Nationalpark Kellerwald-Edersee - Germany

The varied relief of the National Park is again reflected in the mosaic of the soil types. The acidic base rocks (Greywacke, clay slate and siliceous slate) have given the National Park predominantly medium depth brown earth with medium to low base saturation.
On hillsides and in valley floors, as well as on some saddles, a layer of loess loam and loess-containing colluvium is found here and there. Deeper, nutrient
richer brown earths have developed here, with noticeably luxuriant vegetation, especially in spring. On dry slopes and hilltops, shallow brown earth and ranker have developed. In this nutrient- and water poor area, beech-oak-dry woods mostly grow, often with acid and infertile soil indicator species in the herb layer. The raw soil types like syrosem or regosol are found on extremes of cliff or scree areas. Due to the barren situation, often only specially adapted mosses and lichens can live, and trees rarely grow.
In the broader stream valleys, more nutrient and base rich alluvial soils have developed, e.g. gleys. In spring areas and in humid hollows, higher ground
water produces gleys and pseudogleys. Under particularly oxygen poor, waterlogged conditions, a mosaic of half-bog gley soils develops.