Soil subgroup
Torriortent tapto cámbico
It has cambic horizon (incipient development) buried under newer sediments.
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 | Entisol | Soil without diagnostic horizons, or almost: recently deposited material (sand, alluvium) or on which the climate did not have time to act. |
|---|---|---|
| Suborder | Ortent | Entisol on material that is neither sandy nor alluvial: eroded slopes, rock, recent sediments. |
| Great group | Torriortent | Within the Ortent suborder, it It has an arid climate (torric moisture regime). |
| Subgroup | tapto cámbico | It has cambic horizon (incipient development) buried under newer sediments. |
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.
The most widespread soil of extra-Andean Patagonia and the arid west: stony or sandy, without development, under steppe.
Where it is found
According to the 1:500.000 national map, it covers about 144.689 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.
| Province | Area |
|---|---|
| Catamarca | 89.444 ha |
| Jujuy | 52.123 ha |
| Salta | 3.122 ha |
Districts where it is most common
Other Torriortent 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
- 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)