Soil great group

Argiborol

Of the Borol suborder; it has a clay accumulation horizon (argillic): clay washed from the surface accumulated lower.

Argiborol is a name from the 1975 taxonomy, which many INTA soil survey maps were made with. The current edition no longer has this group: today it would be classified as Argicriol.

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.
SuborderBorolMolisol cold climate.
Great groupArgiborolWithin the Borol suborder, it has a clay accumulation horizon (argillic): clay washed from the surface accumulated lower.

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
Sandy clay loam
Most common drainage
Moderate
Typical effective depth
100 cm

Where it is found

According to the 1:500.000 national map, it covers about 729.873 ha, spread over 5 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
Chubut371.887 ha
TIERRA DEL FUEGO E ISLAS MALVINAS215.685 ha
Santa Cruz142.300 ha

Districts where it is most common

Subgroups on the maps

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