LOCATION HUMATAS            PR
Established Series
Rev. GRB
09/2006

HUMATAS SERIES


The Humatas series consists of very deep, well drained, moderately slowly permeable soils on side slopes and ridges of strongly dissected uplands. They formed in clayey and loamy material that weathered from igneous rocks. Near the type location, the mean annual precipitation is about 78 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 75 degrees F. Slopes range from 5 to 60 percent.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Very-fine, parasesquic, isohyperthermic Typic Haplohumults

TYPICAL PEDON: Humatas clay - native pasture. (Colors are for moist conditions.)

Ap-- 0 to 4 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) clay; moderate fine granular structure; firm, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many fine roots; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)

Bt1--4 to 9 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) clay; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; few faint clay films on faces of peds; firm; slightly sticky, plastic; many fine roots; few fine vesicular and tubular pores; few fine black particles; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary.

Bt2--9 to 15 inches; red (2.5YR 5/8) clay; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; few faint clay films on faces of peds; firm; slightly sticky, plastic; common fine roots; few fine vesicular and tubular pores, very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary.

Bt3--15 to 25 inches; red (2.5YR 5/6) clay; weak fine subangular blocky structure; few faint clay films on faces of peds; firm; slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few fine roots; common fine vesicular and tubular pores; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (Total thickness of the Bt horizons ranges from 12 to 31 inches)

BC--25 to 32 inches; rubbed color red (2.5YR 5/6) silty clay loam; about 30 percent of this horizon consists of saprolite of variegated colors as: red (2.5YR 4/6), dark red (2.5YR 3/6), very pale brown (10YR 7/4), yellowish brown (10YR 5/8); weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; friable; slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few fine roots; many fine vesicular and tubular pores; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)

C1--32 to 45 inches; about 25 percent red (2.5YR 4/6), about 25 percent dark red (2.5YR 3/6), about 25 percent very pale brown (10YR 7/4), and about 25 percent yellowish brown (10YR 5/8), rubbed color is red (2.5YR 4/6); silty clay loam; massive; friable, nonsticky, slightly plastic; many fine pores; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary.

C2--45 to 60 inches; about 25 percent red (2.5YR 4/6), about 25 percent dark red (2.5YR 3/6), about 25 percent very pale brown (10YR 7/4), and about 25 percent yellowish brown (10YR 5/8), rubbed color is red (2.5YR 4/6); saprolite that has a silty clay loam texture; massive; friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; very strongly acid.

C3--60 to 96 inches; about 25 percent red (2.5YR 4/6), about 25 percent dark red (2.5YR 3/6), about 25 percent very pale brown (10YR 7/4), and about 25 percent yellowish brown (10YR 5/8), rubbed color is red (2.5YR 4/6) saprolite that has a clay loam texture; massive; very friable, nonsticky, slightly plastic; very strongly acid.

TYPE LOCATION: Oeste SCD, Puerto Rico. Approximately 6.5 miles northeast of the city of Mayaguez; about 660 feet on dirt road from kilometer marker 2.45 on Highway 406, and about 350 feet southwest of dirt road.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the solum ranges from 22 to 51 inches. Reaction is very strongly acid or strongly acid throughout. Rock fragments range from 0 to 20 percent, by volume throughout, except for the A horizon which can range to 40 percent by volume.

The A or Ap horizon has hue of 2.5YR to 10YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 3 to 6. Texture is silty clay loam, silty clay, clay, or their gravelly analogs.

The Bt horizon has hue of 10R to 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 4 to 8. Texture is silty clay, clay, or their gravelly analogs.

The BC horizon, where present, has hue of 10R to 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 4 to 8; or there is no dominant matrix color and is multicolored in shades of red, yellow, brown and gray. Texture is silty clay loam, silty clay, clay, or their gravelly analogs.

The C horizon has hue of 10R to 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 4 to 8; or there is no dominant color and it is multicolored in shades of red, yellow and brown. Texture is silty clay loam, clay loam, clay, or their gravelly analogs.

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

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Humatas soils are on side slopes and ridges of uplands. They formed in fine-textured residuum weathered from basic igneous rock. The climate is humid tropical. Slopes range from 5 to 60 percent. The average annual precipitation ranges from 70 to 86 inches and the average annual temperature ranges from 74 to 76 degrees F.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Alonso, Consumo, Daguey, Lares, Los Guineos, and Zarzal soils. Alonso soils have oxidic control sections. Consumo soils are moderately deep to saprolite. Daguey soils have more clay in the control section and are Oxisols. The somewhat poorly drained Lares soils are on terraces at lower elevations. Los Guineos soils are on higher positions, are isothermic, have more clay in the control section, and are Oxisols. Zarzal soils have more clay in the control section and are Oxisols.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; moderately slowly permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of Humatas soils are used for pasture, food crops, and coffee production. Vegetation consists of native and introduced upland species.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Humid uplands of Puerto Rico. The series is of large extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Humacao Survey Area, Puerto Rico; 1968.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon:

Ochric epipedon - zone from 0 to 4 inches (Ap horizon).

Argillic horizon - zone from 4 to 25 inches (Bt horizons).

ADDITIONAL DATA: Characterization data are available for the typical pedon S61PR-8-1 and pedon S61PR-8-4; both are published in Soil Survey Investigation Report No. 12. Samples by NSSL, Lincoln, NE.

Humatas soils are in MLRA 270.


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.