Mottling is the name given to spotted or streaked areas of colour (mottles) in soil. Mottling is usually associated with periodic wetting. 2. ... the structure of a soil, combined with the ease with which a soil is dislodged from a soil profile, indicates rooting depth of plants and rate of water movement.

What does mottling in soil indicate?

Some well- drained soils are permanently mottled because of the nature and the distribution of minerals within them. Other soils subject to prolonged saturation under seepage conditions may retain bright colors and be un-mottled because saturating waters are oxygenated.

What causes mottled soil?

Prolonged soil-saturation results in anaerobiosis leading to the formation of mobile ferrous iron. The migrating groundwater redistributes the iron throughout the soil profile. ... This pattern of spots or blotches of different color or shades of color interspersed with the dominant color is called soil mottling.