LOCATION LARES PREstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Very-fine, mixed, semiactive, isohyperthermic Aquic Hapludults
TYPICAL PEDON: Lares silty clay--sugar cane. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 9 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) silty clay; weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable; slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common fine roots; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
Bt1--9 to 14 inches; 50 percent light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) and 50 percent grayish brown (10YR 5/2) clay; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly sticky, plastic; few faint clay films on ped faces; common fine roots; few fine concretions; the areas of light yellow brown are iron accumulations and the areas of grayish brown are iron depletions; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary.
Bt2--14 to 20 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) clay; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm, slightly sticky, plastic; many prominent clay films on ped faces; few fine roots; common fine and medium partially weathered angular rock fragments; few fine prominent dark red (2.5YR 3/6) and few fine faint yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) areas of iron accumulation and common fine faint very pale brown (10YR 7/3) areas of iron depletions; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary.
Bt3--20 to 29 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) clay; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; firm, slightly sticky, plastic; few fine roots; many weathered rock fragments; few hard slightly weathered angular rock fragments; few fine prominent dark red (2.5YR 3/6) and red (2.5YR 4/8) masses of iron accumulations and few fine faint light gray (10YR 7/2) areas of iron depletions; very strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizons ranges from 9 to 25 inches)
BC--29 to 45 inches; 34 percent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6), 33 percent greenish gray (5GY 6/1) and 33 percent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) clay; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) when crushed; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; firm; slightly sticky, plastic; very strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)
C--45 to 80 inches; 34 percent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6), 33 percent red (2.5YR 4/6), 33 percent and greenish gray (5GY 6/1) weathered saprolite and rock fragments in a variegated pattern having a clay texture; massive; friable; slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common fine hard rock fragments; very strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Oeste SCD, Puerto Rico. Approximately one mile northwest of the town of Anasco. Three hundred feet southeast of kilometer marker 143.6 of highway 2.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the solum ranges from 34 to 53 inches. Content of pebbles is less than 10 percent, by volume. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid to strongly acid in the A and Ap horizons and from very strongly acid to slightly acid in the Bt, BC, C and Cg horizons.
The A or Ap horizon has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 3 to 6. Texture is silty clay loam, silty clay, clay loam or clay.
The Bt horizon has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 4 to 8; or there is no dominant color and is multicolored in shades of red and brown. Redoximorphic features in shades of red, yellow, brown and gray range from few to many. Texture is silty clay, clay loam or clay.
The BC horizon, where present, has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 5 to 7, and chroma of 3 to 6; or there is no dominant color and is multicolored in shades of red, yellow and brown. Redoximorphic features in shades of red, yellow, brown and gray range from few to many. Texture is clay loam or clay.
The C horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 3 to 6; or there is no dominant color and is multicolored in shades of red, yellow and brown. Redoximorphic features in shades of red, yellow, brown and gray range from few to many. Texture is clay loam or clay.
The Cg horizon, where present, has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 1 or 2; or there is no dominant color and is multicolored in shades of red, yellow and brown. Redoximorphic features in shades of red, yellow, brown and gray range from few to many. Texture is clay loam or clay.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no known series in the same family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Lares soils are on dissected terraces. Slopes range from 2 to 20 percent. They formed in clayey marine sediments. The climate is humid tropical. The average annual precipitation is ranges from 75 to 85 inches and the average annual temperature ranges from 75 to 78 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Consumo, Daguey and Humatas series. All of these soils are on higher positions. The moderately well drained Consumo soils have less clay in the control section. Daguey and Humatas soils are well drained. In addition, Daguey soils are Oxisols.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of Lares soils are sugar cane. The vegetation consists of native and introduced species of grasses, shrubs, and trees.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Humid valleys of Puerto Rico. The series is of minor extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Raleigh, North Carolina.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Puerto Rico; l936.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 9 inches (Ap horizon).
Argillic horizon - the zone from 9 to 29 inches (Bt1, Bt2 and Bt3 horizons).