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Glite Dictionary
C horizon

C horizon

8.1
A soil layer below the B layer and above bedrock made of partly broken rock with little plant material
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : horizonte C
  • The C horizon consists mainly of weathered rock and is located beneath the B horizon.

Examples

  • When digging deeper, geologists often analyze the C horizon to understand the origin of the soil.

  • Unlike the upper layers, the C horizon holds little organic matter and few nutrients.

  • The C horizon contains mostly partially disintegrated and weathered rock fragments.

  • The C horizon is crucial for understanding soil composition.

  • Many plants do not reach the C horizon due to its depth.

  • Geologists examine the C horizon to study the weathering processes that shape the soil.

  • Many soil studies involve sampling the C horizon to assess its mineral content.

Synonyms

C-horizon
vsC horizon
  • Specialized
9.6

A soil layer under the B-horizon and above bedrock made mostly of broken rock with few plant roots

has identical meaning but written without a hyphen

Surface Forms

C horizon singular
C horizons plural

Morphology

C + horizon

Horizon clearly signals a layer, so a learner who knows the parts could infer this is a particular kind of soil layer labelled 'C'; however the letter 'C' is an arbitrary technical label and does not convey the specific properties (weathered rock, low organic matter) to a non-specialist. Because basic compositional meaning (a type of horizon) is accessible but the crucial semantic details require domain knowledge, the phrase is best classified as semi-transparent.

Etymology

C horizon comes from the way people who study soil label the different layers with letters: the letter C marks the third, lowest layer and horizon simply means a soil 'layer'. Because this part is mostly weathered rock with little plant material, C horizon now refers to the deep layer of broken rock under the soil.