Soil subgroup

Ocracualf vértico

It has expansive clays: dry cracks or slickensides in the subsoil. When wet it becomes sticky and difficult to work with; when dry it cracks.

Ocracualf 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 Epiacualf or Endoacualf.

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.
SuborderAcualfAlfisol with excess water: saturated near the surface part of the year, with redox depletions.
Great groupOcracualfWithin the Acualf suborder, it It has a clear surface and is poor in organic matter (ochric epipedon).
SubgroupvérticoIt has expansive clays: dry cracks or slickensides in the subsoil. When wet it becomes sticky and difficult to work with; when dry it cracks.

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
Silt loam
Most common drainage
Imperfect
Typical effective depth
50 cm

Where it is found

According to the 1:500.000 national map, it covers about 266.426 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
Entre Ríos266.426 ha

Districts where it is most common

It also appears on the detailed maps of: Entre Ríos.

How productive it is

Where it is the main soil of the map unit, the productivity index has a median of 9 (very low); half of the units fall between 9 and 15.

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 Ocracualf 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.

Entre Ríos

Colonia Trece · Arrúa · Grecco · Maciá · Cabildo · Arroyo Quebracho · Arroyo Lucas · El Cimarrón · Saucesito · Santa Rosa · Altamirano · Robledo · El Pingo · La Calandria · Miñones · Puerto Ruíz

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