LOCATION LOS PENONES PREstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Euic, isohyperthermic Lithic Udifolists
TYPICAL PEDON: Los Penones mucky peat--wildlife habitat (Colors are for moist soil).
Oe--0 to 8 inches; black (10YR 2/1) mucky peat, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) crushed and rubbed; about 70 percent fiber, 30 percent rubbed; massive; friable; many very fine, fine and medium roots, few coarse roots; moderately alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 15 inches thick)
R--8+ inches; hard consolidated limestone bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: San German, Puerto Rico. Approximately 0.90 mile southeast from El Poblado Rosario downtown on P.R. Hwy. 348 and 200 feet south from P.R. Hwy. 348 on the Los Penones formation in wildlife habitat. USGS Rosario topographic quadrangle (1964); lat. 18 degrees 09 minutes 13 seconds N.; long. 67 degrees 04 minutes 12 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to hard unweathered limestone bedrock ranges from 3 to 15 inches. Reaction is moderately alkaline in the organic horizon.
The Oe horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 2.5 or 2, and chroma of 1.
The R layer is composed of hard consolidated Penones limestone bedrock of the Cretaceous Period.
COMPETING SERIES: These are no known series in the same family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Los Penones soils are on side slopes and summits of the limestone outcrops hills and mountains on the Humid Mountains and Valleys MLRA. Slopes range from 60 to 90 percent. They formed in organic material overlying Penones unweathered limestone. The climate is humid tropical. The average annual precipitation ranges from 72 to 80 inches and the average annual temperature ranges from 72 to 78 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is La Tea series. La Tea soils are on similar positions and are Mollisols.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of Los Penones soils are used for wildlife habitat. The vegetation consists of wild mammee, turpentine tree, yagrumo macho, tall albizia, Puerto Rico royal palm, and silk cotton tree.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Summits and side slopes of the humid limestone hills and mountains of southern Puerto Rico. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Raleigh, North Carolina.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: San German Municipality, Puerto Rico; 2007. The name is from the Los Penones geological formation where it was recognized.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon:
Histic epipedon - the zone from 0 to 8 inches (Oe horizon).
Lithic contact - the contact at 8 inches (R horizon).
These soils were formerly included in the Limestone outcrop miscellaneous land type.
Los Penones soils are in MLRA 270.