LOCATION MALAYA PREstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey, mixed, superactive, isohyperthermic, shallow Typic Eutrudepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Malaya clay--naturalized pastureland (Colors are for moist soil).
Ap--0 to 4 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) clay; moderate fine and medium granular structure; slightly hard, friable; slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; many very fine and fine vesicular pores, common fine interstitial pores; about 10 percent, by volume, pebbles; slightly acid; noneffervescent; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 10 inches thick)
Bw--4 to 10 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) gravelly clay; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, firm; slightly sticky, plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common fine and medium tubular pores, common fine interstitial pores; about 20 percent, by volume, pebbles; neutral; noneffervescent; abrupt wavy boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
Cr1--10 to 14 inches; highly fractured calcareous tuffaceous rock; noneffervescent; abrupt irregular boundary. (4 to 9 inches thick)
Cr2--14 to 72 inches; semi-consolidated calcareous tuffaceous rock; strongly effervescent.
TYPE LOCATION: Yauco, Puerto Rico. Approximately 2.6 miles northeast of the Susua State Forest headquarters, about 1.1 miles west of Jose J. Acosta school on P.R. Hwy. 371, and about 250 feet north from Lucchetti Lake shore on naturalized pastureland. USGS Sabana Grande topographic quadrangle (1966); lat. 18 degrees 05 minutes 50 seconds N.; long. 66 degrees 52 minutes 31 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to highly fractured unconsolidated rock ranges from 7 to 20 inches. Reaction ranges from slightly acid to moderately alkaline in the Ap horizon and from neutral to moderately alkaline in the Bw horizon.
The A or Ap horizon has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 3 or 4, and chroma of 2 or 3. Content of pebbles ranges from 10 to 25 percent, by volume. Texture is clay loam, clay or their gravelly analogs.
The Bw horizon has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 2 to 4. Content of pebbles range from 10 to 25 percent, by volume. Texture is clay loam, clay, or their gravelly analogs.
The C horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR, value of 4, and chroma of 3 or 4. Content of parapebbles range from 10 to 35 percent, by volume. Texture is clay loam or their or their gravelly and very gravelly analogs.
The Cr horizon is composed of semi-consolidated calcareous tuffaceous rock. It can be excavated with difficulty with hand tools, and is rippable by mechanical equipment.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no known series in the same family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Malaya soils are on summits, shoulders, and back slopes of mountains of the Humid Mountains and Valleys MLRA. Slopes range from 20 to 60 percent. They formed in residuum that weathered from calcareous semi-consolidated tuffaceous rock. The climate is humid tropical. The average annual precipitation ranges from 44 to 58 inches and the average annual temperature ranges from 74 to 78 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Caguabo and Mucara series. Caguabo and Mucara soils are on similar positions, have less clay in the control sections, and are underlain by noncalcareous volcanic rock. In addition, Mucara soils are moderately deep.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of Malaya soils are on naturalized pastureland. The vegetation consists of native and introduced grasses, shrubs and trees.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Summits, shoulders and back slopes of mountains of the Humid Mountains and Valleys MLRA. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Raleigh, North Carolina.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Soil Survey of Puerto Rico; 1942.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 4 inches (Ap horizon).
Cambic horizon - the zone from 4 to 10 inches (Bw horizon).
Paralithic contact - the contact at 10 inches (Cr1 horizon).
The type location was moved to its present location in 2003 based on field observations this profile is a better representation of the series concept.
Malaya soils formed in the Yauco Formation (Ky).
Malaya soils are in MLRA 270.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Characterization pedon - Yauco Municipality, Puerto Rico; S01PR-153-002. Sample by NSSL, Lincoln, NE., 11/2002.