Reference soil Costa Rica 03: Gleysol

CR003

Gleysols occur throughout the world where groundwater comes near to the surface, causing soils to become wet for a prolonged part of the year. They are particularly abundant in the low-lying river basins.

Characteristics

Soils having gleyic properties (properties associated with prolonged wetness) within 50 cm from the soil surface. They have no diagnostic horizons other than an anthraquic, histic, mollic, ochric, takyric, or umbric horizon at the surface, or an andic, calcic, cambic, gypsic, plinthic, salic, sulfuric, or vitric horizon within 100 cm from the soil surface.

Distribution of Gleysols (rough estimation supplied by soilgrids)

Reference soil CR003: Gleysols

Site is located about 14 km west of the Orosi volcano. The site is at present used for reforestation experiments. Brief soil description: Moderately deep, imperfectly drained very dark gray clay soil, having a black topsoil. The soil has a poor structure (coarse blocky and primatic) and is very hard when dry. The underlying ignimbrite is penetrated by tree roots through a few cracks till probably great depth. The underlying ignimbrite is slowly permeable for water. However fragments emersed in water, absorb water easily. The ignimbrite has about 10 % available water capacity. When penetrated by roots the ignimbrite may contribute to the moisture supply for trees. The thickness of the solum varies considerably at short distance, it varies from about 20 till 70cm [estimated from a few observations]. Rock and ignimbrite outcrops are observed at a distance of a few 100 meters. Parent material is early Pleistocene ignimbrite of the Bacaces Formation. It seems likely that the soil has received volcanic ash additions. Concretions in the Bg horizon are composed of iron & manganese.

Classification

WRB 2006

WRB 1998

Mollic- Gleysol (Tephric Eutric)

Tephri-Mollic- Gleysol (Eutric)

0-40 cm	mollic horizon
40-60 cm	cambic horizon
-	tephric
-	reducing conditions
-	gleyic colour pattern

0-40 cm	mollic horizon
20-60 cm	cambic horizon
-	tephric
-	gleyic

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1988

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1974

Orthi-Mollic Gleysol

Mollic Gleysol lithic

0-40 cm	mollic A horizon
20-60 cm	cambic B horizon
-	gleyic

0-40 cm	mollic A horizon
20-60 cm	cambic B horizon
-	hydromorphic

Other classification

USDA-SCS (1975)

Ustropept ustic clayey over loamy kaolinitic isohyperthermic

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
0-20	0	0.2	0.8	1.3	3.7	2.7	8.7	13.6	35.0	48.6	42.8
20-40	0	0.2	1.6	2.2	4.3	2.5	10.8	10.8	39.9	50.7	38.5
40-60	0	5.2	12.7	14.1	8.5	2.7	43.2	6.8	26.9	33.7	23.3
60-67	0	8.6	9.4	7.5	5.6	2.1	33.2	11.7	38.1	49.8	17.1
67-120	0	16.2	16.7	10.3	7.6	5.0	55.8	13.6	24.0	37.6	6.7

Water retention characteristics

Depth (cm)	Bulk density kg/dm³	Spec. Surf. Area m²/g	COLE cm/cm	Water disp. clay %	Clay % w/w
0-20	-	-	-	19.8	42.8
20-40	-	-	-	22.4	38.5
40-60	-	-	-	16.4	23.3
60-67	-	-	-	9.9	17.1
67-120	-	-	-	4.3	6.7

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
0-20	5.4	4.4	0.07	-	3.36	0.19	18	0.2	0	11.3	2.4	0.8	0.1	14.6
20-40	5.7	4.6	0.04	-	0.71	0.05	14	-	-	8.2	2.4	0.3	0.2	11.1
40-60	6.1	4.7	0.03	-	0.21	0.03	7	-	-	4.1	1.3	0.3	0.1	5.8
60-67	6.2	4.8	0.04	-	0.13	0.03	4	-	-	4.7	1.7	0.4	0.2	7.0
67-120	6.4	4.8	0.03	-	0.04	0	-	-	-	4.0	1.3	0.2	0.1	5.6

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 %
0-20	67	21.7	51	11.8	-	0	0
20-40	85	13.1	34	2.5	-	-	2
40-60	82	7.1	30	0.7	-	-	1
60-67	85	8.2	48	0.5	-	-	2
67-120	86	6.5	97	0.1	-	-	2

