Reference soil Nicaragua 04: Cambisol

NI004

Cambisols occur mainly in the temperate and boreal regions of the world, where the soil’s parent material is still young or where low temperatures slow down the processes of soil formation.

Characteristics

Soils having either a cambic horizon (a horizon showing evidence of alteration with respect to the underlying material), or a mollic horizon overlying a subsoil, which has a base saturation of less than 50 percent in some part within 100 cm from the soil surface, or one of the following diagnostic horizons within the specified depth: an andic, vertic, or vitric horizon starting between 25 and 100 cm; a (petro-)plinthic or salic horizon starting between 50 and 100 cm, in absence of loamy sand or coarser textures above these horizons.

Distribution of Cambisols (rough estimation supplied by soilgrids)

Reference soil NI004: Cambisols

The thickness of the solum (A+B) varies within the pit from about 25 cm to 50 cm. The shallow soil classifies as chromic Cambisol (eutropept), the deeper soils as ferric Cambisol (rhodustalf). The landscape is strongly sloping with maximum slopes of 30 to 40%. At a distance, break of slopes and in gullies rock outcrops. Soil has still some moisture left, but general feeling of dry soil (irrespect of the rain of the last days). C horizons have a multicoloured (weathering colours) appearance. Most brown/reddish colours in the upper C horizons, becoming yellowish in the deeper C horizons. BC show clearly the rock structure, although a substancial part of the rock has been transformed in clay.

Classification

WRB 2006

WRB 1998

Haplic- Cambisol (Hypereutric Clayic Chromic)

Hypereutri-Chromic- Cambisol

15-75 cm

cambic horizon

0-15 cm	ochric horizon
15-75 cm	cambic horizon

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1988

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1974

Orthi-Chromic Cambisol

Chromic Cambisol

0-15 cm	ochric A horizon
15-75 cm	cambic B horizon

0-15 cm	ochric A horizon
15-75 cm	cambic B horizon
- cm	argillic B horizon

Local classification:	San Rafael Rivas Series

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
0-15	-	0.8	1.5	3.1	8.5	6.5	20.4	8.1	27.9	36.0	43.6
15-40	-	0.9	1.2	1.9	6.7	4.7	15.4	9.6	24.0	33.6	51.2
40-75	-	1.0	1.4	1.6	2.9	2.6	9.5	18.8	28.5	47.3	43.2
75-105	-	2.6	4.8	4.4	7.1	4.4	23.3	13.2	25.0	38.2	38.5
105-145	-	0.5	1.8	4.1	12.0	12.0	-	17.7	28.7	-	23.3

Water retention characteristics

Depth (cm)	Bulk density kg/dm³	Spec. Surf. Area m²/g	COLE cm/cm	Water disp. clay %	Clay % w/w
20-25	1.175	-	-	-	-
0-15	-	-	-	20.9	43.6
15-40	-	-	-	25.6	51.2
110-115	1.076	-	-	-	-
40-75	-	-	-	-	43.2
75-105	-	-	-	16.8	38.5
105-145	-	-	-	12.1	23.3

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
20-25	1.175	53.1	50.2	45.8	41.3	36.0	35.1	29.7	29.0
110-115	1.076	56.7	55.6	52.1	47.5	40.0	39.0	32.6	27.8

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
0-15	6.8	5.4	0.16	1.2	2.35	0.26	9	-	-	22.8	5.2	0.9	0.1	29.0
15-40	6.3	4.4	0.06	-	0.75	0.10	8	-	-	18.0	7.0	0.3	0.2	25.5
40-75	6.1	4.2	0.07	-	0.32	-	-	-	-	17.2	9.9	0.2	0.2	27.5
75-105	5.8	3.9	0.03	-	0.18	-	-	-	-	12.2	9.5	0.2	0.4	22.3
105-145	5.6	3.5	0.03	-	0.12	-	-	-	-	19.4	14.2	0.3	0.5	34.4

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 %
0-15	99	29.4	67	8.2	-	-	0
15-40	85	29.9	58	2.6	-	-	1
40-75	108	25.4	59	1.1	-	-	1
75-105	97	23.1	60	0.6	-	-	2
105-145	87	39.4	-	0.4	-	-	1

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
0-15	-	-	-	0.20	0.04	-	-	-	-	-	0.29
15-40	-	-	-	0.19	0.04	-	-	-	-	-	0.31
40-75	-	-	-	0.16	0.04	-	-	-	-	-	0.27
75-105	-	-	-	0.12	0.03	-	-	-	-	-	0.16
105-145	-	-	-	0.14	0.04	-	-	-	-	-	0.13

Clay mineralogy

Depth (cm)	Chlorite	Feldspar	Gibbsite	Goethite	Halloysite	Hematite	Kaolinite	Mica / illite	Mixed-layer	Quartz	Smec	Vermiculite
0-15	-	-	-	-	-	-	strong	-	-	weak	medium to strong	-
15-40	-	-	-	-	-	-	strong	-	-	weak	medium to strong	-
40-75	-	-	-	-	-	-	strong	-	-	weak	medium to strong	-
75-105	-	-	-	-	-	-	strong	-	-	weak	medium to strong	-
105-145	-	-	-	-	-	-	medium to strong	-	-	medium to strong	strong	-

Profile description

Ah 0-15 cm	(7.5YR 4/5, moist)clay loam,moderate fine subangular blocky,slightly hard friable slightly sticky slightly plastic,many very fine fine interstitial pores,clear smooth boundary to,
Bt 15-40 cm	yellowish red (5YR 4/6, moist)clay,strong fine and medium subangular blocky,hard firm sticky plastic,broken thin clay cutans,common very fine fine tubular pores,clear smooth boundary to,
40-75 cm	clay loam slightly gravellyslightly sticky slightly plastic,diffuse smooth boundary to,
CB 75-105 cm	sandy loam gravellyslightly sticky slightly plastic,common very fine fine interstitial pores,gradual smooth boundary to,
C 105-145 cm	loamy sand gravellynon sticky non plastic,common very fine fine interstitial pores,

Kind 1 (parent material) ; Parker (eds), 1984	interbedded sedimentary rock
Mode of accumulation or deposition of parent material	residual material
Soil Depth	150cm
Texture of parent material	mixed
Weathering Resistance	moderate

Intensity of the soil erosion type	slight
Soil erosion type	sheet

Land use or vegetation in the immediate vicinity of the site	non-agricultural land
Major vegetation type; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	semi-deciduous woodland

Altitude	0m
Physiographic Unit	strong sloping hillside
Physiographic position of the site	upper slope
Slope	20%
Form of the slope surrounding the site	convex
Topography; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	hilly

Drainage class ; FAO (2006) - Guidelines for soil description	well
Dry From - To	0-140cm
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)	rapid

Evidence of alkali ; Soil Survey Manual USDA, 1951	non-alkaline
Surface cracking	no cracks 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 Nicaragua 04: Cambisol

Characteristics

Reference soil NI004: Cambisols

Classification