Reference soil Spain 13: Calcisol

ES013

Calcisols occur in regions with distinct dry seasons, as well as in dry areas where carbonate-rich groundwater comes near the surface.

Characteristics

Soils having a (petro-)calcic horizon (horizon with accumulation of secondary calcium carbonates). In addition, they have no diagnostic horizons other than an ochric or cambic horizon, a calcareous argic horizon, or a gypsic horizon beneath a petrocalcic horizon.

Distribution of Calcisols (rough estimation supplied by soilgrids)

Reference soil ES013: Calcisols

Profile is developed in 60 cm dark brown, silt loam colluvial material with calcium-mycelium on peds and gypsum concretions. Below this an old shallow, olive gray, silt loam profile directly laying on gypsum J. van Alphen and F. de los Rios Romero. 1971. Gypsiferous Soils. Bulletin 12. ILRI. Wageningen, The Netherlands.

Classification

WRB 2014

Calcisol

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1988

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1974

Petric Calcisol

Calcic Cambisol

- cm	calcic horizon
- cm	cambic B horizon
- cm	ochric A horizon
-	weatherable minerals

- cm	calcic horizon
- cm	cambic B horizon
- cm	ochric A horizon
-	weatherable minerals

Local classification:	suelo pardo

Other classification

USDA-SCS (1975)

Xerochrept xeric loamy mixed thermic

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
0-8	3	-	-	-	-	-	-	20.6	13.6	34.2	48.8
8-20	4	-	-	-	-	-	-	16.9	14.4	31.3	51.1
20-40	3	-	-	-	-	-	-	15.1	13.7	28.8	60.2
40-65	4	-	-	-	-	-	-	12.2	18.3	30.5	64.2

Water retention characteristics

Depth (cm)	Bulk density kg/dm³	Spec. Surf. Area m²/g	COLE cm/cm	Water disp. clay %	Clay % w/w
0-8	-	-	-	-	48.8
8-20	-	-	-	-	51.1
20-40	-	-	-	-	60.2
40-65	-	-	-	-	64.2

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
0-8	7.7	7.4	-	-	2.84	0.25	11	-	-	21.0	0.7	0.9	0.0	22.6
8-20	7.8	7.4	-	-	1.56	0.16	10	-	-	21.6	0.9	0.6	0.0	23.1
20-40	7.7	7.3	-	-	1.06	0.10	11	-	-	21.7	0.6	0.4	0.0	22.7
40-65	7.7	7.3	-	-	0.82	0.09	9	-	-	23.3	0.5	0.3	0.0	24.1

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 %
0-8	120	18.8	39	9.9	-	-	-
8-20	117	19.7	39	5.5	-	-	-
20-40	115	19.7	33	3.7	-	-	-
40-65	105	22.9	36	2.9	-	-	-

Elemental composition of the soil

Depth (cm)	Al2O3 % w/w	CaO % w/w	Fe2O3 % w/w	K2O % w/w	MgO % w/w	Na2O % w/w	SiO2 % w/w	TiO2 % w/w
0-8	7.9	26.3	2.8	1.80	0.3	-	30.6	0.3
8-20	8.2	27.6	2.9	1.70	0.3	-	30.1	0.3
20-40	8.8	28.2	3.3	1.80	0.3	-	28.5	0.3
40-65	15.5	4.6	4.6	2.90	0.3	-	63.1	0.6

Depth (cm)	Al2O3/Fe2O3 mol/mol	LOI % w/w	MnO2 % w/w	P2O5 % w/w	SiO2 / Al2O3 mol/mol	SiO2/Fe2O3 mol/mol	SiO2 / R mol/mol
0-8	4.4	28.0	0	0.30	6.6	29.1	5.4
8-20	4.4	27.0	0	0.30	6.2	27.6	5.1
20-40	4.2	26.9	0	0.30	5.5	23.0	4.4
40-65	5.3	7.8	0	0.10	6.9	36.5	5.8

Clay mineralogy

Depth (cm)	Chlorite	Feldspar	Gibbsite	Goethite	Halloysite	Hematite	Kaolinite	Mica / illite	Mixed-layer	Quartz	Smec	Vermiculite
0-8	-	-	-	-	-	-	strong	strong	strong	weak to medium	weak to medium	-
8-20	-	-	-	-	-	-	strong	strong	strong	weak to medium	strong	-
20-40	-	-	-	-	-	-	strong	strong	weak to medium	very weak to weak	strong	-
40-65	-	-	-	-	-	-	strong	strong	weak to medium	very weak to weak	strong	-

Profile description

Ah1 0-8 cm	dark brown (10YR 3/3, moist)silt loam,weak platy,friable,abrupt smooth boundary to,
Ah2 8-20 cm	(10YR 2.5/3, moist)silt loam,hard,abrupt wavy boundary to,
20-40 cm	silt loamhard,thread-like calcareous,clear wavy boundary to,
C 40-60 cm	(2.5Y 4.5/3, moist)silt,friable,gypsiferous concretions,clear wavy boundary to,
2A 60-73 cm	(2.5Y 4.5/3, moist)silt loam,friable,abrupt wavy boundary to,
2A 60-73 cm	dominant gypsum fragments

Depth1	65cm
Kind 2 (parent material) (second entry); Parker (eds), 1984	marl
Mode of accumulation or deposition of parent material	colluvial
Mode of accumulation or deposition of parent material (second entry)	residual material
Remarks on Parent Materials	col. on gypsum marls
Texture of parent material	loamy
Texture of parent material (second entry)	loamy

Status of vegetation; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	degraded
Major vegetation type; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	shrub

Altitude	620m
Physiographic Unit	dissected plateau
Physiographic position of the site	slope
Regional landform; McDonald, R.C., Isbell, R.F. et all, 1984; Australian soil and land survey Field Handbook, Inkata Press, Melbourne.	plateau
Slope	20%
Topography; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	hilly

Drainage class ; FAO (2006) - Guidelines for soil description	well
Kind of ground water table (USDA, 1979)	no groundwater table observed

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Reference soil Spain 13: Calcisol

Characteristics

Reference soil ES013: Calcisols

Classification