A new system of horizon notation for New Zealand soils

Soil horizon designations are a standard addition to soil profile descriptions that facilitate classification and communication. National agencies for soil resource assessment need a system of well-defined designations that can be consistently applied by different scientists in different parts of the country. The FAO system, used in New Zealand for the last 10 years, failed to meet this requirement. It was also found that the designations were too broadly defined for use in modern systems of data handling and in developing the new NZ Soil Classification. A new system of horizon notation for New Zealand soils based on that used in England and Wales is outlined. Like the latter, it gives specific definitions of the letter combinations used to label the most commonly occurring horizons, but it differs in providing more additional suffixes to designate supplementary properties. Other major changes and new concepts, that give the system a separate identify, are enumerated.