Soil type characteristics:
Ferralsols occur in tropical and subtropical regions of the world, mainly on old and stable land surfaces.
Characteristics
Soils having a ferralic horizon (strongly weathered horizon with low-activity clays and very low amounts of weatherable minerals) between 25 and 200 cm from the soil surface. They lack a nitic horizon (a horizon with strongly developed, nut-shaped structure) and do not have a layer which fulfils the requirements of an argic horizon and which has, in the upper 30 cm, 10 percent or more water-dispersible clay.
Distribution of Ferralsols (rough estimation supplied by soilgrids)
Description:
Reference soil MZ001: Ferralsols
Short description of the profile: very deep, well drained dark red clay soil; weakly to moderately structured up to 62 cm, than porous massive. Physiography: smooth interfluves and "dambo's", few bare rock inselbergs. local soil name : Katonde (Chinhandje/Chichewa) In the Bws the structure is difficult to describe, no ped is clearly visible, in fact every ped size can be made with a slight force; massive porous-weakly coherent can also be described as very weak, very fine to fine subangular blocky (coffee granules structure). The nodules have the same colour as the soil matrix.They differ from the soil by their coherency and the absence of pores.Their nature is probably clay indurated with iron. Spherical termite holes with flat bottom and a diameter of about 8 cm are visible in the whole soil profile with a density of 1 to 2 per square meter; mainly empty but sometimes filled with fungus combs. Classification, even on high level, of this soil is problematic, due to the occurrence of both an argillic and an oxic horizon.
General information:
| Authors | Kauffman JH |
| Köppen | Cw |
| Location | Tete Province, Angonia, S of Calomue |
| Date | 1982-10-01 |
| Lat/Lon | -14.5000, 34.3583 |
Code:
MZ001
Parent material
| Kind 1 (parent material) ; Parker (eds), 1984 | gneiss |
| Mode of accumulation or deposition of parent material | residual material |
| Remarks on Parent Materials | Basement Complex |
| Soil Depth | 170cm |
| Texture of parent material (second entry) | clayey |
| General characterization of the status of weathering of solid rock | highly |
Physiography
| Altitude | 480m |
| Physiographic Unit | smooth interfluve |
| Physiographic position of the site | upper slope |
| Regional landform; McDonald, R.C., Isbell, R.F. et all, 1984; Australian soil and land survey Field Handbook, Inkata Press, Melbourne. | plateau |
| Slope | 3% |
| Form of the slope surrounding the site | convex |
| Topography; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006) | undulating |
Hydrology and drainage
| Drainage class ; FAO (2006) - Guidelines for soil description | well |
| Dry From - To | 0-200cm |
| Flooding frequency (FAO, 1986) | never |
| Kind of ground water table (USDA, 1979) | no groundwater table observed |
| Moist From - To | 200cm |
| Estimated permeability (class) of least permeable part of the profile | moderate |
| Estimated run off (class) | medium |
Erosion and degradation
| Intensity of the soil erosion type | slight |
| Soil erosion type | sheet |
Land use
| Major crops | maize |
| Main type of irrigation; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006) | no irrigation |
| Land use or vegetation in the immediate vicinity of the site | low level arable farming |
| Remarks on Land Use / Vegetation | VEGETATION: Miombo woodland, recently strongly cut |
| Rotation scheme ; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006) | shifting - fallow bush |
| Status of vegetation; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006) | cut over |
| Major vegetation type; Guidelines for soil description - Fourth edition (FAO, Rome, 2006) | woodland |
Surface characteristics
| Evidence of alkali ; Soil Survey Manual USDA, 1951 | non-alkaline |
| Surface cracking | no cracks observed |
