Reference soil Cuba 13: Vertisol

CU013

Vertisols occur dominantly in level landscapes under climates with a pronounced dry season. Vast areas are found in Australia, India, northeastern Africa (Sudan, Ethiopia), southern Latin America and the USA.

Characteristics

Soils having a vertic horizon (a clayey subsurface horizon with polished and grooved ped surfaces ("slickensides") or wedge-shaped or parallelepiped structural aggregates) within 100 cm from the soil surface. They have 30 percent or more clay in all horizons to a depth of 100 cm or more, or to a contrasting layer (lithic or paralithic contact, petrocalcic, petroduric or petrogypsic horizons, sedimentary discontinuity, etc.) between 50 and 100 cm, after the upper 20 cm have been mixed. In addition, Vertisols exhibit wide cracks, which open and close periodically.

Distribution of Vertisols (rough estimation supplied by soilgrids)

Reference soil CU013: Vertisols

Short field description Deep, poorly drained, grey clay. The subsoil has blackish mottles, a strong prismatic structure and slickensides. Geomorphology:fluvio-marine terrace, deltaic, flat to slightly undulating. Geology: Pleistocene, clays, gravels.

Classification

WRB 2006

WRB 1998

Mollic-Stagnic-Gleyic- Vertisol (Albic Calcaric)

Eutric- Vertisol

0-25 cm	mollic horizon
25-110 cm	vertic horizon
25-60 cm	albic horizon
-	calcaric
-	reducing conditions
-	gleyic colour pattern

0-25 cm	mollic horizon
25-110 cm	vertic horizon
25-60 cm	albic horizon
-	stagnic
-	gleyic

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1988

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1974

Stagni-Calcic Vertisol phreatic

Chromic Vertisol phreatic

0-25 cm	mollic A horizon
25-60 cm	albic E horizon
60-110 cm	cambic B horizon
- cm	ochric A horizon
-	gleyic
-	slickensides
-	stagnic
-	vertic

0-25 cm	mollic A horizon
25-60 cm	albic E horizon
60-110 cm	cambic B horizon
-	hydromorphic
-	slickensides

Local classification:	Gley Húmico Típico

Other classification

USDA-NRCS (1999)	Ustic Epiaquept
USDA-SCS (1975)	Ustic Haplaquoll ustic clayey montmorillonitic 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
0-25	-	0.2	0.3	1.2	4.0	3.7	9.4	6.5	19.6	26.1	64.5
25-60	-	0.2	0.3	1.4	5.3	4.3	11.5	6.4	17.5	23.9	64.5
60-110	-	0.1	0.2	1.3	6.8	5.2	13.6	7.0	19.3	26.3	60.2
110-150	-	0.1	0.2	3.7	14.4	8.3	26.7	10.9	18.1	29.0	44.3

Water retention characteristics

Depth (cm)	Bulk density kg/dm³	Spec. Surf. Area m²/g	COLE cm/cm	Water disp. clay %	Clay % w/w
0-25	-	-	-	44.1	64.5
5-10	1.090	-	-	-	-
25-60	-	-	-	50.0	64.5
25-30	1.180	-	-	-	-
60-110	-	-	-	40.3	60.2
45-50	1.190	-	-	-	-
110-150	-	-	-	30.1	44.3

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
5-10	1.090	57.6	57.3	57.0	56.4	56.2	54.8	46.5	39.4
25-30	1.180	58.6	58.2	57.8	57.1	56.6	55.2	44.6	36.0
45-50	1.190	57.8	57.4	57.1	56.3	55.8	54.5	45.0	36.3

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
0-25	6.4	5.3	0.13	2.4	1.28	0.15	9	-	-	35.3	28.0	0.2	0.6	64.1
25-60	7.7	6.6	0.28	3.8	0.17	0.03	6	-	-	51.2	26.2	0.2	0.9	78.5
60-110	8.3	6.9	0.22	9.4	0.08	0.01	8	-	-	61.9	27.5	0.2	0.7	90.3
110-150	8.4	7.0	0.20	7.6	0.07	0.01	7	-	-	48.3	22.4	0.2	1.0	71.9

