slope aspect is like latitude!

[halifaxearthtech]

Today I learned that the north slopes of hills tend to have soil profiles that are more acidic, more heavily leached and deeper, while the south side tends to be more alkaline and thinner. This makes sense if you think that the hillside with less solar exposure will be cooler, which will encourage more precipitation and less oxidation of soil carbon. At Verge we were taught that coastal soils, like the northern sides of hills, experience more precipitation and this leads them to be more acid, while inner-continental soils in arid areas can be quite alkaline. As well, soils at northern latitudes tend to be thicker, as there are less plant life forms trying to use soil nutrients at all times of the year.

Nifty site is here:
http://soilsofcanada.ca/