LOCATION MUCARA PREstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, vermiculitic, isohyperthermic Dystric Eutrudepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Mucara clay loam--naturalized pastureland (Colors are for moist soil).
Ap--0 to 5 inches; dark olive brown (2.5Y 3/3); clay loam; weak fine granular structure; soft, friable; slightly sticky, moderately plastic; many fine roots; common fine irregular and few fine interstitial pores; about 5 percent, by volume, pebbles; very slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (3 to 7 inches thick)
Bw1--5 to 12 inches; olive brown (2.5Y 4/3); clay loam; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable; slightly sticky, moderately plastic; few faint pressure faces on ped faces; common fine roots; common very fine and fine irregular pores; about 2 percent, by volume, pebbles; very slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline; clear wavy boundary.
Bw2--12 to 18 inches; olive brown (2.5Y 4/3); clay loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable; slightly sticky, moderately plastic; few fine roots; common very fine and fine irregular pores; about 20 percent, by volume, saprolite; noneffervescent; slightly alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bw horizons range from 12 to 18 inches)
C--18 to 32 inches; 40 percent olive brown (2.5Y 4/3), 30 percent light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2), and 30 percent light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) loam in a variegated pattern having crushed color that is olive (5Y 4/3); massive; soft, friable; slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few fine roots; noneffervescent; neutral. (5 to 15 inches thick)
Cr--32+ inches; slightly weathered and fractured volcanic bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico. Approximately 2.2 miles southwest of the city of Cabo Rojo from the intersection of P.R. Hwy. 102 and P.R. Hwy. 312, about 1.2 miles southwest from the intersection of P.R. Hwy. 308 and P.R. Hwy. 307, about 2,200 feet southeast from P.R. Hwy. 307 on paved road, and about 20 feet northeast of paved road in naturalized pastureland. USGS Puerto Real topographic quadrangle (1966); lat. 18 degrees 04 minutes 02 seconds N.; long. 67 degrees 10 minutes 11 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness range from 10 to 20 inches. Depth to fractured volcanic bedrock ranges from 20 to 40 inches. Rock fragments range from 0 to 15 percent, by volume, throughout the profile. Content of pebbles range from 0 to 15 percent, by volume, throughout. Reaction ranges from strongly acid to slightly alkaline throughout.
The A or Ap horizon has hue of 5YR to 2.5Y, value of 2 to 5, and chroma of 2 to 4. Texture is silty clay loam, silty clay, clay loam or clay in the fine-earth fraction.
The Bw horizon has hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 3 to 6, and chroma of 2 to 6. Texture is silty clay loam, clay loam, silty clay, or clay in the fine-earth fraction.
The BC horizon, where present, has colors and textures similar to the Bw horizon.
The C horizon has no dominant color and is multicolored in shades of brown, yellow, and gray. The original rock structure is visible and weathered rock fragments can be easily broken between fingers. Low chroma mottles appear to have been inherited from the parent material and are not due to wetness. Texture is loam or silty clay loam.
The Cr horizon is composed of semi-consolidated and slightly weathered of volcanic rock. It can be excavated with difficulty with hand tools, and is rippable by mechanical equipment.
COMPETING SERIES: These are no known series in the same family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Mucara soils are on summits and side slopes of hills and mountains on Humid Mountains and Valley MLRA. Slopes range from 5 to 60 percent. They formed in residuum that weathered from basalt lava and breccia. The climate is humid subtropical. The average annual temperature ranges from 75 to 79 degrees F., and the average annual precipitation ranges from 43 to 73 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include the Caguabo, Maraguez, Morado and Quebrada series. All this soils are on similar positions. In addition, Caguabo soils are shallow to bedrock. Maraguez soils are very deep. Morado soils have reddish colors and have more clay in the control section. Quebrada soils have more clay in the control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of Mucara soils are on naturalized pastureland. Some small areas used for cash crops and coffee. The vegetation consists of native and introduced grasses, shrubs, and trees.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Summits and side slopes of hills and mountains of the Humid Mountains and Valleys MLRA. The series is of major extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Auburn, Alabama.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Soil Survey of Puerto Rico; 1942.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 5 inches (Ap horizon).
Cambic horizon - the zone from 5 to 18 inches (Bw1 and Bw2 horizons).
The type location was moved to its present location in 09/2004.
Mucara soils are in MLRA 270.