Soil subgroup

Argiudol 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.
SuborderUdolMolisol humid climate (udic moisture regime): the profile almost never spends more than three months dry.
Great groupArgiudolWithin the Udol 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.

It is the emblematic soil of the Pampa Ondulada: Pergamino, Rojas, Arrecifes. Deep, dark, well drained, with a textural B that retains water but can slow down roots when it is very clayey.

Most common surface texture
Silt loam
Most common drainage
Well drained
Typical effective depth
100 cm

Where it is found

According to the 1:500.000 national map, it covers about 8.455.580 ha, spread over 96 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
Buenos Aires6.022.291 ha
Santa Fe1.418.711 ha
Córdoba644.480 ha
Chaco182.235 ha
Tucumán116.975 ha
Corrientes51.471 ha
Santiago del Estero13.943 ha
Misiones5.473 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 71 (very good); half of the units fall between 41 and 73.

Land capability

I
II
III

class I: 17% · class II: 41% · class III: 37% · class IV: 5%

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 Argiudol 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

Mar del Plata · Tandil · Laprida · Necochea · O Higgins · Rojas · Semillero Buck · Ramon Santamarina · Arroyo Dulce · Tres Esquinas · Pergamino · Delgado · Chacabuco · Blanca Chica · Mercedes · Saboya · El Arbolito · Alem · Indacochea · Carabelas · Juncal · Egana · Lobos · Tornquist · Hughes · Mar Chiquita · Comodoro Py · Pipinas

Entre Ríos

La Fermina · Granero · Don Andrés · Cuatro Manos

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