LOCATION MARICAO PR

Established Series
SRT/MMR/AMA
06/2022

MARICAO SERIES

MLRA(s): 270
MLRA Soil Survey Regional Office (SSRO) Responsible: Raleigh, North Carolina
Depth Class: Very deep
Drainage Class: Well drained
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity: Moderately high to high
Parent Material: Residuum weathered from basalt bedrock.
Slope: 20 to 90 percent
Mean Annual Air Temperature: 22 degrees C. (71 degrees F.)
Mean Annual Precipitation: 2,159millimeters (85 inches)

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Very-fine, mixed, subactive, isothermic Typic Haplohumults

TYPICAL PEDON: Maricao clay--coffee plantation (Colors are for moist soil)

Ap--0 to 13 centimeters (0 to 5 inches); dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) clay; strong medium granular structure, and strong coarse granular structure; firm, slightly hard, slightly sticky, moderately plastic; low excavation difficulty; common fine roots throughout and common medium roots throughout; many fine tubular pores; 3 percent gravel; noneffervescent, by HCl; extremely acid; clear smooth boundary.

AB--13 to 29 centimeters (5 to 11 inches); dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) clay; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure, and moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm, slightly hard, slightly sticky, moderately plastic; low excavation difficulty; common fine roots throughout and common medium roots throughout and few coarse roots throughout; many fine tubular pores; 5 percent gravel; noneffervescent, by HCl; strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary.

Bt1--29 to 48 centimeters (11 to 19 inches); dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) clay; strong coarse subangular blocky structure, and strong medium subangular blocky structure; firm, slightly hard, slightly sticky, moderately plastic; low excavation difficulty; few fine roots throughout and few medium roots throughout and common coarse roots throughout; many fine irregular pores; 35 percent distinct clay films on all faces of peds; 2 percent gravel; noneffervescent, by HCl; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.

Bt2--48 to 74 centimeters (19 to 29 inches); dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) clay; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; firm, slightly hard, slightly sticky, moderately plastic; low excavation difficulty; few fine roots throughout and few medium roots throughout; many fine irregular pores; 35 percent distinct clay films on all faces of peds; 3 percent gravel; noneffervescent, by HCl; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the argillic horizon ranges from 17 to 45 centimeters, 7 to 18 inches)

BCt1--74 to 89 centimeters (29 to 35 inches); red (2.5YR 4/6) clay; weak coarse subangular blocky structure, and weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly hard, slightly sticky, moderately plastic; low excavation difficulty; few fine roots throughout and few medium roots throughout; many fine irregular pores; 5 percent distinct clay films on all faces of peds and 5 percent distinct clay films on surfaces along pores; 10 percent fine prominent dark brown (10YR 3/3), moist, iron-manganese masses on faces of peds; 5 percent coarse iron-manganese concretions and 8 percent gravel; noneffervescent, by HCl; very strongly acid; 10 percent, by volume, saprolite material; clear wavy boundary.

BCt2--89 to 117 centimeters (35 to 46 inches); red (2.5YR 4/6) silty clay loam; weak coarse subangular blocky structure, and weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly hard, slightly sticky, moderately plastic; low excavation difficulty; few fine roots throughout and few medium roots throughout; common fine irregular and few medium irregular and few coarse irregular and common very fine irregular pores; 5 percent distinct clay films on surfaces along pores and 10 percent distinct clay films on all faces of peds; 10 percent fine prominent dark brown (10YR 3/3), moist, iron-manganese masses on faces of peds; 5 percent coarse iron-manganese concretions and 10 percent gravel; noneffervescent, by HCl; very strongly acid; 25 percent, by volume, saprolite material; abrupt irregular boundary. (Combined thickness of the BCt horizon ranges from 15 to 43 centimeters, 6 to 17 inches)

