Soil subgroup

Ustifluvent mólico

It has a dark surface rich in organic matter, almost like that of a Molisol.

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 groupUstifluventWithin the Fluvent suborder, it It has a subhumid to semiarid climate (ustic moisture regime).
SubgroupmólicoIt has a dark surface rich in organic matter, almost like that of a Molisol.

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.

Most common surface texture
Sandy clay loam
Most common drainage
Moderate
Typical effective depth
60 cm

Where it is found

According to the 1:500.000 national map, it covers about 435.138 ha, spread over 15 districts.

Loading map…

National map units that list it. The scale is 1:500.000: good for seeing the region, not a single property.

ProvinceArea
Chaco339.728 ha
Santiago del Estero30.763 ha
Buenos Aires27.902 ha
Córdoba21.239 ha
Jujuy9.612 ha
Mendoza3.416 ha
Salta2.477 ha

Districts where it is most common

It also appears on the detailed maps of: Buenos Aires, Santiago del Estero.

How productive it is

Where it is the main soil of the map unit, the productivity index has a median of 34 (low); half of the units fall between 34 and 38.

Land capability

II
IV
VII

class II: 14% · class IV: 57% · class VII: 29%

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 Ustifluvent 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

Isla Zuraita

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