Reference soil Brazil 06: Ferralsol

BR006

Ferralsols occur in tropical and subtropical regions of the world, mainly on old and stable land surfaces.

Characteristics

Soils having a ferralic horizon (strongly weathered horizon with low-activity clays and very low amounts of weatherable minerals) between 25 and 200 cm from the soil surface. They lack a nitic horizon (a horizon with strongly developed, nut-shaped structure) and do not have a layer which fulfils the requirements of an argic horizon and which has, in the upper 30 cm, 10 percent or more water-dispersible clay.

Distribution of Ferralsols (rough estimation supplied by soilgrids)

Reference soil BR006: Ferralsols

Brief field description: Very deep, well drained, dusky red, sandy loam soil, derived from reworked material originating from clay-kit sandstone from the Bauru group, Upper Cretaceous. *) Brazilian classification: Latossolo Vermelho-Amarelo Distrofico. Reference soil BR 06 is comparable to soil profile 8 III RCC.

Classification

WRB 2006

WRB 1998

Umbric-Vetic- Ferralsol (Alumic Clayic Rhodic)

Veti-Umbric- Ferralsol (Alumic Rhodic)

0-28 cm	umbric horizon
28-85 cm	ferralic horizon

0-28 cm	umbric horizon
28-85 cm	ferralic horizon

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1988

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1974

Ferrali-Humic Cambisol

Humic Ferralsol

0-28 cm	umbric A horizon
- cm	cambic B horizon
- cm	umbric A horizon

0-28 cm	umbric A horizon
- cm	oxic B horizon

Local classification:	Latossolo Vermelho-Amarelo distrófico

Other classification

USDA-NRCS (1999)	Rhodic Haplustox
USDA-SCS (1975)	Rhodic Haplustox udic loamy kaolinitic hyperthermic

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Physical characteristics

Particle size distribution

Depth (cm)	Gravel % v/v	very coarse sand % w/w	coarse sand % w/w	medium sand % w/w	fine sand % w/w	very fine sand % w/w	Total sand % w/w	coarse silt % w/w	fine silt % w/w	Total silt % w/w	Clay % w/w
0-28	-	0.1	4.5	33.4	38.5	5.3	81.8	2.1	0.8	2.9	15.4
28-56	-	0.1	3.8	29.8	36.5	6.2	76.4	3.7	0.3	4.0	19.6
56-85	-	0.1	4.1	29.9	35.9	4.9	74.9	4.7	0.3	5.0	20.1
85-165	-	0.1	3.9	28.8	32.7	7.0	72.5	4.2	0.8	5.0	22.7
165-250	-	0.1	3.9	27.2	31.5	5.2	67.9	6.4	1.0	7.4	24.6

Water retention characteristics

Depth (cm)	Bulk density kg/dm³	Spec. Surf. Area m²/g	COLE cm/cm	Water disp. clay %	Clay % w/w
0-28	-	14	-	5.8	15.4
30-35	1.382	-	-	-	-
28-56	-	14	-	7.3	19.6
70-75	1.324	-	-	-	-
129-134	1.361	-	-	-	-
56-85	-	14	-	9.1	20.1
85-165	-	14	-	10.2	22.7
165-250	-	16	-	27.4	24.6

Other physical data

Depth (cm)	Bulk density kg/dm³	pF 0 % v/v	pF 1.0 % v/v	pF 1.5 % v/v	pF 2.0 % v/v	pF 2.3 % v/v	pF 2.7 % v/v	pF 3.4 % v/v	pF 4.2 % v/v
30-35	1.382	42.4	40.8	28.4	17.7	15.5	14.3	10.2	9.9
70-75	1.324	42.3	40.9	28.5	17.7	15.2	13.9	10.0	9.6
129-134	1.361	41.7	41.3	31.2	18.8	16.0	14.8	11.1	10.7

Chemical data

Depth (cm)	pH H2O	pHKCl	EC 1: 2.5 dS/m	CaCO3 % w/w	C % w/w	N %	C / N	Exch. Acid cmol(c)/kg	Exch. Al cmol(c)/kg	Ca cmol(c)/kg	Mg cmol(c)/kg	K cmol(c)/kg	Na cmol(c)/kg	Sum Cations cmol(c)/kg
0-28	5.2	4.1	0.04	-	0.83	0.05	17	0.8	0.7	0.2	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.5
28-56	5.0	4.0	0.02	-	0.49	0.07	7	0.9	0.9	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.1
56-85	4.8	4.0	0.02	-	0.31	-	-	0.8	0.9	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.1
85-165	5.0	4.1	0.01	-	0.22	-	-	0.7	0.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
165-250	5.1	4.2	0.01	-	0.11	-	-	0.5	0.6	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.1

Depth (cm)	Base sat. %	CEC soil cmol(c)/kg	CEC clay cmol(c)/kg	CEC org cmol(c)/kg	ECEC cmol(c)/kg	Al sat. %	ESP %
0-28	15	3.3	21	2.9	-	21	3
28-56	4	2.5	13	1.7	-	36	0
56-85	5	1.9	9	1.1	-	47	5
85-165	0	1.4	6	0.8	-	50	0
165-250	6	1.6	7	0.4	-	38	6

