Reference soil Costa Rica 04: Andosol

CR004

Andosols occur throughout the world where volcanic activity is common, especially in the circum-Pacific region and along the mid-Atlantic Ridge.

Characteristics

Soils with a vitric or andic horizon (slightly to moderately weathered horizons in pyroclastic deposits dominated by short-range-order minerals, notably allophane and imogolite) starting within 25 cm from the soil surface. In addition, they may have a histic, fulvic, melanic, mollic, umbric, ochric, duric, or cambic horizon. Other diagnostic horizons (unless buried deeper than 50 cm by volcanic deposits) are absent.

Distribution of Andosols (rough estimation supplied by soilgrids)

Reference soil CR004: Andosols

1. Name of site 'Huerto Latino America Clonal de AFN' 2. Erosion plots recently installed, no significant sediment transport was recoded till today 3. Site is in pasture plot, in the surroundings small holders with sugar cane, coffee (coffea Arabica) and pastures Brief soil description: Very deep, well drained, darkbrown clay soil with a very thick A horizon. Parent material of the subsoil > 75 cm is probably derived from the underlying andesitic rock. The thick A horizon was derived or influenced by volcanic ashes. However, the first 35cm of the topsoil is strongly deviating from the buried A horizon, the latter having more convincing andic properties. After preparing the monolith, the upper 35 cm can be subdivided in an darker Ah1 and a more grayish Ah2 horizon. High biological activity throughout the soil. Actual classification: FAO (1988): Umbric Andosol Soil Taxonomy (1992):Acrudoxic Melanudand

Classification

WRB 2006

WRB 1998

Umbric-Vitric- Andosol (Acroxic Hyperdystric)

Pachi-Vitric- Andosol (Umbric Acroxic)

0-60 cm	umbric horizon
60-180 cm	cambic horizon
-	vitric

0-35 cm	vitric horizon
0-60 cm	umbric horizon
60-180 cm	cambic horizon
60-180 cm	vitric horizon

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1988

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1974

Umbri-Vitric Andosol

Humic Andosol

0-60 cm	umbric A horizon
60-180 cm	cambic B horizon
-	andic

0-60 cm	umbric A horizon
60-180 cm	cambic B horizon
-	exchange complex dominated by amorphous material

Local classification:	Serie Birrisito

Other classification

USDA-SCS (1975)

Dystrandept udic clayey mixed isothermic

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
0-35	0	0.9	2.7	3.2	4.6	1.8	13.2	6.3	4.1	10.4	76.5
35-60	0	0.9	2.2	3.1	4.0	2.4	12.6	11.5	36.3	47.8	39.7
60-75	0	0.8	1.7	2.1	4.0	1.7	10.3	6.2	26.7	32.9	56.8
75-115	0	0.4	0.9	2.3	4.0	2.1	9.7	6.9	19.8	26.7	63.5
115-180	0	0.7	3.0	4.5	5.2	1.9	15.3	6.6	23.8	30.4	54.3

Water retention characteristics

Depth (cm)	Bulk density kg/dm³	Spec. Surf. Area m²/g	COLE cm/cm	Water disp. clay %	Clay % w/w
0-35	0.619	-	-	5.4	76.5
35-60	0.655	-	-	3.8	39.7
60-75	0.833	-	-	1.6	56.8
75-115	0.880	-	-	1.5	63.5
115-180	-	-	-	14.9	54.3

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
0-35	0.619	69.5	62.2	55.7	51.2	48.2	46.9	42.0	39.0
35-60	0.655	66.7	65.4	59.7	53.4	49.2	47.8	41.4	40.8
60-75	0.833	61.2	59.8	55.7	51.5	48.8	47.9	44.4	42.9
75-115	0.880	60.5	57.8	54.2	50.8	48.9	48.2	46.6	44.7

