Reference soil Spain 11: Petric Calcisol

ES011

Distribution of Calcisols

A very shallow, yellowish red gravelly clay Ap-horizon, directly overlying more or less indurated, very heterogeneous, strongly calcareous clay. Human activity has been going on for many centuries, resulting in truncation of the profile.

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1988:

FAO-UNESCO 1974:

Petric Calcisol

Calcic Cambisol

0-0 cm calcic horizon
0-0 cm ochric A horizon
calcaric
weatherable minerals

0-0 cm calcic horizon
0-0 cm ochric A horizon
weatherable minerals

Other classification

USDA-SCS (1975)

Xerochrept

clayey

calcareous

thermic

Location:

Province of Badajoz, 15km S of Merida, 6km W of Torremegia

Physical

Particle size distribution:

Depth (cm)		Gravel (%)	Very Coarse Sand (%)	Coarse Sand (%)	Medium Sand (%)	Fine Sand (%)	Very Fine Sand (%)	Total Sand (%)	Coarse Silt (%)	Fine Silt (%)	Total Silt (%)	Clay (%)
0-6	:	14	-	-	-	-	-	-	11.2	10.1	21.3	53
6-20	:	34	-	-	-	-	-	-	5.5	8.3	13.8	80
20-40	:	45	-	-	-	-	-	-	5	9.2	14.2	80

Other physical data

Depth (cm)		Bulk Density (kg/dm³)	Spec. Surf. Area (m2/g)	COLE (cm/cm)	Water Disp. Clay (%)	Clay (%)
0-6	:	-	-	-	-	53
6-20	:	-	-	-	-	80
20-40	:	-	-	-	-	80

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)	Sum Cations (cmol/kg)
0-6	:	7.9	7.1	0.26	37	0.88	0.07	13	-	-	16.7	1.3	0.9	18.9
6-20	:	8.3	7.3	0.28	56.9	0.44	0.05	9	-	-	12.0	1.0	0.4	13.4
20-40	:	8.5	7.3	0.24	54.7	0.23	0.02	12	-	-	11.0	2.1	0.2	13.3

Depth (cm)		CEC Soil (cmol/kg)	CEC Clay (cmol/kg)	CEC Org (cmol/kg)	ECEC (cmol/kg)	Base sat. (%)	Al sat. (%)	ESP (%)
0-6	:	20	38	3.1	-	94	-	-
6-20	:	14.5	18	1.5	-	92	-	-
20-40	:	14.1	18	0.8	-	94	-	-

Elemental composition of the soil:

Depth (cm)		SiO2 (wt%)	Al2O3 (wt%)	Fe2O3 (wt%)	CaO (wt%)	MgO (wt%)	K2O (wt%)	Na2O (wt%)	TiO2 (wt%)
0-6	:	42.3	6.0	1.8	21.7	1.9	0.70	-	0.3
6-20	:	25.2	4.7	2.2	34	-	0.30	-	0.2
20-40	:	27.2	5.1	2.3	32.3	-	0.30	-	0.3

Elemental composition of the soil:

Depth (cm)		MnO2 (wt%)	P2O5 (wt%)	LOI (wt%)	SiO2 / Al2O3 (mol/mol)	SiO2 / Fe2O3 (mol/mol)	SiO2 / R (mol/mol)	Al2O3 / Fe2O3 (mol/mol)
0-6	:	-	0.20	22.4	12	62.6	10.0	5.2
6-20	:	-	0.30	31.3	9.1	30.5	7.0	3.4
20-40	:	-	0.30	30.0	9.1	31.5	7.0	3.5

Clay mineralogy:

Depth (cm)		Kaolinite	Mica / illite	Vermiculite	Chlorite	Smec	Halloysite	Mixed layer	Quar	Feldspar	Gibbsite	Goethite	Hematite
0-6	:	very weak to weak	very strong	-	-	strong	-	weak to medium	weak to medium	-	-	-	-
6-20	:	very weak to weak	very strong	-	-	strong	-	strong	-	-	-	-	-
20-40	:	very weak to weak	very strong	-	-	strong	-	strong	-	-	-	-	-

Profile description:

Ap 0-6 cm	:	dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6, moist), clay slightly gravelly, weak fine crumb and moderate fine crumb, hard very friable sticky plastic, very frequent calcereous fragments, abrupt wavy boundary to,
cm	:	(7.5YR 5/3, moist), clay gravelly, structureless, hard friable, large spherical hard argillaceous nodules


Mode of Accumulation or deposition of parent material (1st entry)	unconsolidated, unspecified
Texture of parent material (1st entry)
Depth1 of lithological boundary	cm
The main parent rock/ material over which the soil has been formed (2nd entry)
Texture of parent material (2nd entry)	clayey
Resistance against weathering (solid rock) (2nd entry)
Soil Depth; depth to which roots can easily penetrate throughout the year	cm
Remarks on Parent Materials	calc. Miocene clay

Current land use at the site	arable farming
Major crops	olive
Main type of irrigation
Rotation scheme
Vegetation Type;The natural vegetation at the site
Status of vegetation
Remarks on Land Use / Vegetation	plowed to prevent evaporation

The altitude of the soil profile relative to mean sea level, specified in meters	300 m asl
Regional landform	hill
Topography of the surrounding country	undulating
Physiographic Unit in the immediate surrounding of the site	gently undulating
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	0 %
The physiographic position of the site where the profile is located	upper slope
Form of the slope surrounding the site
Slope Aspect of the site

Depth of groundwater table	cm
Groundwater Top	cm
Groundwater Bottom	cm
Kind of groundwater table	no groundwater table observed
Top Stagnating Layer	cm
Bottom Stagnating Layer	cm
Estimated permeablity (class) of least permeable part of the profile
Drainage Class	somewhat excessive
To Drainage Class
Moisture conditions of the profile: dry from -to	cm
Moisture conditions of the profile: moist from -to	cm
Wet From - To	cm

Microrelief type: small-scale differences in relief in the direct vicinity of the site	level
Microrelief Height
Rockiness
Stoniness	none
Average size of stones
Shape of stones (on average)
Slaking of aggregates by tillage, rainfall or frost	surface capped, crust on drying
Evidence of salt
Evidence of alkali

Soil erosion type (1st entry)
Occurrence of soil aggradation
Slope Stability

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Reference soil Spain 11: Petric Calcisol