Soil subgroup

Argialbol típico

It is the central concept of the great group: it has its features and none that brings it closer to another group.

What the name says

Soil Taxonomy names are built from parts, and each part says something about the soil. From general to specific:

Taxonomic orderMolisolSoil with a thick, dark surface horizon rich in organic matter (the mollic epipedon), with more than half of its exchange capacity occupied by calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium. It forms under grassland.
SuborderAlbolMolisol with a clear, washed (albic) horizon between the surface and the clay horizon, and water hanging over it in humid times.
Great groupArgialbolWithin the Albol suborder, it has a clay accumulation horizon (argillic): clay washed from the surface accumulated lower.
SubgrouptípicoIt is the central concept of the great group: it has its features and none that brings it closer to another group.

What it means for farming

They are the soils agricultural lands par excellence: the Pampas grassland formed them and most of Argentine agriculture is done on them. They retain water and nutrients; its limitation, when there is one, is below: clay, sodium, calcareous hardpan or drainage.

Most common surface texture
Silt loam
Most common drainage
Imperfect
Typical effective depth
200 cm

Where it is found

According to the 1:500.000 national map, it covers about 2.245.032 ha, spread over 67 districts.

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National map units that list it. The scale is 1:500.000: good for seeing the region, not a single property.

ProvinceArea
Santa Fe1.060.578 ha
Buenos Aires536.164 ha
Córdoba266.890 ha
Salta263.406 ha
Jujuy62.332 ha
Corrientes20.108 ha
Santiago del Estero13.491 ha
Chaco12.925 ha
Tucumán6.068 ha
Catamarca3.068 ha

Districts where it is most common

It also appears on the detailed maps of: Buenos Aires, Entre Ríos, Santiago del Estero.

How productive it is

Where it is the main soil of the map unit, the productivity index has a median of 21 (low); half of the units fall between 21 and 23.

Land capability

III
IV
V

class III: 13% · class IV: 47% · class V: 40%

Taken from the maps that include this data. A map unit with several soils has a single index, and it is only attributed to the dominant soil.

Other Argialbol subgroups

Soil series

Series are the specific soils, named after places, that detailed maps describe under this name. Two properties with the same series have the same soil.

Buenos Aires

Suipacha · San Vicente · Los Pinos · Moquehua · Agustin Roca · Sancti Spiritu · Pieres · Las Marinas

Entre Ríos

Arroyo Achiras · Los Nardos

Soils it shares map units with

Several soils share each map unit. These are the ones most often found alongside this one: on a property, you will likely find them in the nearby low ground or on the next rise.

The definitions are a plain-language summary of the USDA Keys to Soil Taxonomy. The formal definition includes thickness, color and percentage thresholds that are left out here.

Sources