LOCATION GARROCHALES PREstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Marly, euic, isohyperthermic Limnic Haplosaprists
TYPICAL PEDON: Garrochales muck - Native pasture.
(Colors are for the moist soil.)
Oap--0 to 8 inches; black (N 2/0) broken face and rubbed colors; moderate fine granular structure; very friable; slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many fine roots; low mineral content, medium acid (pH 6.0 in water); clear smooth boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)
Oe2--8 to 16 inches; very dark brown (10YR 2/2), broken face and rubbed colors; about 60 percent fiber and 10 percent rubbed; massive; friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few fine roots; low mineral content; extremely acid (pH 3.7 in water); clear smooth boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)
Oe3--16 to 29 inches; black (10YR 2/1) broken face and rubbed colors; about 40 percent fiber and 10 percent rubbed; massive; friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; low mineral content; strongly acid (pH 5.2 in water); abrupt smooth boundary. (10 to 15 inches thick)
Oe4--29 to 46 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2); broken face and rubbed colors; about 60 percent fiber and 15 percent rubbed; massive; friable, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; lower mineral content; slightly acid (pH 6.3 in water); abrupt smooth boundary. (12 to 18 inches thick)
IILca1--46 to 47 inches; bluish gray (5B 5/1) silt loam; massive; slightly sticky, slightly plastic; calcareous; clear smooth boundary. (1 to 2 inches thick)
IILca2--47 to 56 inches; light gray (10YR 7/1) silt loam, massive, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; calcareous; abrupt smooth boundary. (7 to 10 inches thick)
Oe4--56 to 74 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) broken face and rubbed colors; about 60 percent fiber and 15 percent rubbed; massive; slightly sticky, slightly plastic; low mineral content; neutral (pH 6-8 in water).
TYPE LOCATION: Atlantico SCD, Cano Tiburones Area, 0.5 kilometers east of junction with dirt road, 1.4 kilometers north of kilometer marker 10.7 of Highway 682.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the organic layers and depth to the marl layers varies from 39 to 53 inches. They are slightly sticky and slightly plastic throughout.
The Ap horizons are black, friable, granular, with low mineral content and less than 5 percent fiber.
The subsurface organic layers have colors in hues of 10YR, values of 2 and 3, and chroma of 1 and 2. The unrubbed fiber content varies from 30 to 60 percent. The rubbed fiber content varies from 10 to 15 percent.
The marly layers consist of silt loam or loams, calcareous material and light gray to white.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other known series in the same family. The Tiburones, Palmas Altas, and Saladar series are similar soils in related families. They do not have marly layers in their profiles. The Tiburones soils have lower unrubbed fiber content. The Saladar soils have higher rubbed fiber and content and are more alkaline.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Garrochales soils are nearly level soils that occur on depressional areas near the coast. They formed in the sediments of partially decomposed plant residual under wet conditions over marl. The climate is humid tropical. The average annual rainfall ranges from 60 to 70 inches and the average annual temperature is 78 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Palmas Altas and Tiburones and the Jareales and Vigia series. The Jareales soils have fine textured mineral surface layers. The Vigia soils have fine textured mineral subsurface layers.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained, slow runoff, and slow permeability. The water table varies from 0 to 30 inches.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most of the acreage is on native grasses and shrubs. It is used for pasture.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Humid northern coastal plain of Puerto Rico. The series is of small extent with about 400 acres.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Raleigh, North Carolina
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Atlantico SCD, Puerto Rico; 1980.