Soil great group
Paleargid
Of the Argid suborder; it is very old and evolved: very thick clay horizon, or a petrocalcic horizon (calcareous hardpan) indicating a long time of formation.
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 | Aridisol | Soil arid climate: water is lacking most of the year and the profile accumulates what the rain cannot wash away (carbonates, gypsum, salts) or clay from more humid times. |
|---|---|---|
| Suborder | Argid | Aridisol with a clay accumulation horizon, inherited from a more humid past climate. |
| Great group | Paleargid | Within the Argid suborder, it is very old and evolved: very thick clay horizon, or a petrocalcic horizon (calcareous hardpan) indicating a long time of formation. |
What it means for farming
Without irrigation there is no agriculture: they are soils of native woodland, extensive grazing or, with water, irrigated oases (Mendoza, San Juan, the valleys of the NOA).
Frequent on the Patagonian plateau: old clay horizon, often on calcareous hardpan or cemented boulders.
- Most common surface texture
- Sandy loam
- Most common drainage
- Imperfect
- Typical effective depth
- 100 cm
Where it is found
According to the 1:500.000 national map, it covers about 10.168.276 ha, spread over 60 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.
| Province | Area |
|---|---|
| Santa Cruz | 3.414.007 ha |
| Río Negro | 2.067.068 ha |
| Catamarca | 1.399.769 ha |
| Chubut | 1.287.438 ha |
| Salta | 954.244 ha |
| Jujuy | 890.493 ha |
| Neuquén | 127.907 ha |
| Buenos Aires | 16.755 ha |
| Tucumán | 10.593 ha |
Districts where it is most common
- Antofagasta de la Sierra · Catamarca
- Río Chico · Santa Cruz
- Corpen Aike · Santa Cruz
- Güer Aike · Santa Cruz
- Los Andes · Salta
- Deseado · Santa Cruz
- Paso de Indios · Chubut
- Magallanes · Santa Cruz
- San Antonio · Río Negro
- Susques · Jujuy
- Valcheta · Río Negro
- Escalante · Chubut
- Cushamen · Chubut
- 9 de Julio · Río Negro
- 25 de Mayo · Río Negro
- Avellaneda · Río Negro
- Tinogasta · Catamarca
- Humahuaca · Jujuy
- Ñorquinco · Río Negro
- Sarmiento · Chubut
How productive it is
Where it is the main soil of the map unit, the productivity index has a median of 28 (low); half of the units fall between 28 and 28.
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.
Subgroups on the maps
- Paleargid petrocálcico
- Paleargid típico
- Paleargid ustólico
- Paleargid borólico
- Paleargid petrocálcico xerólico
- Paleargid xerólico
- Paleargid lítico
- Paleargid xerálfico
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)