LOCATION EL VERDE                PR

Tentative Series
Rev. SRT; MMR
12/2019

EL VERDE SERIES

The El Verde series consists of deep, moderately well drained, very slow permeable soils on flood plains and low terraces of large streams and rivers of the Humid Mountains and Valleys MLRA. They formed in alluvial deposits from andesitic to basaltic volcaniclastic sandstone and breccia, mudstone, conglomerate, and lava of the Hato Puerco formation. Near the type location the annual precipitation range from 54 to 148 inches and the annual temperature range from 68 to 87 degrees F. Slopes range from 0 to 5 percent.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey-skeletal, mixed, semiactive, isohyperthermic Fluventic Dystrudepts

TYPICAL PEDON: El Verde stony silty clay loam - Tabonuco forest in El Yunque National Forest.
(Colors are for moist soil).

A--0 to 6 inches dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) stony silty clay loam; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; friable; slightly sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine and fine prominent yellowish red (5YR 4/6) iron masses on faces of peds; common continuous faint pressure faces on all faces of peds; many very fine, fine and medium roots throughout; about 20 percent, by volume, stones and boulders; strongly acid; abrupt smoth boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)

Bw1--6 to 12 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) silty clay; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; firm; slightly sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine and fine faint strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) iron masses on faces of peds; few very fine and fine prominent black (10YR 2/1) iron-manganese masses on faces of peds; few continuous faint clay films on all faces of peds and on surfaces along root channels; few very fine and fine roots throughout; less than 10 percent, by volume, gravels; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary.

Bw2--12 to 18 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) silty clay; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; firm; slightly sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine and fine faint strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) iron masses on faces of peds; common fine prominent black (10YR 2/1) iron-manganese masses on faces of peds; few continuous faint clay films on all faces of peds and on surfaces along roots channels; few very fine and fine roots throughout; less than 10 percent, by volume, gravels; very strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bw horizons range from 3 to 13 inches.)

2C--18 to 60 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) very stony silty clay; massive; firm; slightly sticky and moderately plastic; few very fine and fine faint strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) iron masses on faces of peds; few very fine and fine roots throughout; about 60 percent, by volume, stones and boulders; very strongly acid.

TYPE LOCATION: Rio Grande Municipality. El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico. Approximately 2.58 miles southeast from the intersection of P.R. Hwy. 3 and P.R. Hwy.967; about 1.23 miles southwest from the intersection of P.R. Hwy. 966 and P.R. Hwy. 967; about 0.66 mile southwest from the Campamento Zarzal Correctional Facilities; about 140 feet southwest from Quebrada Jimenez on forestland at El Yunque National Forest. USGS El Yunque topographic quadrangle (1982); lat. 18 degrees 20 minutes 31.7 seconds N. and long. 65 degrees 47 minutes 41.3 seconds W. NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 10 to 18 inches. Reaction ranges from strongly acid to very strongly acid throughout. The combine total of rock fragments in control section range from 15 to 60 percent by volume, mostly stones and boulders.

The A horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 3 or 4, and chroma from 3 to 4. Masses of iron accumulations in shades of brown, red and yellow are few throughout. Content of cobbles, stones and boulders range from 15 to 35 percent, by volume. Texture is silt loam or silty clay loam in the fine-earth fraction.

The Bw horizon has hue of 7.5YR to 10YR, value of 5 to 6, and chroma of 6 to 8. Masses of iron accumulations in shades of brown, red and yellow range from few to common throughout. Content of pebbles, stones and boulders range from 0 to 15 percent, by volume. Texture is silty clay loam or silty clay in the fine-earth fraction.

The 2C horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 5 to 6, and chroma of 6 to 8.Masses of iron accumulation in shades of brown, red and yellow range from few to common throughout. Content of cobbles, stones and boulders range from 15 to 60 percent, by volume. Texture is silty clay in the fine-earth fraction.

COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in the same family.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: El Verde soils are on stream terraces of alluvial plains of the Humid Mountains and Valleys MLRA of northern Puerto Rico. Slopes range from 0 to 5 percent. They formed in alluvial deposits from andesitic to basaltic volcaniclastic sandstone and breccia, mudstone, conglomerate, and lava of the Hato Puerco formation. Near the type location the annual precipitation range from 54 to 148 inches and the annual temperature range from 68 to 87 degrees F. The climate is humid tropical.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are Cristal, Luquillo and Zarzal series. Cristal and Zarzal soils are on adjacent mountainbase and have very-fine particle-size control section. The moderate well drained Luquillo solis have fine particle-size control section.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained; very slow permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: All areas of El Verde soils are used for recreation, research, wildlife habitat, and watershed protection. Vegetation consists of hardwood forest composed of native and introduced species and tree ferns. Tabonuco forest is the dominant forest type.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Stream terraces of alluvial plains of El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico. The series is minor extent.

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Raleigh, North Carolina.

SERIES PROPOSED: Rio Grande Municipality, Puerto Rico; 2011. The name is from El Verde community, nearby it was originally recognized.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized for this pedon:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 6 inches (A horizon).
Cambic horizon - the zone from 6 to 18 inches (Bw1 and Bw2 horizons).
These soils were formerly included in the Luquillo series.
El Verde soils are in MLRA 270A.
________________________________________

---

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.