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
0-35	4.9	4.3	0.07	-	6.88	0.56	12	2.6	2.2	0.2	0.4	0.2	0.0	0.8
35-60	4.8	4.5	0.02	-	6.42	0.36	18	1.9	1.5	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.1
60-75	4.6	4.4	0.02	-	3.85	0.22	18	1.7	1.2	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
75-115	4.5	4.6	0.03	-	1.57	0.15	10	0.4	0.2	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
115-180	4.6	5.0	0.03	-	1.06	0.10	11	0.1	0	0.2	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.3

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 %
0-35	3	23.3	30	24.1	-	9	0
35-60	0	21.8	55	22.5	-	7	0
60-75	0	15.1	27	13.5	-	8	0
75-115	0	8.5	13	5.5	-	2	0
115-180	5	5.7	10	3.7	-	0	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
0-35	-	-	-	1.39	0.12	-	-	-	-	-	1.19
35-60	-	-	-	1.93	0.18	-	-	-	-	-	1.27
60-75	-	-	-	1.10	0.07	-	-	-	-	-	1.14
75-115	-	-	-	0.79	0.16	-	-	-	-	-	1.09
115-180	-	-	-	0.76	0.18	-	-	-	-	-	1.05

Clay mineralogy

Depth (cm)	Chlorite	Feldspar	Gibbsite	Goethite	Halloysite	Hematite	Kaolinite	Mica / illite	Mixed-layer	Quartz	Smec	Vermiculite
0-35	-	-	strong	weak	-	-	weak	-	-	very weak	weak	-
35-60	-	-	strong	weak	-	-	weak	-	-	very weak	weak	-
60-75	-	-	strong	weak	-	-	weak	-	-	weak	weak	-
75-115	-	-	strong	weak	-	-	weak	-	-	very weak	weak	-
115-180	-	-	strong	weak	-	-	weak	-	-	very weak	weak	-

Profile description

Ah 0-35 cm	very dark brown (10YR 2/2, moist)clay,moderate to strong very fine subangular blocky,firm sticky plastic,many very fine pores and common pores,gradual smooth boundary to,
Ahb 35-60 cm	black (10YR 2/1, moist)sandy clay loam,weak medium subangular blocky parting to moderate fine crumb,very friable slightly sticky slightly plastic,many micro very fine pores and common pores,gradual wavy boundary to,
60-75 cm	dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4, moist)clay,moderate fine subangular blocky,friable slightly sticky plastic,many very fine fine pores,gradual wavy boundary to,
2Bt1 75-115 cm	dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4, moist)clay,moderate medium subangular blocky,friable sticky plastic,broken moderately thick clay cutans,many very fine fine pores and common pores,diffuse smooth boundary to,
2Bt2 115-180 cm	(dark) brown (7.5YR 4/4, moist)clay,moderate medium subangular blocky and moderately coherent porous massive,very friable sticky plastic,broken moderately thick clay cutans,many very fine fine pores,

Depth1	75cm
Kind 1 (parent material) ; Parker (eds), 1984	pyroclastic, unconsolidated
Kind 2 (parent material) (second entry); Parker (eds), 1984	fine-grained intermediate igneous rock
Mode of accumulation or deposition of parent material	ejecta ash
Mode of accumulation or deposition of parent material (second entry)	residual material
Soil Depth	180cm
Texture of parent material	clayey
Texture of parent material (second entry)	clayey
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

Land use or vegetation in the immediate vicinity of the site	high level arable farming
Remarks on Land Use / Vegetation	LANDUSE: Pasture; nearby smallholder's sugar cane, coffee (Caffea arabica) and pastures
Major vegetation type; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	grassland

Altitude	900m
Physiographic Unit	low mountain
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.	mountain
Slope	25%
Form of the slope surrounding the site	convex
Topography; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	mountainous

Drainage class ; FAO (2006) - Guidelines for soil description	well
Kind of ground water table (USDA, 1979)	no groundwater table observed
Moist From - To	0-180cm
Estimated permeability (class) of least permeable part of the profile	moderate
Estimated run off (class)	rapid

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 Costa Rica 04: Andosol

Characteristics

Reference soil CR004: Andosols

Classification