A soil profile is a vertical section of soil having depth

A soil profile is a vertical section of soil, standard to a depth of 1.5 - 2.0 meters. Most soils have layers, parallel to the soil surface, called horizons. The horizons are the result of soil formation and geological processes.
The soil profile is a cross-section of the soil that reveals its horizons (layers). Soil generally consists of visually and texturally distinct layers, which can be summarised from top to bottom as A, B, C, E and O horizons.