LOCATION SABANA PREstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey, mixed, active, isohyperthermic Lithic Dystrudepts
Ap--0 to 4 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) silty clay loam; moderate medium granular structure; firm, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common fine roots; common fine volcanic fragments; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
B1--4 to 12 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silty clay; common medium distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) mottles; weak fine subangular blocky structure; firm, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few fine roots; few fine pores; few thin clay films; few fine volcanic rock fragments; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
B2--12 to 18 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) clay; many coarse distinct brown (7.5YR 4/4) mottles; weak medium subangular blocky structure; firm, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few fine roots; few fine pores; few thin patchy clay films; common fine volcanic rock fragments; strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
R--18 to 21 inches plus; consolidated volcanic rock.
TYPE LOCATION: Este SCD, Puerto Rico; 1.5 miles from Highway 3 on Highway 925, 150 feet north of Parcelas Junquitos.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to the hard volcanic rock is from 10 to 20 inches. Base saturation is less than 50 percent in some part of the epipedon or cambic horizons. CEC is 24 or more meq/100 grams of clay in all horizons to the lithic contact. Reaction through the solum is strongly or very strongly acid.
The A horizon has colors of dark brown (7.5YR 3/2, 4/2; 10YR 3/3, 4/3), very dark gray (10YR 3/1), very dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2). Texture is silty clay loam or clay loam. Coarse fragments vary from few through common.
The B horizon has colors of dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) through brownish yellow (10YR 6/8), brown (7.5YR 4/4) through reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/8) or reddish brown (5YR 4/4) through reddish yellow (5YR 6/8). Texture of the B horizon is clay loam, silty clay loam, silty clay or clay. Clay films are thin and very patchy; they do not meet the requirements of an argillic horizon.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Anones, Cramer, Descalabrado, Diamond, Malaya, Mariana, Pandura, Parcelas, Santa Marta, and Tanama series. The Anones, Mariana, and Santa Marta soils lack hard rock within 20 inches of the surface. Diamond and Descalabrado soils have dryer soil moisture regimes. Diamond and Pandura soils have loamy control sections. Cramer and Tanama soils have argillic horizons, and Cramer soils have mollic epipedons. Malaya soils have higher base saturation throughout the solum. Parcelas soils have sola thicker than 20 inches and lack the underlying rock.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Sabana soils occur on steep slopes with slope gradients from 20 to 60 percent. The regolith is thin, fine textured residuum of partially weathered volcanic rocks. The climate is humid tropical. The average annual rainfall is 80 to 90 inches. The mean annual temperature is 77 to 80 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Caguabo, Juncos, Mucara, and Naranjito series. The Caguabo soils are less acid and have coarser textured control sections. The Juncos and Mucara soils have montmorillonitic mineralogy and higher base saturation. Naranjito soils have argillic horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Runoff is medium to rapid. Permeability is moderate.
USE AND VEGETATION: The soils are used for pasture of mainly native grasses. Few small areas are used for minor crops.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Humic volcanic uplands of Puerto Rico. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Raleigh, North Carolina
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Soil Survey of Puerto Rico; 1942.
REMARKS: The Sabana series was placed in the Gray Brown Podzolic great soil group.