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0 4.0 PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES <br />4.1 Edaphic Factors <br />4.1.1 Classifications of Peat and Peaty Soils <br />There are a number of different definitions and <br />classifications of peat. The standard definitions vary <br />considerably but most are based on a determination of the organic <br />matter content and the degree of decomposition. Other systems <br />are based on either the originating material (i.e. sphagnum, <br />reed - sedge), or the hydrologic system under which the peat <br />developed (i.e. ombrotrophic, minerotrophic). The most widely <br />applied system is the one provided by the SCS. <br />Peat soils are defined by the SCS as any of the many soils <br />that are included in the order Histosol, which as a grouping <br />includes all of the organic soils. Organic soil is defined by <br />the SCS on the basis of organic carbon content and duration of <br />flooding (saturation). Two distinctions are given: <br />A. Soils that are saturated for long periods and have <br />1) 18 percent organic carbon when the mineral fraction <br />is 60 percent or more clay, 2) 12 percent or more <br />organic carbon if the mineral fraction has no clay, or <br />3) have between 12 and 18 percent organic carbon if the <br />mineral fraction has between 0 and 60 percent clay, or <br />29 <br />