| Slaking of aggregates by tillage, rainfall or frost (USDA/SCS, 1979) | no surface slaking/crusting observed |
| Micro relief type: small-scale differences in relief in the direct vicinity of the site (FAO, 1986) | termite/ant mounds |
| Microrelief pattern | isolated |
| Rock outcrop class (FAO (2006) - Guidelines for soil description) | none |
| Evidence of salt; Soil Survey Manual USDA, 1951 | non-saline |
| Surface stoniness class (FAO (2006) - Guidelines for soil description) | none |
Classification
WRB 2006
| Ferralsol |
| 15-145 cm | ferralic horizon |
| 15-85 cm | argic horizon |
WRB 1998
| Ferralsol |
FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1988
| Rhodi-Haplic Acrisol |
| 0-15 cm | ochric A horizon |
| 15-145 cm | ferralic B horizon |
| 15-85 cm | argic B horizon |
FAO-UNESCO-ISRIC 1974
| Ferric Acrisol |
| 0-15 cm | ochric A horizon |
| 15-85 cm | argillic B horizon |
| 85-145 cm | oxic B horizon |
| - | ferric |
Other classification
| USDA-SCS (1975) | Paleustalf ustic kaolinitic thermic |
Other
| Description of a site | Short description of the profile: very deep, well drained dark red clay soil; weakly to moderately structured up to 62 cm, than porous massive. Physiography: smooth interfluves and "dambo's", few bare rock inselbergs. local soil name : Katonde (Chinhandje/Chichewa) In the Bws the structure is difficult to describe, no ped is clearly visible, in fact every ped size can be made with a slight force; massive porous-weakly coherent can also be described as very weak, very fine to fine subangular blocky (coffee granules structure). The nodules have the same colour as the soil matrix.They differ from the soil by their coherency and the absence of pores.Their nature is probably clay indurated with iron. Spherical termite holes with flat bottom and a diameter of about 8 cm are visible in the whole soil profile with a density of 1 to 2 per square meter; mainly empty but sometimes filled with fungus combs. Classification, even on high level, of this soil is problematic, due to the occurrence of both an argillic and an oxic horizon. |
Climate data
| Description | record | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bright sunshine (%) | 999 | 40 | 49 | 48 | 54 | 71 | 67 | 66 | 74 | 78 | 66 | 59 | 39 | 59.3 |
| Bright sunshine (%) | 999 | 40 | 49 | 48 | 54 | 71 | 67 | 66 | 74 | 78 | 66 | 59 | 39 | 59.3 |
| Epot. - Penman (mm) | 999 | 120 | 109 | 114 | 102 | 93 | 86 | 95 | 124 | 143 | 176 | 149 | 126 | 1437 |
| Epot. - Penman (mm) | 999 | 120 | 109 | 114 | 102 | 93 | 86 | 95 | 124 | 143 | 176 | 149 | 126 | 1437 |
| Maximum temperature (°C) | 26 | 26.2 | 26.2 | 25.8 | 25.7 | 24.1 | 22.6 | 22.3 | 23.9 | 25.5 | 28.6 | 28.4 | 26.8 | 25.5 |
| Maximum temperature (°C) | 26 | 26.2 | 26.2 | 25.8 | 25.7 | 24.1 | 22.6 | 22.3 | 23.9 | 25.5 | 28.6 | 28.4 | 26.8 | 25.5 |
| Mean temperature (°C) | 26 | 21.4 | 21.3 | 20.8 | 20 | 17.6 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 16.6 | 18.9 | 21.8 | 22.6 | 21.8 | 19.5 |
| Mean temperature (°C) | 26 | 21.4 | 21.3 | 20.8 | 20 | 17.6 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 16.6 | 18.9 | 21.8 | 22.6 | 21.8 | 19.5 |
| Minimum temperature (°C) | 26 | 16.5 | 16.4 | 15.7 | 14.4 | 11.2 | 8.6 | 8.3 | 9.4 | 12.3 | 14.9 | 16.8 | 16.7 | 13.4 |
| Minimum temperature (°C) | 26 | 16.5 | 16.4 | 15.7 | 14.4 | 11.2 | 8.6 | 8.3 | 9.4 | 12.3 | 14.9 | 16.8 | 16.7 | 13.4 |
| Precipitation (mm) | 25 | 233 | 211 | 133 | 47 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 90 | 180 | 927 |
| Precipitation (mm) | 25 | 233 | 211 | 133 | 47 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 90 | 180 | 927 |
| Relative humidity (%) | 26 | 73 | 75 | 73 | 69 | 65 | 62 | 58 | 50 | 49 | 47 | 57 | 67 | 62.1 |
| Relative humidity (%) | 26 | 73 | 75 | 73 | 69 | 65 | 62 | 58 | 50 | 49 | 47 | 57 | 67 | 62.1 |
| Total global radiation (MJ/m²) | 999 | 17.8 | 19 | 17.6 | 16.7 | 16.9 | 15.2 | 15.6 | 18.4 | 21.5 | 21.4 | 21.1 | 17.5 | 18.2 |
