Reference soil Costa Rica 11: Andosol

CR011

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 CR011: Andosols

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. High biological activity throughout the soil. Actual classification: FAO (1988): Umbric Andosol Soil Taxonomy (1992):Acrudoxic Melanudand

Classification

WRB 2006

WRB 1998

Vitric- Andosol (Hyperdystric)

Hyperdystri-Vitric- Andosol

25-56 cm	cambic horizon
-	vitric

0-25 cm	ochric horizon
25-113 cm	vitric horizon

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1988

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1974

Orthi-Haplic Andosol

Vitric Andosol

0-25 cm	ochric A horizon
25-56 cm	cambic B horizon
-	andic

0-25 cm	ochric A horizon
25-56 cm	cambic B horizon
-	exchange complex dominated by amorphous material
-	thixotropy
-	weatherable minerals

Local classification:	Suelo Montelimar

Other classification

USDA-SCS (1975)

Dystrandept perudic loamy over sandy/sandy-skeletal 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
0-10	-	4.5	11.0	20.5	23.0	8.0	67	4.2	19.1	23.3	9.7
10-25	-	4.9	10.9	21.2	22.9	12.2	72.1	5.6	11.7	17.3	10.7
25-56	-	6.9	13.7	22.7	25.9	7.5	76.7	6.9	7.9	14.8	8.6
56-113	-	9.7	17.5	29.1	30.7	6.1	93.1	0.4	0.0	0.4	6.5
113-150	-	3.3	15.5	41.5	28.9	2.0	91.2	0.6	2.4	3.0	5.9

Water retention characteristics

Depth (cm)	Bulk density kg/dm³	Spec. Surf. Area m²/g	COLE cm/cm	Water disp. clay %	Clay % w/w
0-10	0.804	-	-	3.1	9.7
10-25	0.841	-	-	2.6	10.7
25-56	0.879	-	-	0.5	8.6
56-113	1.119	-	-	3.3	6.5
113-150	-	-	-	2.7	5.9

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
0-10	0.804	64.9	61.5	58.0	53.1	48.5	45.2	33.2	26.5
10-25	0.841	62.9	61.3	55.4	46.1	41.4	38.2	31.4	28.8
25-56	0.879	61.3	60.6	52.9	41.4	36.5	33.1	23.7	23.2
56-113	1.119	47.2	45.6	28.7	16.3	13.1	11.7	6.9	7.3

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
0-10	5.0	4.8	0.05	-	5.66	0.67	8	-	-	7.0	1.7	0.5	0.2	9.4
10-25	5.7	5.1	0.08	-	3.49	0.17	21	-	-	2.1	0.3	0.2	0.1	2.7
25-56	6.7	5.4	0.08	0	1.44	0.02	72	-	-	0.6	0.3	0.1	0.1	1.1
56-113	6.3	5.3	0.01	-	0.17	0.01	17	-	-	0.6	0.3	0.1	0.1	1.1
113-150	6.4	5.0	0.01	-	0.03	0	-	-	-	0.4	0.3	0.4	0.1	1.2

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 %
0-10	31	30.6	315	19.8	-	-	1
10-25	12	22.9	214	12.2	-	-	0
25-56	8	13.4	156	5.0	-	-	1
56-113	19	5.7	88	0.6	-	-	2
113-150	41	2.9	49	0.1	-	-	3

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
0-10	-	85	-	2.65	0.74	-	-	-	-	-	0.66
10-25	-	90	-	2.94	0.86	-	-	-	-	-	0.68
25-56	-	75	-	2.28	0.77	-	-	-	-	-	0.45
56-113	-	40	-	0.87	0.41	-	-	-	-	-	0.41
113-150	-	19	-	0.33	0.12	-	-	-	-	-	0.40