Depth (cm)	pH NaF	P Retention %	ODOE	Al o % w/w	Si o % w/w	Fe d % w/w	Al d % w/w	Fe p % w/w	Al p % w/w	C p % w/w	Fe o % w/w
0-28	-	9	-	0.07	0.00	1.18	0.09	-	-	-	0.07
28-56	-	-	-	0.08	0.00	1.39	0.10	-	-	-	0.06
56-85	-	-	-	0.07	0.00	1.48	0.09	-	-	-	0.05
85-165	-	9	-	0.07	0.00	1.62	0.11	-	-	-	0.04
165-250	-	11	-	0.07	0.01	1.80	0.11	-	-	-	0.04

Elemental composition of the clay

Depth (cm)	SiO2 % w/w	Al2O3 % w/w	Fe2O3 % w/w	CaO % w/w	MgO % w/w	K2O % w/w	Na2O % w/w	TiO2 % w/w
56-85	38.7	34.7	10.8	0.00	0.08	0.05	0.05	2.19
85-165	37.9	34.0	10.9	0.00	0.07	0.05	0.03	2.24

Depth (cm)	MnO2 % w/w	P2O5 % w/w	Ign.Loss clay % w/w	Total Clay % w/w	SiO2/Al2O3 mol/mol	SiO2/Fe2O3 mol/mol	SiO2 / R mol/mol	Al2O3/Fe2O3 mol/mol
56-85	0.03	0.11	12.9	99.6	1.9	9.5	1.6	5.0
85-165	0.03	0.11	13.0	98.3	1.9	9.3	1.6	4.9

Clay mineralogy

Depth (cm)	Chlorite	Feldspar	Gibbsite	Goethite	Halloysite	Hematite	Kaolinite	Mica / illite	Mixed-layer	Quartz	Smec	Vermiculite
56-85	weak	-	weak	weak	-	weak	very strong	-	-	-	-	-
85-165	weak	-	weak	weak	-	weak	very strong	-	-	-	-	-

Sand mineralogy

Depth (cm)	Heavy Frac. sand % w/w	K-Feldspar % w/w	Light Fra. sand % w/w	Opaque % w/w	Plagioclase % w/w	Quartz % w/w
85-165	0.3	-	99.7	84	-	100

Minerals

Depth (cm)	Grenate % w/w	Grossular % w/w	Muscovite % w/w	Rutile % w/w	Sillimanite % w/w	Spinel % w/w
85-165	-	-	-	11	-	-

Profile description

Ah 0-28 cm	(2.5YR 4/3, dry) (2.5YR 3/3, moist)sandy loam,weak crumb,slightly hard friable slightly sticky non plastic,many very fine continuous tubular random pores,gradual smooth boundary to,
BA 28-85 cm	reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4, dry) dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4, moist)sandy loam,porous massive,slightly hard very friable slightly sticky slightly plastic,many very fine continuous tubular random pores,diffuse smooth boundary to,
Bo 85-250 cm	(2.5YR 4/5, dry) (2.5YR 3/5, moist)sandy clay loam,porous massive,slightly hard very friable sticky plastic,many very fine continuous tubular random pores,

Kind 1 (parent material) ; Parker (eds), 1984	sandstone
Mode of accumulation or deposition of parent material	colluvial
Remarks on Parent Materials	sandstone from the Bauru group, Upper Cretaceous
Soil Depth	250cm
Texture of parent material	loamy
Weathering Resistance	moderate
General characterization of the status of weathering of solid rock	highly

Intensity of the soil erosion type	slight
Soil erosion type	sheet

Altitude	562m
Physiographic Unit	slope
Physiographic position of the site	upper slope
Regional landform; McDonald, R.C., Isbell, R.F. et all, 1984; Australian soil and land survey Field Handbook, Inkata Press, Melbourne.	pediplain
Slope	4%
Form of the slope surrounding the site	convex
Topography; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	undulating

Drainage class ; FAO (2006) - Guidelines for soil description	well
Dry From - To	0-250cm
Flooding frequency (FAO, 1986)	never
Kind of ground water table (USDA, 1979)	no groundwater table observed
Estimated permeability (class) of least permeable part of the profile	moderate
Estimated run off (class)	slow

Evidence of alkali ; Soil Survey Manual USDA, 1951	non-alkaline
Surface cracking	no cracks observed
Slaking of aggregates by tillage, rainfall or frost (USDA/SCS, 1979)	no surface slaking/crusting observed
Rock outcrop class (FAO (2006) - Guidelines for soil description)	none
Evidence of salt; Soil Survey Manual USDA, 1951	non-saline
Surface stoniness class (FAO (2006) - Guidelines for soil description)	none

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Reference soil Brazil 06: Ferralsol

Characteristics

Reference soil BR006: Ferralsols

Classification