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 %
0-25	106	60.2	91	4.5	-	-	1
25-60	149	52.6	84	0.6	-	-	2
60-110	199	45.3	83	0.3	-	-	2
110-150	188	38.3	93	0.2	-	-	3

Clay mineralogy

Depth (cm)	Chlorite	Feldspar	Gibbsite	Goethite	Halloysite	Hematite	Kaolinite	Mica / illite	Mixed-layer	Quartz	Smec	Vermiculite
0-25	-	weak	-	-	-	-	medium to strong	-	-	medium to strong	very strong	-
25-60	-	weak	-	-	-	-	medium to strong	-	-	medium to strong	very strong	-
60-110	-	weak	-	-	-	-	medium to strong	-	-	medium to strong	very strong	-
110-150	-	weak	-	-	-	-	medium to strong	-	-	weak	very strong	-

Profile description

Ap 0-25 cm	very dark grey (10YR 3/1, moist)clay,strong coarse prismatic,hard sticky plastic,no cutans,few very fine pores and common pores highly porous (>60 vol%),no inclusions,no fragments,frequent worm channels and channels,clear irregular boundary to,
Cgi1 25-60 cm	light grey (10YR 7/2, moist)clay,strong medium and coarse prismatic,slightly hard sticky plastic,many coarse prominent clear mottles (10YR 4/4),broken moderately thick slickensides throughout cutans,few very fine pores and common pores moderately porous (40-60 vol%),no inclusions,no fragments,frequent worm channels,gradual irregular boundary to,
Cgi2 60-110 cm	greyish brown (10YR 5/2, moist)clay loam,moderate fine and medium prismatic,slightly hard slightly sticky slightly plastic,common medium prominent clear mottles (10YR 4/4) and common coarse prominent mottles (10YR 3/2),broken thick slickensides throughout cutans,few very fine pores and few pores slightly porous (<40 vol%),no inclusions,no fragments,gradual smooth boundary to,
Ck 110-150 cm	(dark) brown (10YR 4/3, moist)massive,slightly hard slightly sticky slightly plastic,no cutans,common very fine pores and many pores slightly porous (<40 vol%),few large irregular hard calcareous nodules,no fragments,

Kind 1 (parent material) ; Parker (eds), 1984	claystone
Mode of accumulation or deposition of parent material	marine sediments
Remarks on Parent Materials	Pleistocene clays and gravel
Soil Depth	60cm
Texture of parent material	clayey

Major crops	sugar cane
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	high level arable farming
Status of vegetation; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	secondary
Major vegetation type; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	semi-deciduous woodland

Altitude	8m
Physiographic Unit	flat or almost flat
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.	coastal plain
Slope	0%
Form of the slope surrounding the site	straight
Topography; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	flat or almost flat

Lower limit of a slow permeable or stagnating layer in the profile	40cm
Drainage class ; FAO (2006) - Guidelines for soil description	imperfect
Flooding frequency (FAO, 1986)	irregular
Nature of flood water	fresh
(Estimated) maximum (lower) depth to groundwater table	200cm
Depth to groundwater table	120cm
Kind of ground water table (USDA, 1979)	groundwater table observed
(Estimated) minimum (upper) depth to groundwater table	100cm
Moist From - To	0-150cm
Estimated permeability (class) of least permeable part of the profile	slow
Estimated run off (class)	slow
Upper limit of a slow permeable or stagnating layer in the profile	25cm

Evidence of alkali ; Soil Survey Manual USDA, 1951	slightly alkaline
Surface cracking	small cracks (width less than 1 cm, or depth less than 50 cm)
Evidence of salt; Soil Survey Manual USDA, 1951	non-saline

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Reference soil Cuba 13: Vertisol

Characteristics

Reference soil CU013: Vertisols

Classification