Soil great group

Durustalf

Of the Ustalf suborder; it has a duripan: a horizon cemented by silica.

What the name says

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

Taxonomic orderAlfisolSoil with a clay accumulation horizon (argillic or natric) and good base saturation, but without the thick, dark surface of a Molisol.
SuborderUstalfAlfisol from subhumid to semi-arid climate (ustic moisture regime).
Great groupDurustalfWithin the Ustalf suborder, it has a duripan: a horizon cemented by silica.

What it means for farming

Acceptable fertility, but the surface layer is thinner and poor in organic matter. In the Pampas region many Alfisoles are sodic or floodable (Natracualfes) and are left for livestock.

Most common surface texture
Loam
Most common drainage
Imperfect
Typical effective depth
80 cm

Where it is found

According to the 1:500.000 national map, it covers about 186.036 ha, spread over 6 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
Chaco177.921 ha
Santiago del Estero8.116 ha

Districts where it is most common

It also appears on the detailed maps of: Santiago del Estero.

How productive it is

Where it is the main soil of the map unit, the productivity index has a median of 18 (very low); half of the units fall between 18 and 19.

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.

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