LOCATION COROZO PREstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy over clayey, aniso, siliceous over kaolinitic, isohyperthermic Typic Alorthods
TYPICAL PEDON: Corozo fine sand--Native pasture - coconuts.
(Colors are for moist soils unless otherwise stated.)
A1--0 to 4 inches; light gray (10YR 5/1) fine sand with 15 percent black (10YR 2/1) spherical and elongated bodies; single grain; loose, nonsticky, nonplastic; many fine roots; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
A2--4 to 12 inches; gray (10YR 6/1) fine sand with 15 percent black (10YR 2/1) rounded and elongated bodies; single grain; loose, nonsticky, nonplastic; common fine roots; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
E--12 to 18 inches; light gray (10YR 7/1) fine sand with tongues of A2 in root channels; single grain, loose, nonsticky, nonplastic; few fine roots; very strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
Bh1--18 to 18.5 inches; black (10YR 2/1) sandy loam; single grain; loose, nonsticky, nonplastic; very strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary (0.5 to 1.0 inches thick)
2Bh2--18.5 to 19.5 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) sandy loam; single grain; loose, nonsticky, nonplastic; few clay bridges between sand grains; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (1 to 1.5 inches thick)
2Bh3--19.5 to 24 inches; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) sandy clay loam; single grain; loose, nonsticky, nonplastic; few clay coatings on sand grains, common clay bridges between grains and small pockets of clay; very strongly acid; abrupt irregular boundary. (3 to 5 inches thick)
2Bt--24 to 33 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) with brown (7.5YR 5/2) stains along old root channels and cleavage planes, clay; moderate coarse prismatic structure, with tongues of 2Bh3. Prisms dominantly 2 to 4 inches in diameter; firm; slightly sticky, plastic; very strongly acid, clear wavy boundary. (8 to 14 inches thick)
3C1--33 to 40 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) with dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) stains along old root channels and cleavage planes, loamy sand; massive; extremely firm, extremely hard; nonsticky, nonplastic; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)
3C2--40 to 60 inches; light gray (2.5YR 7/2) sandy clay loam; massive; very firm, extremely hard; nonsticky, slightly plastic; very strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Norte SCD, Puerto Rico, Camp Tortuguero, 600 meters west of Officers Club on Highway 687. Municipality of Vega Baja. Photo ELT-2DD-56.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of solum ranges from 30 to 60 inches. Depth to the horizons of accumulation of illuvial organic matter ranges from 13 to 26 inches. They are from extremely and very firm and extremely hard horizons. They slake in water. Soil reaction ranges from very strongly acid to extremely acid.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 5 through 8, and chroma of 1 or 2. It is loose, friable, nonsticky, nonplastic fine sand.
The Bh and 2Bh horizons have hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, with value of 2 through 4, and chroma of 1 or 2. They range from sandy clay loam to loamy sand. They are single grain.
The 2Bt horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, with value of 5 through 7, and chroma of 2 to 4. It is clay or sandy clay. It has moderate coarse to moderate medium prismatic structure.
The 3C horizon has hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 4 through 8, and chroma of 2 to 6. It is from very firm to extremely firm, and extremely hard. It slakes in water. Texture is sandy loam to loamy sand.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other presently known series in the same family. The Arecibo, Algarrobo, Cassia and Pomello series are in related families. All of these have sandy particle-size control sections and lack argillic horizons; in addition, the Cassia and Pomello soils have more than 9 degrees F. difference between mean summer and mean winter soil temperatures.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Corozo soils are on gently sloping to sloping terrain coastal plains. They formed in sands underlain by clayey coastal plain deposits. The climate is humid tropical. The average annual precipitation is 60 inches and the mean annual temperature is 78 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Arecibo, Algarrobo, and the Carrizales, Guerrero, and Jobos soils. The Guerrero and Jobos soils have browner sandy surface layers and have subhorizons with plinthite. The Carrizales soils are browner and sandy throughout.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow runoff; very rapid permeability in upper part, slow in the lower part of the profile.
USE AND VEGETATION: Native pasture, trees and coconuts.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern coastal plains of Puerto Rico. The series is of minor extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Raleigh, North Carolina
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Soil Survey of Puerto Rico, 1942.
REMARKS: When sampled, it was believed the Corozo soils would classify as Tropudults. The characterization data, however, did not support this classification. Following periods of heavy rains, water moves laterally through these soils, mostly through the E horizons. This update reclassifies the soil as Entic Alorthods.
MLRA = 272
SIR = PR0095
ADDITIONAL DATA: Characterization data is available on the Typical Pedon; sample nos. S73PR-07-4, lab. nos. 74B-132-74B-140, and 74B-197.