Reference soil Cuba 15: Solonchak

CU015

Solonchaks occur where saline groundwater comes near to the surface, or where through evapo(transpi)ration salts from the soil water accumulate in the soil, e.g. in desert regions

Characteristics

Soils having a salic horizon (horizon with accumulation of salts more soluble than gypsum) within 50 cm of the soil surface. They have no diagnostic horizons other than a histic, mollic, ochric, takyric, yermic, calcic, cambic, duric, gypsic or vertic horizon.

Distribution of Solonchaks

Moderately deep, imperfectly drained, brown to light olive brown clay loam. Soil structure moderate angular blocky and medium prismatic to columnar. There are frequent calcareous nodules in the subsoil. Geology: Eogene mid-higher. San Luis Formation: limestone, marls, conglomerate, sandstones. Geomorphology: marine plain and terrace, erosive and undulating.

WRB 2006:

WRB 1998:

Calcic Endogleyic Petrosalic Solonchak(Sodic Carbonatic Clayic)

Sodi- Endogleyic Solonchak(Calcic Petrosalic)

20-85 cm	salic horizon
	gleyic colour pattern
	reducing conditions
	secondary carbonates

0-20 cm	ochric horizon
20-85 cm	salic horizon
	gleyic properties
	secondary carbonates

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1988:

FAO-UNESCO 1974:

Sodi-

Calcic Solonchak

Orthic Solonchak

sodic phase

0-0 cm	cambic B horizon
0-0 cm	ochric A horizon
0-20 cm	ochric A horizon
20-85 cm	cambic B horizon
	salic properties
	soft powdery lime

0-0 cm	calcic horizon
0-20 cm	ochric A horizon
20-85 cm	cambic B horizon
	high salinity
	soft powdery lime

Other classification

USDA-NRCS (1999)

Aeric

Halaquept

USDA-SCS (1975)

Aeric

Halaquept

clayey

montmorillonitic (calcareous)

isohyperthermic

Classification (other)

Solonchak tipico

Location:

Provincia y Municipio Guantánamo, CAI "Paraguay", Bloque El Algarrobo

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Physical

Particle size distribution:

Depth (cm)		Gravel (%)	Coarse Sand (%)	Medium Sand (%)	Fine Sand (%)	Very Fine Sand (%)	Total Sand (%)	Coarse Silt (%)	Fine Silt (%)	Total Silt (%)	Clay (%)
0-20	:	-	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.5	-	9.0	30.9	39.9	59.3
20-43	:	-	0.0	0.1	0.1	0.6	-	9.8	26.6	36.4	62.9
43-85	:	-	0.0	0.1	0.1	0.3	-	15.1	17.8	32.9	66.5
85-120	:	-	0.0	0.1	0.3	1.1	-	8.3	27.4	35.7	62.8
120-150	:	-	0.0	0.1	0.4	1.5	-	11.7	28.7	40.4	57.7
150-180	:	-	0.0	0.1	0.4	2.0	-	17.7	32.5	50.2	47.3

Water retention characteristics

Depth (cm)		Bulk Density (kg/dm³)	pF 0 (% w/v)	pF 1.0 (% w/v)	pF 1.5 (% w/v)	pF 2.0 (% w/v)	pF 2.3 (% w/v)	pF 2.7 (% w/v)	pF 3.4 (% w/v)	pF 4.2 (% w/v)	pF 2.5 (%)
0-20	:	1.210	53.9	53.1	49.6	44.7	42.6	41.4	36.2	34.3	-
20-43	:	1.270	51.7	50.9	48.8	46.4	44.8	44.0	37.3	31.3	-
43-85	:	1.320	51.1	50.5	49.9	48.7	46.9	46.1	40.6	32.4	-

Other physical data

Depth (cm)		Bulk Density (kg/dm³)	Spec. Surf. Area (m2/g)	COLE (cm/cm)	Water Disp. Clay (%)	Clay (%)
0-20	:	-	-	-	21.1	59.3
20-43	:	-	-	-	5.8	62.9
43-85	:	-	-	-	6.0	66.5
85-120	:	-	-	-	5.7	62.8
120-150	:	-	-	-	46.2	57.7
150-180	:	-	-	-	36.8	47.3

Chemical characteristics:

Depth (cm)		pH H2O	pH KCl	EC 1 : 2.5 (mS/cm)	CaCO3 (%)	Org. C (%)	Org. N (%)	C / N	Exch. Acid (cmol/kg)	Exch. Al (cmol/kg)	Ca (cmol/kg)	Mg (cmol/kg)	K (cmol/kg)	Na (cmol/kg)	Sum Cations (cmol/kg)
0-20	:	8.4	7.4	3.10	29.4	2.23	0.23	10	-	-	37.2	9.8	1.4	18.0	66.4
20-43	:	8.2	7.5	10.00	27.8	1.25	0.23	5	-	-	53.9	13.2	0.9	27.7	95.7
43-85	:	8.5	7.7	10.00	31.0	0.76	-	-	-	-	62.0	16.5	0.2	25.8	104.5
85-120	:	8.8	7.9	7.00	33.2	0.34	-	-	-	-	41.8	13.2	0.2	24.9	80.1
120-150	:	9.0	7.9	2.10	34.2	0.28	-	-	-	-	34.1	10.2	0.6	24.2	69.1
150-180	:	9.2	7.7	4.20	32.2	0.18	-	-	-	-	32.4	10.1	0.2	16.2	58.9

