are deeply weathered and leached, often nutrient-poor despite their appearance. Cold soils develop slowly and retain nutrients better. Arid soils skip many horizons entirely, lacking the water flow needed for leaching. Reading soil profiles tells the story of past and present climate, vegetation, and drainage.

Embed this diagram

Add this animated soil profile horizons to your own site. Copy one line of HTML, or use the embed builder for theme and sizing options.

Reference

What this is
A free, embeddable, animated soil profile horizons for any website.
Who uses it
Science popularizers, Gardening & homestead sites.
How to embed
Copy one line of HTML. No signup. No watermark. Works in WordPress, Webflow, Ghost, Substack, plain HTML.
File size
iframe embed, ~80 KB gzipped (loads on demand, does not block your page paint).
License
Free forever. Editorial explainer text included; updated centrally over time.
URL
scrollchart.com/diagram/soil-profile-horizons

Embed format options

Copy the universal HTML snippet, the WordPress shortcode, or an iframe fallback - see the WordPress plugin page for details. Any format keeps the same Core Web Vitals profile and the same explainer text.

Embed snippet 
<div data-scrollchart="soil-profile-horizons" data-scrollchart-v="1"></div>
<script src="https://scrollchart.com/embed.js" async></script>

By embedding, you acknowledge the diagram and explainer text are served from scrollchart.com and may be updated from time to time to reflect new research or to link to relevant sources within the explainer.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I get a free animated "Soil Profile Horizons" for my website?
Scrollchart provides "Soil Profile Horizons" as a free, embeddable animated diagram you can add to any website with one line of HTML. No signup is required and there is no watermark. The diagram and its explainer text are served from scrollchart.com, so the embed stays current without any maintenance on your end.
How do I embed a soil profile horizons in WordPress or a static site?
Paste the HTML snippet from the Scrollchart diagram page into your WordPress post (in HTML/code view), your Webflow embed block, or directly into a static HTML file. No plugin is needed. The diagram loads from scrollchart.com and paints in as the reader scrolls.
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