What is indicated by "gley" in soil properties?

The presence of "gley" in soil properties indicates reduced drainage and low redox potential. Gley soils often form in conditions where water saturation occurs, leading to anaerobic environments. This saturation prevents oxygen from penetrating the soil, which in turn causes chemical changes related to the reduction of iron and other elements. As a result, gley soils typically display distinctive color patterns, such as gray or bluish hues, due to the accumulation of reduced iron.

In contrast, features related to soil erosion, organic content, or acidity levels do not specifically correlate with the term "gley." While erosion features point to the physical alteration of soil structure and layers, and high organic content refers to the presence of decomposed plant material in a soil, neither condition describes the unique waterlogged and reduced state of gley soils. Similarly, high acidity levels might affect soil chemistry but are not directly linked to the gleying process, which is fundamentally about water saturation and chemical reduction dynamics.