Reference soil Cuba 22: Plinthosol

CU022

Plinthosols occur mainly in the moist tropical regions in low-lying positions where iron from the soil and adjacent uplands is accumulating.

Characteristics

Soils having either a petroplinthic horizon within 50 cm from the soil surface, or a plinthic horizon which either starts within 50 cm from the soil surface, or within 100 cm from the soil surface if it underlies an albic horizon or a horizon with stagnic properties.

Distribution of Plinthosols (rough estimation supplied by soilgrids)

Reference soil CU022: Plinthosols

Short field description: Very deep, well drained, dark red, gravelly clay. Moderately structured, iron concretions and diffuse horizon boundaries. The gravel consists of iron concretions ("mocarrreros"). Geology: serpentine, peridotite, serpentine-dune. Geomorphology: mountain horst. Surroundings of the site has severe erosion.

Classification

WRB 2006

WRB 1998

Posic-Gibbsic-Pisoplinthic- Plinthosol (Hyperdystric)

Acri-Pisoplinthic- Ferralsol (Gibbsic Posic)

0-150 cm	pisoplinthic horizon
21-150 cm	argic horizon
-	geric

0-150 cm	ferralic horizon
0-21 cm	ochric horizon
21-150 cm	argic horizon

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1988

FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1974

Rhodi-Ferric Acrisol skeletic

Acric Ferralsol petric

0-21 cm	ochric A horizon
21-150 cm	argic B horizon
- cm	ferralic B horizon
-	ferric
-	geric

0-21 cm	ochric A horizon
21-150 cm	oxic B horizon

Local classification:	Ferritico purpura

Other classification

USDA-NRCS (1999)	Anionic Acrudox
USDA-SCS (1975)	Anionic Acrorthox udic clayey gibbsitic isohyperthermic

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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
0-20	-	26.4	12.5	5.1	3.6	2.1	49.7	4.5	15.3	19.8	30.6
20-70	-	24.7	11.8	4.6	3.2	1.6	45.9	5.2	10.9	16.1	38.0
70-110	-	21.8	14.7	6.1	4.2	2.2	49	6.7	10.1	16.8	34.2
110-150	-	22.5	12.5	5.4	3.6	1.8	45.8	7.4	11.3	18.7	35.4

Water retention characteristics

Depth (cm)	Bulk density kg/dm³	Spec. Surf. Area m²/g	COLE cm/cm	Water disp. clay %	Clay % w/w
0-20	-	-	-	2.5	30.6
20-70	-	-	-	37.1	38.0
70-110	-	-	-	30.4	34.2
110-150	-	-	-	28.8	35.4

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
0-20	5.8	5.1	0.12	-	1.65	0.03	55	0	0	0.0	0.3	0.1	0.1	0.5
20-70	6.0	6.4	0.11	-	0.28	0.15	2	0	0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
70-110	5.1	6.6	0.06	-	0.04	0.03	1	0	0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
110-150	5.6	6.6	0.06	-	0.04	0.01	4	0	0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0

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 %
0-20	10	5.2	-2	5.8	-	0	2
20-70	0	2.3	3.0	1.0	-	0	0
70-110	0	1.4	4	0.1	-	0	0
110-150	0	1.4	4	0.1	-	0	0

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
0-20	-	-	-	-	-	18.50	1.50	-	-	-	-
20-70	-	-	-	-	-	19.00	1.50	-	-	-	-
70-110	-	-	-	-	-	19.10	1.70	-	-	-	-
110-150	-	-	-	-	-	16.10	1.50	-	-	-	-

Clay mineralogy

Depth (cm)	Chlorite	Feldspar	Gibbsite	Goethite	Halloysite	Hematite	Kaolinite	Mica / illite	Mixed-layer	Quartz	Smec	Vermiculite
0-20	-	-	medium to strong	strong	-	-	weak	-	-	-	weak	-
20-70	-	-	medium to strong	strong	-	-	weak	-	-	-	weak	-
70-110	-	-	medium to strong	strong	-	-	weak	-	-	-	weak	-
110-150	-	-	weak	strong	-	-	weak	-	-	-	weak	-

Profile description

Ap 0-21 cm	(2.5YR 2/4, moist)clay loam,strong fine and medium granular,firm non sticky non plastic,no cutans,common fine pores and few pores highly porous (>60 vol%),frequent medium spherical hard manganiferous concretions,no fragments,frequent channels and worm channels,gradual smooth boundary to,
21-70 cm	very dusky red (2.5YR 2.5/2, moist)clay loam,moderate medium granular to strong medium subangular blocky,firm non sticky slightly plastic,no cutans,common fine pores and common pores highly porous (>60 vol%),frequent medium spherical hard manganiferous concretions,no fragments,diffuse smooth boundary to,
70-150 cm	dusky red (10R 3/3, moist)clay loam,moderate medium granular to moderate medium subangular blocky,friable non sticky non plastic,no cutans,many medium pores and common pores highly porous (>60 vol%),very frequent large spherical hard manganiferous concretions,no fragments,

Kind 1 (parent material) ; Parker (eds), 1984	serpentinite
Mode of accumulation or deposition of parent material	residual material
Remarks on Parent Materials	Serpentine, peridote, serpentine-dune
Soil Depth	150cm
Texture of parent material	loamy

Intensity of the soil erosion type	moderate
Soil erosion type	gully

Major crops	crops (unspecified)
Land use or vegetation in the immediate vicinity of the site	cultivated pasture
Rotation scheme ; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	monoculture
Status of vegetation; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	cut over
Major vegetation type; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	closed forest

Altitude	650m
Physiographic Unit	mountain
Physiographic position of the site	lower slope
Regional landform; McDonald, R.C., Isbell, R.F. et all, 1984; Australian soil and land survey Field Handbook, Inkata Press, Melbourne.	mountain
Slope	7%
Form of the slope surrounding the site	concave
Topography; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006)	mountainous

Drainage class ; FAO (2006) - Guidelines for soil description	well
Flooding frequency (FAO, 1986)	never
Kind of ground water table (USDA, 1979)	no groundwater table observed
Moist From - To	0-150cm
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 Cuba 22: Plinthosol

Characteristics

Reference soil CU022: Plinthosols

Classification