andisol

Andisol soil

Source: NRCS
Used with permission

Andisols are soils developing in parent containing at least fifty percent volcanic ash. The layers of ash can be seen in this Andisol from Hawaii. Naturally fertile soils, they support a dense natural cover in moist climates. Andisols occur around individual volcanoes created from andesite-rich magma. They are common on the volcanic islands and mountains of "The Ring of Fire", which ring the Pacific Ocean.