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
0-20	-	-	-	0.17	0.06	-	-	-	-	-	0.34
20-40	-	-	-	0.09	0.03	-	-	-	-	-	0.10
40-60	-	-	-	0.05	0.03	-	-	-	-	-	0.06
60-67	-	-	-	0.05	0.04	-	-	-	-	-	0.08
67-120	-	-	-	0.01	0.03	-	-	-	-	-	0.04

Clay mineralogy

Depth (cm)	Chlorite	Feldspar	Gibbsite	Goethite	Halloysite	Hematite	Kaolinite	Mica / illite	Mixed-layer	Quartz	Smec	Vermiculite
0-20	-	weak	-	-	-	-	strong	very weak	-	-	very weak	-
20-40	-	very weak	-	-	-	-	strong	weak	-	-	very weak	-
40-60	-	very weak	-	-	-	-	strong	weak	-	-	weak	-
60-67	-	very weak	-	-	-	-	strong	very weak	-	-	weak	-
67-120	-	very weak	-	-	-	-	medium to strong	-	-	-	medium to strong	-

Profile description

Ah 0-20 cm	black (10YR 2/1, moist) (10YR 3.5/1, dry)silty clay,strongly coherent porous massive to ME medium subangular blocky,hard friable sticky plastic,many very fine fine pores,clear smooth boundary to,
Bw 20-40 cm	very dark grey (10YR 3/1, moist) grey (10YR 5/1, dry)clay,strong medium and coarse angular blocky,very hard firm sticky plastic,few fine faint mottles (7.5YR 5/6),many very fine pores,clear smooth boundary to,
Bg 40-60 cm	dark grey (10YR 4/1, moist) (light) grey (10YR 6/1, dry)sandy clay loam,moderate very coarse prismatic and strongly coherent porous massive,very hard firm slightly sticky slightly plastic,many medium prominent clear mottles (7.5YR 5/6),many very fine pores,few medium spherical hard ferruginous concretions,abrupt smooth boundary to,
R/C 60-67 cm	(light) grey (10YR 6/1, moist) light grey (10YR 7/1, dry)sandy loam,strongly coherent massive,extremely hard extremely firm,many coarse prominent mottles (7.5YR 6/6),abrupt smooth boundary to,
R 67-120 cm	(light) grey (10YR 6/1, moist) white (10YR 8/1, dry)massive,extremely hard extremely firm,

Depth1	40cm
Kind 1 (parent material) ; Parker (eds), 1984	pyroclastic, consolidated
Kind 2 (parent material) (second entry); Parker (eds), 1984	pyroclastic, consolidated
Mode of accumulation or deposition of parent material	residual material
Mode of accumulation or deposition of parent material (second entry)	residual material
Remarks on Parent Materials	Early Pleistocene ignimbrite of the Bacaces Formation
Texture of parent material	clayey
Texture of parent material (second entry)	loamy
Weathering Resistance	poor
Weathering Resistance (second entry)	poor
General characterization of the status of weathering of solid rock	slightly
General characterization of the status of weathering of solid rock (second entry)	slightly

Intensity of the soil erosion type	slight
Soil erosion type	sheet

Land use or vegetation in the immediate vicinity of the site	afforestation
Remarks on Land Use / Vegetation	LANDUSE: Formerly grazing land
Major vegetation type; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	woodland

Altitude	250m
Physiographic Unit	interfluve
Physiographic position of the site	middle slope
Regional landform; McDonald, R.C., Isbell, R.F. et all, 1984; Australian soil and land survey Field Handbook, Inkata Press, Melbourne.	plain
Slope	2%
Form of the slope surrounding the site	straight
Topography; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	undulating

Lower limit of a slow permeable or stagnating layer in the profile	120cm
Drainage class ; FAO (2006) - Guidelines for soil description	imperfect
Dry From - To	0-120cm
Kind of ground water table (USDA, 1979)	no groundwater table observed
Estimated permeability (class) of least permeable part of the profile	slow
Estimated run off (class)	slow
Drainage class - intergrade; FAO (2006) - Guidelines for soil description	moderately well
Upper limit of a slow permeable or stagnating layer in the profile	60cm

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)	surface partly slaked, round smooth aggregates
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 Costa Rica 03: Gleysol

Characteristics

Reference soil CR003: Gleysols

Classification