Depth (cm)		CEC Soil (cmol/kg)	CEC Clay (cmol/kg)	CEC Org (cmol/kg)	ECEC (cmol/kg)	Base sat. (%)	Al sat. (%)	ESP (%)
0-20	:	37.0	-	7.8	-	-	-	49
20-43	:	36.4	-	4.4	-	-	-	76
43-85	:	35.3	-	2.7	-	-	-	73
85-120	:	31.4	-	1.2	-	-	-	79
120-150	:	30.0	-	1.0	-	-	-	81
150-180	:	26.7	-	0.6	-	-	-	61

Clay mineralogy:

Depth (cm)		Kaolinite	Mica / illite	Vermiculite	Chlorite	Smec	Halloysite	Mixed layer	Quar	Feldspar	Gibbsite	Goethite	Hematite
0-20	:	medium to strong	-	-	-	very strong	-	medium to strong	weak	weak	-	-	-
20-43	:	medium to strong	-	-	-	very strong	-	medium to strong	weak	weak	-	-	-
43-85	:	medium to strong	-	-	-	very strong	-	medium to strong	weak	weak	-	-	-
85-120	:	medium to strong	-	-	-	very strong	-	medium to strong	weak	weak	-	-	-
120-150	:	medium to strong	-	-	-	very strong	-	medium to strong	weak	weak	-	-	-
150-180	:	medium to strong	-	-	-	very strong	-	medium to strong	weak	weak	-	-	-

Profile description:

Ap 0-20 cm	brown (10YR 5/3, moist), clay loam, moderate medium prismatic to strong medium angular blocky, friable slightly sticky slightly plastic, no cutans, common fine pores moderately porous (40-60 vol%), no inclusions, no fragments, frequent channels, clear smooth boundary to,
B 20-43 cm	light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4, moist), clay loam, strong medium and coarse prismatic and moderate medium columnar, firm slightly sticky slightly plastic, no cutans, common fine pores moderately porous (40-60 vol%), no inclusions, no fragments, gradual smooth boundary to,
BC 43-85 cm	(10Y 6/3, moist), clay loam, moderate fine and medium prismatic and moderate medium columnar, very firm sticky plastic, no cutans, few medium pores moderately porous (40-60 vol%), no inclusions, no fragments, continuous massive strongly cemented salt pan pans, gradual wavy boundary to,
Cg1 85-120 cm	(10Y 6/3, moist), clay loam, moderate medium columnar, firm sticky slightly plastic, no cutans, few medium pores moderately porous (40-60 vol%), very frequent medium spherical soft calcareous nodules, no fragments, clear smooth boundary to,
Cg2 120-180 cm	undescribed colour (10Y 6/4, moist), loam, massive, friable non sticky non plastic, no cutans, few medium pores moderately porous (40-60 vol%), very frequent medium spherical soft calcareous nodules, no fragments,

The main parent rock/ material over which the soil has been formed (1st entry)	sediment, unconsolidated
Mode of Accumulation or deposition of parent material (1st entry)	fluvial
Texture of parent material (1st entry)	clayey
Remarks on Parent Materials	Mid-late Eocene, San Luis Formation, limestone, marl, conglomerate and sandstone

Soil erosion type (1st entry)	sheet
Intensity of the soil erosion type (1st entry)	slight
Slope Stability	stable

Current land use at the site	high level arable farming
Major crops	sugar cane
Main type of irrigation	continuously irrigated
Vegetation Type;The natural vegetation at the site	shrub
Status of vegetation	degraded

The altitude of the soil profile relative to mean sea level, specified in meters	21 m asl
Regional landform	alluvial plain
Topography of the surrounding country	flat or almost flat
Physiographic Unit in the immediate surrounding of the site	almost flat-slightly undulat.
The slope refers to the inclination of the land immediately surrounding the site. The measured or estimated slope angle is specified to the nearest per cent	4 %
The physiographic position of the site where the profile is located	flat
Form of the slope surrounding the site	straight

Depth of groundwater table	102 cm
Groundwater Top	60 cm
Groundwater Bottom	200 cm
Kind of groundwater table	groundwater table observed
Runoff	medium
Flooding frequency	never
Estimated permeablity (class) of least permeable part of the profile	moderate
Drainage Class	poor

Microrelief type: small-scale differences in relief in the direct vicinity of the site	level
Microrelief Pattern	linear
Microrelief Height	30
Rockiness	none
Cracks	large cracks (width more than 1 cm, or depth more than 50 cm)
Evidence of salt	strongly saline
Evidence of alkali	moderately alkaline

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Reference soil Cuba 15: Solonchak

Characteristics