LOCATION SANTONI PREstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, superactive, isohyperthermic Vertic Endoaquolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Santoni clay-sugar cane
(Colors are for moist soil)
Ap--0 to 7 inches; very dark grayish brown (2.5Y 3/2) clay; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, very firm, sticky, plastic; many fine roots; few pressure faces; strong effervescence; abrupt smooth boundary. 5 to 9 inches thick.
A12--7 to 12 inches; very dark grayish brown (2.5Y 3/2) clay with many medium faint olive brown (2.5Y 4/2) and common fine prominent yellowish red (5YR 5/8) mottles; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; firm, sticky, plastic; common fine roots common pressure faces; strong effervescence; clear smooth boundary. 5 to 7 inches thick.
B2g--12 to 18 inches; mixed colors; gray (5Y 7/1), olive brown (2.5Y 4/4), dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2), and few fine prominent dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) mottless; crushed color dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) clay; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; firm, sticky, plastic; few fine roots; common pressure faces; black stains due to root decay; strong effervescence; clear wavy boundary. 5 to 7 inches thick.
C1g--18 to 29 inches; gray (5Y 5/1) clay with common medium prominent olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) mottles; massive; firm, sticky, plastic; few fine roots; common pressure faces; few fine calcareous fragments; slight effervescence; gradual wavy boundary. 9 to 12 inches thick.
C2g--29 to 38 inches; mixed colors: dark gray (5Y 4/1), gray (5Y 5/1) olive brown (2.5Y 4/4), brownish yellow ( 10YR 6/6), crushed color olive (5Y 4/3) clay; massive; firm, sticky, plastic; few fine calcareous fragments; slight effervescence; gradual wavy boundary. 7 to 10 inches thick.
C3g--38 to 54 inches; dark gray (5Y 4/1) clay with common medium prominent olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) mottles; massive; firm, sticky, plastic; slight effervescence; gradual wavy boundary. 12 to 18 inches thick.
C4g--54 to 61 inches plus; mixed colors; dark gray (5Y 4/1), yellowish brown (10YR 5/6), greenish gray (5BG 6/1), crushed color olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) clay; massive; firm, sticky, plastic; slight effervescence.
TYPE LOCATION: Culebrinas SCD, Puerto Rico; 2 miles west of the town of Moca, 200 meters south of kilometer marker 1.9 of highway #111.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to the gley colors ranges from 10 to 16 inches, and to the water table from 20 to 36 inches. Texture of the soil is clay throughout. Consistency when wet is always sticky and plastic. Effervescence with dilute HCL varies from strong to slight and decreases with depth.
Colors of the A horizons are in hues of 2.5Y and 10YR, values of 3 and chromas of 1 and 2.
Colors of the B and C horizons have dominantly low chromas and yellowish to bluish hues. Pressure faces vary from common to many. Cracks can be seen in these soils during dry season and the COLE value for the upper 30 inches is more than 0.09.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Bajura Series in the same Subgroup and the Perchas, Maunabo, Vayas, Fortuna, Playa, Josefa, Talante, Coloso, Corcega and Pinones series in the same Great Group. The Bajura soils are not calcareous. The Perchas and Maunabo soils are more acid throughout their profiles. The Vayas and Fortuna soils do not have clays with shrink and swell behavior. The Playa soils are underlaid by sandy sediments within the control section. The Josefa, Talante and Corcega soils have coarser textured profiles and are better drained. The Coloso soils are not calcareous and have brighter colors in the upper profile. The Pinones soils are underlaid by organic horizons within 40 inches of the surface.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Santoni soils occur on nearly level river flood plains on slope gradients between 0 and 2 percent. These flood plains are associated with overlying limestone hills which recharge the soil with carbonates. The regolith consists of fine textured sediments derived from limestone and volcanic hills. The climate is humid tropical. The average annual precipitation is 84 inches and the mean annual temperature is 78 degrees F. Average yearly soil temperature at 20 inches depth is over 71.6 degrees F and the difference between mean summer and winter temperatures is less than 9 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Coloso and Bajura series in addition to the Toa and Dique series. Toa and Dique soils occur on similar river flood plains but at slightly higher positions. These two soils are coarser textured and better drained.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained, slow runoff and slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most of the acreage is planted to sugar cane. Small undrained areas are in native pasture.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Humid river flood plains of Puerto Rico. The series is of limited extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Raleigh, North Carolina
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Culebrines SCD, Puerto Rico, name is for a "barrio" near to where the series was first recognized in northwestern Puerto Rico.
REMARKS: The soil was formerly mapped in the Coloso series, from which it differs in being more poorly drained and in being calcareous.