Vertisols are heavy textured soils (with ≥ 60% clay) with shrink-swell characteristics. They lack the horizon development diagnostic of other horizons. Slickenslides and argillipedoturbation (disruption and mixing caused by shrink-swell of the soil mass) are diagnostic features of these soils. The horizons that result from this mixing are inverted of material and are called vertic horizons (e.g., Bv, Cv). As a mass of soil is displaced along a crack, the face of the mass can become very smooth and polished and these polished surfaces are called slickenslides. The horizons in which slickenslides are Bss, Ckss, or Cgss.

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