LOCATION INDIERA PREstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Very-fine, ferruginous, isothermic Typic Haploperox
TYPICAL PEDON: Cerro Gordo mucky peat--forestland (Colors are for moist soil).
Oi--0 to 3 inches; black (10YR 2/1) mucky peat, crushed and rubbed; about 75 percent fiber; weak very fine granular structure; soft, very friable; nonsticky and nonplastic; many very fine roots; very strongly acid; very abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
A--3 to 8 inches; dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/3) clay; strong fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable; slightly sticky and moderately plastic; common very fine, fine, medium and coarse roots; many very fine and fine irregular pores; about 10 percent, by volume, iron stone pebbles; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (5 to 11 inches thick)
Bo1--8 to 14 inches; dusky red (10R 3/3) clay; moderate fine granular structure parting to weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable; slightly sticky and moderately plastic; few fine, medium and coarse roots; common very fine and fine irregular pores, few fine interstitial pores; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary.
Bo2--14 to 22 inches; 50 percent dusky red (10R 3/4) and 50 percent dark red (2.5YR 3/6) clay; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable; slightly sticky and moderately plastic; few fine, medium and coarse roots; common very fine and fine irregular pores, few very fine tubular pores; neutral; clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bo horizons range from 12 to 20 inches.)
BC--22 to 47 inches; 50 percent dusky red (10R 3/4), 25 percent dark reddish brown (5YR 3/2) and 25 percent brown (7.5YR 4/4) clay; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, friable; slightly sticky and moderately plastic; few faint dark red (10R 3/6) ferriargillans on ped faces; few fine and medium roots; common fine tubular pores and few fine irregular pores; about 2 percent, by volume, iron stone pebbles; neutral; very abrupt irregular boundary. (10 to 30 inches thick)
Cr--47 to 82 inches; highly fractured and slightly weathered serpentinite bedrock.
R--82+ inches; hard consolidated serpentinite bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: San German, Puerto Rico. Approximately 4.2 miles east of the Rosario community from the intersection of P.R. Hwy. 330 and P.R. Hwy. 348; about 2.1 miles northeast from the intersection of P.R. Hwy. 119 and P.R. Hwy. 348; about 0.4 mile west on El Alto del Descanso trail road cut on forestland; USGS Rosario topographic quadrangle (1964); lat. 18 degrees 09 minutes 27.3 seconds N. and long. 67 degrees 00 minutes 12.9 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness range from 16 to 32 inches. Depth to fractured and slightly weathered serpentinite rock ranges from 40 to 55 inches. Depth to hard consolidated serpentinite bedrock ranges from 60 to 80 inches. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid to strongly acid in the Oi and A horizons, from moderately acid to slightly acid in the Bo1 horizon and from slightly acid to neutral in the Bo2 and BC horizons. The combined total of iron stone fragments in the control section is less than 15 percent, by volume.
The Oi horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 2 or 2.5, and chroma of 1 or 2. Texture is mucky peat or muck in the fine-earth fraction.
The A horizon has hue of 10R or 2.5YR, value of 3, and chroma of 3 or 4. Texture is clay in the fine-earth fraction.
The upper Bo horizon has hue of 10R or 2.5YR, value of 3, and chroma of 3 or 4. Texture is clay in the fine-earth fraction.
The lower Bo horizon has hue of 10R or 2.5YR, value of 3, and chroma of 3 to 6. Texture is clay in the fine-earth fraction.
The BC horizon has hue of 10R to 7.5YR, value of 3 or 4, and chroma of 2 to 6. Texture is clay loam or clay in the fine-earth fraction.
The C horizon, where present, has no dominant color and is multicolored in shades of red, brown and yellow. Texture is clay loam in the fine-earth fraction.
The Cr layer is composed of hard fractured and slightly weathered serpentinite. It can be excavated with difficulty with hand tools, and is rippable by mechanized equipment.
The R layer is composed of hard fractured consolidated serpentinite bedrock.
COMPETING SERIES: The Cerro Gordo series is the only known soil in the same family. Cerro Gordo soils are on more ridge tops and have a solum thickness of more than 60 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Indiera soils are on side slopes of mountains in the Humid Mountains and Valleys MLRA. Slopes range from 20 to 60 percent. They formed in iron-rich residuum that weathered from serpentinite bedrock. The climate is humid tropical. The average annual precipitation ranges from 68 to 134 inches and the average annual temperature ranges from 62 to 68 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Aljibe (T), Cerro Gordo (T), El Descanso (T), Guama (T), and Hoconuco (T) series. El Descanso (T) and Hoconuco (T) soils do not have an oxic horizon and are coarser textured. Cerro Gordo (T) soils are on more stable positions and are very deep. Aljibe (T) soils are on similar positions but are shallow to serpentinite bedrock. Guama (T) soils are on similar positions but do not have a paralithic or lithic contact within 80 inches. Indiera soil is in a perudic soil moisture regime.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of Indiera soils are on forestland. The vegetation consists of native and introduced grasses, shrubs and trees.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Side slopes of serpentinite mountains of the southern Humid Mountains and Valleys MLRA of Puerto Rico. The series is of minor extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Raleigh, North Carolina.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: San German Municipality, Puerto Rico; 2007. The name is from Indiera ward, nearby it was originally recognized.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 8 inches (Oi and A horizons).
Oxic horizon - the zone from 8 to 22 inches (Bo1 and Bo2 horizons).
Paralithic contact - the zone from 47 to 82 inches (Cr layer).
Lithic contact - the contact at 82 inches (R layer).
Indiera soils formed in the Jse-Serpentinite Formation (Jse).
Indiera soils were formerly included in the Rosario series. A soil moisture and soil temperature study performed in the San German Area Soil Survey Update recognized the Perudic Soil Moisture Regime in Puerto Rico, recognized the isothermic soil temperature regime at 750 meters above sea level (in Perudic Soil Moisture Regime) and 900 meters above sea level (in Udic Soil Moisture Regime) and adjusted the isothermic-isohyperthermic line.
Indiera soils are in MLRA 270.