Depth (cm)	CaSO4.2H2O %	P Bray mg/kg	P Olsen mg/kg	pH CaCl2	clay_noncarbonate % w/w	clay_carbonate % w/w	phosphorus4 mg/kg	phosphorus1 mg/kg	total_sulfur % w/w
0-10	-	-	8.3	-	-	-	-	-	-
10-25	-	-	6.3	-	-	-	-	-	-
25-56	-	-	11.4	-	-	-	-	-	-
56-113	-	-	12.9	-	-	-	-	-	-
113-150	-	-	3.8	-	-	-	-	-	-

Clay mineralogy

Depth (cm)	Chlorite	Feldspar	Gibbsite	Goethite	Halloysite	Hematite	Kaolinite	Mica / illite	Mixed-layer	Quartz	Smec	Vermiculite
0-10	-	very weak	-	-	-	-	very weak	-	weak	-	-	-
10-25	-	very weak	-	-	-	-	very weak	-	weak	-	-	-
25-56	-	very weak	-	-	-	-	very weak	-	weak	-	-	-
56-113	-	very weak	-	-	-	-	very weak	-	weak	-	-	-
113-150	-	very weak	-	-	-	-	very weak	-	weak	-	-	-

Profile description

Ah 0-10 cm	dark brown (10YR 3/3, moist)loam slightly gravelly,moderate fine angular blocky and subangular blocky,friable slightly sticky slightly plastic,no cutans,common fine to coarse pores and few pores moderately porous (40-60 vol%),no inclusions,no fragments,very frequent worm channels,clear wavy boundary to,
10-25 cm	(dark) brown (10YR 4/3, moist)loam slightly gravelly,weak fine subangular blocky,very friable slightly sticky slightly plastic,no cutans,many fine to coarse pores and few horizontal pores,no inclusions,no fragments,frequent worm channels,gradual wavy boundary to,
Bw 25-56 cm	dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4, moist)medium sandy loam slightly gravelly,weak fine and medium subangular blocky,very friable slightly sticky slightly plastic,no cutans,many fine to coarse pores and few pores highly porous (>60 vol%),no inclusions,no fragments,frequent worm channels,clear wavy boundary to,
CB 56-113 cm	very dark greyish brown (10YR 3/2, moist)coarse sand slightly gravelly,structureless,loose non sticky non plastic,oblique mottles,oblique cutans,oblique,very few fine gravel strongly weathered PUMICE fragments,no biological activity,clear wavy boundary to,
C 113-150 cm	very dark greyish brown (10YR 3/2, moist)coarse sand,structureless,loose non sticky non plastic,no cutans,no inclusions,no fragments,no biological activity,

Kind 1 (parent material) ; Parker (eds), 1984	fine-grained intermediate igneous rock
Mode of accumulation or deposition of parent material	fluvial
Soil Depth	90cm
Texture of parent material	sandy
Texture of parent material (second entry)	sandy
Weathering Resistance	poor
General characterization of the status of weathering of solid rock	slightly

Occurrence of soil aggradation (McDonald et al., 1984)	absent
Slope stability	stable

Main type of irrigation; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	no irrigation
Land use or vegetation in the immediate vicinity of the site	cultivated pasture
Rotation scheme ; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	crop rotation scheme not relevant

Altitude	30m
Physiographic Unit	channel fill
Physiographic position of the site	flat
Regional landform; McDonald, R.C., Isbell, R.F. et all, 1984; Australian soil and land survey Field Handbook, Inkata Press, Melbourne.	alluvial plain
Slope	1%
Topography; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	flat or almost flat

Drainage class ; FAO (2006) - Guidelines for soil description	well
Flooding frequency (FAO, 1986)	never
(Estimated) maximum (lower) depth to groundwater table	250cm
Depth to groundwater table	200cm
Kind of ground water table (USDA, 1979)	groundwater table observed
(Estimated) minimum (upper) depth to groundwater table	150cm
Moist From - To	0-150cm
Estimated permeability (class) of least permeable part of the profile	high
Estimated run off (class)	very 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
Micro relief type: small-scale differences in relief in the direct vicinity of the site (FAO, 1986)	level
Microrelief pattern	none
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 11: Andosol

Characteristics

Reference soil CR011: Andosols

Classification