LOCATION MAUNABO PREstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey over loamy, mixed, semiactive, acid, isohyperthermic Typic Endoaquepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Maunabo clay.
(Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 4 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/4) clay, few fine faint strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) mottles; structureless, massive; very firm, slightly sticky, plastic; common roots; few fine quartz grains; few fine black mineral grains; black charred sugarcane; strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (5 to 8 inches thick)
A12--4 to 10 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) clay, common medium distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) mottles; structureless, massive; very firm, slightly sticky, plastic; common roots; few fine pores; dark colored old roots; small charcoal fragments; few fine black mineral grains; strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
B1g--10 to 15 inches; gray (5Y 5/1) clay, common medium distinct yellowish red (5YR 5/8) mottles; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very firm, slightly sticky, plastic; common fine roots; dark coatings along root channels; few fine quartz grains; few fine black mineral grains; strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
B2g--15 to 22 inches; gray (5Y 6/1) clay, common medium yellowish red (10YR 5/8) mottles; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; very firm, slightly sticky, plastic; dark coatings along root channels; fine roots; common fine pores; few fine quartz grains; strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (5 to 12 inches thick)
B3g--22 to 39 inches; greenish gray (5G 6/1) silty clay, many medium distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) and dark red (2.5YR 3/6) mottles; structureless, massive; very firm, slightly sticky, plastic; few roots; common fine quartz grains; common fine dark mineral grains; strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)
IICg--39 to 48 inches plus; greenish gray (5BG 5/1) sandy loam; structureless, massive; very friable; many silvery flakes; strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Yabucoa, Puerto Rico; 1,562 feet northeast of the intersection of Highways 905 and 3.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to coarser textured sediments ranges from 36 to 50 inches. Soil reaction ranges from very strongly acid to strongly acid. The water table fluctuates from 20 to 40 inches.
The A horizon texture ranges from silty clay to clay. Color of the A horizon ranges from dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) to light brownish gray (10YR 6/4).
The B horizon ranges in texture from sandy clay to clay. Color of the B horizon ranges from gray (5Y 6/1) to greenish gray (5BG 5/1). It contains common to many, 20 to 30 percent of the mass, medium to coarse mottles, having chromas of 4 or more, and common to many dark bluish gray (5B 4/1) mottles. Structure of B horizons is dominantly weak medium to coarse subangular blocky. Thin discontinuous coatings are on vertical ped faces and along root channels. Horizontal cleavage planes are very weak and have small amounts of coatings.
COMPETING SERIES: These are in the Bajura, Candelero, Fortuna, Josefa, Talante, and Vayas soils. The Josefa soils have A and upper B horizons that are coarser textured and free of low chroma mottles, and the mottled horizon is deeper in the profile. The Talante soils are similar in drainage but are coarser textured. The Fortuna soils are similar in depth, color, texture and drainage but are less acid. The Candelero soils have coarser textured A horizons, stronger subsoil structure and contain many quartz and feldspar crystals throughout. The Bajura soils are similar in texture and drainage but are less acid and have dark colored surface horizons. The Vayas soils are similar in drainage and texture, but they are browner, and less mottled, and they are neutral to moderately alkaline in reaction.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Maunabo soils occur on the nearly level floodplains. Slopes are 0 to 1 percent. The regolith consists of fine textured sediments derived from granitic rock. The climate is humid tropical. The average annual precipitation is 87 inches, and average annual temperature about 79 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are in the competing Josefa and Talante series, and in the Reilly, Vivi and Yabucoa series. All these soils are on the nearly level flood plains, and they have formed in sediments derived mainly from granitic rock. The Yabucoa soils are moderately fine textured and moderately well drained. The Vivi soils are deep, well drained medium textured soils occupying the high well drained positions on the flood plains. The Reilly soils are shallow gravelly soils on levees along the streams.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained. Runoff is slow. Permeability is slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most of the soil is cultivated and it is used for growing sugarcane.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Puerto Rico. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Raleigh, North Carolina
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Puerto Rico; 1942.
REMARKS: The Maunabo series was formerly classified in the Low-Humic Gley great soil group.