Soil subgroup

Ustortent 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.
SuborderOrtentEntisol on material that is neither sandy nor alluvial: eroded slopes, rock, recent sediments.
Great groupUstortentWithin the Ortent suborder, it It has a subhumid to semiarid climate (ustic 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 180.291 ha, spread over 16 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
Salta142.925 ha
Jujuy37.366 ha

Districts where it is most common

Other Ustortent 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