LOCATION ESPINAL PREstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Mixed, isohyperthermic Typic Udipsamments
TYPICAL PEDON: Espinal sand-cultivated-sweet potatoes.
(Colors are for moist soil.)
A--0 to 12 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) sand; single grain; loose, nonsticky, nonplastic; few fine roots; common very dark brown (10YR 2/2) grains of sand-size volcanic fragments; medium acid; clear wavy boundary. (10 to 14 inches thick)
C1--12 to 19 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) sand; few dark brown (10YR 3/3) stains from the A horizon; loose, nonsticky, nonplastic; medium acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)
C2--19 to 48 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/4) sand; single grain; loose, nonsticky, nonplastic; many sand-size volcanic fragments; strong effervescence.
TYPE LOCATION: Noroeste SCD, Puerto Rico; 1.5 miles south of the town of Aquadilla; 100 meters east of kilometer marker 0.7 of Highway 442.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to the calcareous horizons ranges from 16 to 24 inches.
The A horizon has hue of 7.5YR and 10YR, and value and chroma of 2 and 3.
The C1 horizon has hue of 10YR, and value and chroma of 3 and 4. Reaction is slightly acid to medium acid.
The C2 horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 6 or 7, and chroma of 3 and 4. It has strong to violent effervescence and has less than 40 percent by weight of carbonates.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Aquadilla series in the same family. The Aguadilla soils are acid throughout their profiles.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Espinal series occur on nearly level terrain along the coast at elevation close to sea level. The regolith consists of quartz grains, shell fragments, and miscellaneous sand-size volcanic subrounded fragments. The climate is tropical humid. The average annual precipitation is 65 inches and mean annual temperature of 77 degrees F. The mean annual soil temperature at 20 inches depth is 72 degrees F. or more and the difference between mean summer and winter temperatures is less than 9 degrees F. These soils are usually moist and are not dry in any subhorizon from 7 to 20 inches for as much as 60 consecutive or 90 cumulative days in most years.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is the Coloso series which is finer textured, lighter in color, noncalcareous, and somewhat poorly drained.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Excessively drained, slow runoff and very rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Mostly in food crops. Some areas in Guinoa and Pangolagrasses.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Humid northern coastal plains of Puerto Rico. The series is of minor extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Raleigh, North Carolina
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Noroeste SCD, Puerto Rico; 1972.
REMARKS: This soil was formerly included in the Catano series.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - zone from 0 to 12 inches (A horizon)