C--117 to 160 centimeters (46 to 63 inches); variegated 25 percent red (2.5YR 4/6), 25 percent reddish brown (5YR 4/4), 25 percent brownish yellow (10YR 6/6), 15 percent yellowish brown (10YR 5/4), and 10 percent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) clay loam; massive structure; friable, soft, slightly sticky, moderately plastic; low excavation difficulty; few fine roots throughout and few very fine roots throughout; many fine irregular and common medium irregular and few coarse irregular and many very fine irregular pores; 10 percent fine prominent dark brown (10YR 3/3), moist, iron-manganese masses on faces of peds; 5 percent 2 to 75 millimeter iron-manganese concretions and 13 percent 2 to 75 millimeter volcanic rock fragments; noneffervescent, by HCl, 1 normal; very strongly acid, pH 4.9, pH meter; ; colors are indicative of parent material and are not redoximorphic features. Highly weathered saprolite material with visible original rock structure with low excavation difficulty.

TYPE LOCATION: Yauco, Puerto Rico. Approximately 5.5 miles northeast of the city of Yauco from the intersection of P.R. Hwy. 128 and P.R. Hwy. 372; about 1,000 feet northeast of Hacienda Mogotes farmstead; about 200 feet east of dirt road on coffee plantation. USGS Yauco topographic quadrangle (1966); Latitude: 18 degrees 7 minutes 0.00 seconds north, Longitude 66 degrees 48 minutes 33.00 seconds west WGS 84.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Thickness of the solum: Ranges from 38 to 114 centimeters (15 to 45 inches)
Depth to semi-consolidated volcanic rock: Greater than 150 centimeters (60 inches, very deep).
Soil Reaction: Extremely acid to strongly acid in the A and AB horizons and from very strongly acid to strongly acid in the Bt, BCt, and C horizons

Range of Individual Horizons:
A or Ap horizon:
Color - Hue of 2.5YR to 7.5YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 3 to 6
Texture - silty clay or clay

AB horizon:
Color - Hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 3 or 4, and chroma of 4
Texture - silty clay or clay

Bt horizon:
Color - Hue of 2.5YR or 5YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 3 to 8
Texture - silty clay or clay
Content of saprolite ranges from 5 to 10 percent, by volume

BCt horizon:
Color - Hue of 2.5YR to 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 4 to 8
Texture - silty clay or clay
Content of saprolite ranges from 10 to 30 percent, by volume

C horizon:
Color - Has no dominant color, and is multicolored in shades of red, brown and yellow
Texture - clay loam, silty clay loam or silty clay

COMPETING SERIES: The Agueybana series is the only known soil in the same family.
Agueybana soils--are on similar positions but have thicker argillic horizons and solums.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landscape: Humid Mountains and Valleys (MLRA 270).
Landform: Maricao soils are on summits and side slopes
Parent Material: Residuum from volcanic bedrock.
Mean Annual Air Temperature: 18 to 23 degrees C. (64 to 73 degrees F.).
Mean Annual Precipitation: 2,032 to 2,794 millimeters (80 to 110 inches).

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
These are the Cuchillas, Los Guineos and Rubias series.
Cuchillas soils--have a cambic horizon, lack argillic horizons and are moderately deep to bedrock.
Los Guineos soils-- have an oxic horizon and much thicker subsoil horizons
Rubias soils-are moderately deep to bedrock and lack argillic horizons

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class: Well drained
Saturated hydraulic conductivity: Moderately high to high

USE AND VEGETATION:
Major uses: Most areas of Maricao soils are used for naturalized pastureland, forestland, bananas, coffee, and plantains
Dominant vegetation: The vegetation consists of native and introduced grasses, shrubs, and trees

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Summits and side slopes of humid mountains of Puerto Rico (MLRA 270).
The series is moderate extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Ponce Soil Survey Area, Puerto Rico; 1971.

REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon:
1. Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 29 centimeters (0 to 11inches) (Ap and AB horizon).
2. Argillic horizon - the zone from 29 to 74 centimeters (11 to 29 inches) (Bt horizons).
The classification was updated from: Fine, mixed, subactive, isothermic Inceptic Hapludults to Very-fine, mixed, subactive, isothermic Typic Haplohumults.
3. Perudic moisture regime

ADDITIONAL DATA: Characterization pedon - Yauco Municipality, Puerto Rico; S2001PR153004. Sample by KSSL, Lincoln, NE., 03/01.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.