LOCATION CIALES PREstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, isotic, acid, isothermic Histic Humaquepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Ciales mucky clay loam--forest. (Colors are for moist soil.)
Oa--0 to 9 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) mucky clay loam; moderate fine subangular blocky structure parting to moderate fine granular; friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many fine and medium roots; common large earthworm tunnels filled with black (7.5YR 2.5/1) material and girdled with yellowish red (5YR 5/8) material; very strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (8 to 11 inches thick)
Bg1--9 to 16 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) sandy clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure parting to moderate fine subangular blocky; friable slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common fine and medium roots; common fine interstitial and tubular pores; common large earthworm tunnels filled with black (7.5YR 2.5/1) material; few faint clay films on vertical faces of peds; few fine mica flakes; common medium distinct light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) and common medium distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) masses of iron accumulation; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary.
Bg2--16 to 25 inches; olive gray (5Y 5/2) sandy clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure parting to moderate fine subangular blocky; friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common fine roots; common faint clay films on vertical faces of peds; common fine tubular pores; few large worm tunnels filled with black (7.5YR 2.5/1) material; few fine quartz grains; few fine mica flakes; common fine rounded soft masses of iron-manganese; common medium distinct light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) and strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation and common medium faint gray (N 5/) areas of iron depletions; very strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bg horizons ranges from 14 to 18 inches)
Bw1--25 to 36 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) sandy loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few fine roots; few fine interstitial and tubular pores; common fine mica flakes; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bw2--36 to 39 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) sandy loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few fine roots; few fine interstitial and tubular pores; common fine mica flakes; common medium distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) masses of iron accumulation; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bw horizons ranges from 6 to 15 inches)
BC--39 to 56 inches; stratified yellowish brown (10YR 5/6), brown (7.5YR 4/4), and dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) loam; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; friable; slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few fine roots; common fine tubular pores; many fine grains of quartz; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 18 inches thick)
C--56 to 73 inches; stratified dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6), strong brown (7.5YR 5/8), yellowish brown (10YR 5/8), and dark red (7.5R 3/6) sandy loam; massive; very friable, few fine roots; common fine tubular pores; common fine quartz flakes and grains; very strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Naguabo Municipio, Puerto Rico. Caribbean National Forest; Junction of highways 191 and 990 at km marker 130, approximately 2,000 feet (610 m) southwest of highway 191 on Trade Winds Trail. Lat. 18 degrees, 17 minutes, 38 seconds N; long. 65 degrees, 47 minutes, 41 seconds W. El Yunque topographic quadrangle; PRD 1940.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 36 to more than 60 inches. Reaction of the soil ranges from extremely acid to strongly acid. Rock fragments range from 0 to 15 percent.
The Oa horizon has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 3 or less, and chroma of 3 or less. Texture is mucky loam or mucky clay loam.
The A horizon, where present, has hue of 5YR to 2.5Y, value of 5 or less, and chroma of 1 to 3. Texture is loam, sandy clay loam, or clay loam.
The Bg horizon has hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 1 to 3; or it is neutral with value of 4 to 7. Redox accumulations in shades of yellow and brown range from few to common. Texture is loam, sandy clay loam, clay loam, silty clay, or clay.
The Bw horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 3 to 8. Redox features in shades of yellow, brown, red and gray range from few to many. Texture is sandy loam, loam, or sandy clay loam.
The BC horizon, where present, has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 3 to 8; or it has no dominant matrix color and is multicolored in shades of brown, yellow, and red. Redox features in shades of yellow, brown, red and gray range from few to many. Texture is sandy loam, loam, or sandy clay loam.
The C horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, values of 4 to 6, and chroma of 4 to 8; or it has no dominant color is multicolored in shades of brown, yellow, and red. Redox features in shades of yellow, brown, red and gray range from few to many. Texture is sandy, loam, silt loam, sandy clay loam, or silty clay loam.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series in the same family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Ciales soils are on concave positions of strongly dissected ridgetops and lower side slopes of humid uplands at elevations of 500 to 1,000 meters. Slopes range from 12 to 45 percent. The soil is formed in residuum that weathered from igneous rocks. The climate is humid tropical. The mean annual precipitation is 150 inches, and the mean annual temperature is 71 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Guayabota, Los Guineos, Picacho, Utuado, and Yunque series. Guayabota soils are on similar positions but are shallow to bedrock. The well drained Los Guineos soils are on side slopes and have clayey subsoils. The moderately well drained Picacho soils are on higher positions. The well drained Utuado soils are on steeper lower side slopes. The moderately well drained Yunque soils are on higher positions.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained in the upper part of the solum and well drained in the lower part. Water will not stand to the soil surface in a deep borehole; however, the upper part of the soil is constantly saturated due to the heavy rainfall. Permeability is slow in the upper part and moderate in the lower part.
USE AND VEGETATION: Watershed protection, recreation, and research. All of this soil is in hardwood trees, sierra palms and tree ferns.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: These soils are in higher elevations in the tropical rainforests of Puerto Rico. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Raleigh, North Carolina.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Soil Survey of Puerto Rico; 1942.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon:
Histic epipedon - zone from 0 to 9 inches (Oa horizon).
Cambic horizon - zone from 9 to 36 inches (Bg and Bw horizons).
Aquic condition - perched water table 6 to 24 inches below the surface; January to December.
Hydric soil indicators - A2, F1, and F3.