Soil subgroup
Natrudol 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 order | Molisol | Soil 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. |
|---|---|---|
| Suborder | Udol | Molisol humid climate (udic moisture regime): the profile almost never spends more than three months dry. |
| Great group | Natrudol | Within the Udol suborder, it has a natric horizon: accumulation of clay with a lot of exchangeable sodium, which disperses the clay and blocks the passage of water and roots. |
| Subgroup | típico | It 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.
Where it is found
It does not appear on the national map; on the detailed maps it adds up to about 474.388 ha, across 16 districts.
| Province | Area |
|---|---|
| Buenos Aires | 474.388 ha |
Districts where it is most common
- General La Madrid · Buenos Aires
- Coronel Pringles · Buenos Aires
- Las Flores · Buenos Aires
- Monte · Buenos Aires
- Benito Juárez · Buenos Aires
- Laprida · Buenos Aires
- Coronel Dorrego · Buenos Aires
- Balcarce · Buenos Aires
- Mar Chiquita · Buenos Aires
- General Belgrano · Buenos Aires
- Cañuelas · Buenos Aires
- Tapalqué · Buenos Aires
- Daireaux · Buenos Aires
- General Pueyrredón · Buenos Aires
- Adolfo Gonzales Chaves · Buenos Aires
- Tres Arroyos · Buenos Aires
It also appears on the detailed maps of: Buenos Aires.
How productive it is
Land capability
class III: 10% · class IV: 80% · class VI: 10%
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 Natrudol 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
La Tigra · Monte · General La Madrid · Ayacucho
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
- Soil Survey Staff. (2014). Claves para la Taxonomía de Suelos, 12.ª edición. USDA - Natural Resources Conservation Service. · Dominio público (USDA)
- INTA · Dominio público (carta 1:500.000)
- INTA - Instituto de Suelos - CIRN. (2023). Cartas de Suelos República Argentina - Provincia de Buenos Aires (2.0) [Data set]. Zenodo. · CC BY 4.0