noun
- Plural of illuvium; material (such as clay, iron oxide, or organic matter) that has been leached from upper soil layers and deposited in lower layers.
Usage: technical; soil science
Examples
- The illuviums accumulated in the B horizon of the soil profile.
- Geologists studied the illuviums to understand the soil's chemical composition.
- Iron oxide illuviums gave the subsoil a reddish color.
- The movement of illuviums downward is a key process in soil formation.