Soil subgroup

Torrifluvent tapto árgico

It has a buried clay horizon (argillic): an old soil was covered by newer sediments, and the current soil formed on top.

What the name says

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

Taxonomic orderEntisolSoil without diagnostic horizons, or almost: recently deposited material (sand, alluvium) or on which the climate did not have time to act.
SuborderFluventEntisol formed by layers of alluvium left by a river when it overflows; organic matter rises and falls with each layer.
Great groupTorrifluventWithin the Fluvent suborder, it It has an arid climate (torric moisture regime).
Subgrouptapto árgicoIt has a buried clay horizon (argillic): an old soil was covered by newer sediments, and the current soil formed on top.

What it means for farming

Very variable. The sandy ones (Psamentes) retain little water and blow away; alluvial ones (Fluventes) can be good but they flood; the shallow ones on rock (lithic) are barely useful for grazing.

Where it is found

According to the 1:500.000 national map, it covers about 111.581 ha, spread over 12 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
Salta92.455 ha
Catamarca18.918 ha

Districts where it is most common

Other Torrifluvent subgroups

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