LOCATION PARCELAS PREstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, superactive, isohyperthermic Vertic Hapludalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Parcelas clay - pasture. (Colors are for moist soil.)
Ap--0 to 7 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) clay; weak fine subangular blocky structure; firm, plastic, slightly sticky; many fine roots; extremely acid; clear wavy boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
Bt1--7 to 17 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/3) clay; weak medium subangular blocky structure; firm, plastic, sticky; common fine roots; common faint clay films on ped surfaces; extremely acid; clear smooth boundary.
Bt2--17 to 31 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) clay; weak medium subangular blocky structure; firm, plastic; sticky; few fine roots; common faint clay films on ped surfaces; few small intersecting slickensides having polished and grooved surfaces; common pressure faces on ped surfaces; common medium distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) masses of iron accumulation; extremely acid; clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizons range from 17 to 27 inches in thickness)
C1--31 to 44 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) clay; massive; firm, plastic, slightly sticky; very few fine roots; few small nonintersecting slickensides having polished and grooved surfaces; few pressure faces on ped surfaces; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary.
C2--44 to 65 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) clay loam; massive; friable, plastic, slightly sticky; strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Este SCD, Puerto Rico; Barrio Nuevo, municipality of Yabucoa. Approximately 1,000 feet south of kilometer marker 3.6 of Highway 901 and 250 feet north of a mango tree.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the solum ranges from 22 to 37 inches. Reaction is extremely acid to strongly acid throughout except where the surface has been limed.
The A or Ap horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 1 to 3. Texture is clay.
The Bt horizon has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 3 to 8. Redoximorphic features in shades of brown and yellow range from none to common. Slickensides and pressure surfaces range from few to common. Texture is clay.
The BC horizon, where present has colors and textures similar to the Bt horizon.
The C horizon has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 3 to 8. The texture is clay. Redoximorphic features in shades of brown and yellow range from none to common. Slickensides and pressure surfaces range from none to common. The texture is clay or clay loam.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no known series in the same family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Parcelas soils are on foot slopes, alluvial fans and terraces. The regolith is fine textured sediments derived from weathered from plutonic rock. The climate is humid tropical. Slopes range from 5 to 12 percent. The average annual rainfall ranges from 80 to 90 inches and the average annual temperature ranges from 76 to 78 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include the Candelero, Cayagua, Mayo, Pandura, Patillas, and Teja soils. Candelero and Cayagua soils are somewhat poorly drained. In addition, Candelero soils are on similar to slightly lower positions and have fine-loamy control sections. Cayagua soils are on similar to slightly higher positions. Mayo soils are on similar to slightly lower positions and have coarse-loamy control sections. Pandura and Teja soils are shallow to bedrock and are on higher adjacent positions. In addition, Pandura soils are fine-loamy and Teja soils are loamy-skeletal. Patillas soils are on higher adjacent positions and have fine-loamy control sections.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mostly for growing sugarcane. Some areas are in grass and used as pasture. vegetation consists of introduced and native species.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Humid plutonic areas of Puerto Rico. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Raleigh, North Carolina.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Este SCD, Puerto Rico; 1969.
REMARKS: This soil was formerly included in the Pandura series. The Parcelas soils would have been classified in the Red-Yellow Podzolic great soil group.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon:
Mollic epipedon - the zone from 0 to 17 inches (Ap and Bt1 horizons).
Argillic horizon - the zone from 7 to 31 inches (Bt1 and Bt1 horizons).
Vertic features - the zone from 17 to 44 inches (Bt2 and C1 horizons).