Pedocal is a subdivision of the zonal soil order. It is a class of soil which forms in semiarid and arid regions. It is rich in calcium carbonate and has low soil organic matter. With only a thin A horizon (topsoil), and intermittent precipitation calcite, other soluble minerals ordinarily removed by water may build up in the B horizon (subsoil) forming a cemented layer known as caliche. It is not used in the current United States system of soil classification but the term commonly shows up in college geology texts.
Book: Baldwin, M. . C.E. Kellogg . J. Thorp . 1938 . Soils and Men: Yearbook of Agriculture 1938 . U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. . 979–1001 . Soil Classification.
Eric C. . Brevik . November 2002 . Soil Classification in Geology Textbooks . Journal of Geoscience Education . 50 . 5 . 539–543 . 2006-04-06 . 10.5408/1089-9995-50.5.539 . 116487861 .
Book: Marshak, Stephen . Essentials of Geology . (First Edition) . 2004 . W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. . 0-393-92411-4.