| Total global radiation (MJ/m²) | 999 | 17.8 | 19 | 17.6 | 16.7 | 16.9 | 15.2 | 15.6 | 18.4 | 21.5 | 21.4 | 21.1 | 17.5 | 18.2 |
| Windspeed (m/s, at 2m height) | 999 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 2.4 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.6 | 2.6 | 2.9 | 3.1 | 3.3 | 2.8 | 2.2 | 2.6 |
| Windspeed (m/s, at 2m height) | 999 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 2.4 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.6 | 2.6 | 2.9 | 3.1 | 3.3 | 2.8 | 2.2 | 2.6 |
| Station: | Vila Coutinho Velha |
| Country: | Mozambique |
| WMO Code: | 99.999 |
| Altitude: | 0 |
| Latitude/Longitude | S14°34 E34°18 |
Profile description
| Ah 0-15 cm | dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3, moist)sandy clay,moderate very fine and fine subangular blocky and moderate very fine and fine crumb,slightly (dry)hard very friable slightly sticky slightly plastic (moist),no cutans,many very fine pores and fine pores,many very fine roots,few termite channels,non calcareous,gradual smooth boundary to, |
| 15-25 cm | dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4, moist)clay,moderate very fine and fine subangular blocky,hard (dry) friable slightly sticky slightly plastic (moist),no cutans,many very fine pores and fine pores,common very fine and fine roots,few termite channels,non calcareous,gradual smooth boundary to, |
| Bt 25-62 cm | dark red (2.5YR 3/6, moist)clay,weak very fine and fine subangular blocky,hard (dry) friable slightly sticky slightly plastic (moist),broken moderately thick clay cutans,many very fine pores and fine pores,common very fine and fine roots,few termite channels,non calcareous,gradual smooth boundary to, |
| Bo 62-170 cm | (2.5YR 3.5/6, moist)clay,porous massive,slightly hard very friable slightly sticky slightly plastic,broken moderately thick clay cutans,many very fine pores and fine pores,few very fine and fine roots,very few medium spherical soft argillaceous nodules,few termite channels,non calcareous, |
| Auger 170-400 cm | red (2.5YR 4/6, moist)clay,very few medium spherical hard argillaceous nodules,non calcareous,diffuse boundary to, |
| Auger 400-600 cm | red (2.5YR 4/6, moist)clay,few medium spherical hard ferruginous concretions,non calcareous, |
Chemical characteristics
| Depth (cm) | pH H2O | pHKCl | EC 1: 2.5 dS/m | CaCO3 % w/w | C % w/w | N % | C / N | Exch. Acid cmol(c)/kg | Exch. Al cmol(c)/kg | Ca cmol(c)/kg | Mg cmol(c)/kg | K cmol(c)/kg | Na cmol(c)/kg | Sum Cations cmol(c)/kg |
| 0-4 | 5.7 | 5.0 | 0.08 | - | 1.70 | 0.11 | 15 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 2.6 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 4.6 |
| 4-15 | 5.5 | 4.8 | 0.05 | - | 1.26 | 0.07 | 18 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 1.8 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 3.1 |
| 30-45 | 5.1 | 4.6 | 0.03 | - | 0.30 | 0.03 | 10 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 1.5 |
| 70-85 | 5.6 | 5.6 | 0.01 | - | 0.17 | 0.01 | 17 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 1.5 |
| 130-145 | 5.5 | 5.6 | 0.01 | - | 0.16 | 0.01 | 16 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 3 |
| 260-290 | 5.4 | 5.7 | 0.01 | - | 0.08 | 0.01 | 8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 2.5 |
| Depth (cm) | Base sat. % | CEC soil cmol(c)/kg | CEC clay cmol(c)/kg | CEC org cmol(c)/kg | ECEC cmol(c)/kg | Al sat. % | ESP % |
| 0-4 | 40 | 11.4 | 37 | 6.0 | - | 0 | 0 |
| 4-15 | 37 | 8.4 | 18 | 4.4 | - | 0 | 0 |
| 30-45 | 18 | 8.3 | 16 | 1.1 | - | 0 | 0 |
| 70-85 | 22 | 6.7 | 16 | 0.6 | - | 0 | 0 |
| 130-145 | 41 | 7.4 | 15 | 0.6 | - | 0 | 0 |
| 260-290 | 33 | 7.5 | 15 | 0.3 | - | 0 | 0 |
| Depth (cm) | pH NaF | P Retention % | ODOE | Al o % w/w | Si o % w/w | Fe d % w/w | Al d % w/w | Fe p % w/w | Al p % w/w | C p % w/w | Fe o % w/w |
| 0-4 | - | - | - | 0.27 | 0.00 | 2.54 | 0.35 | 0.06 | 0.09 | - | 0.23 |
| 4-15 | - | - | - | 0.28 | 0.01 | 2.81 | 0.40 | 0.10 | 0.09 | - | 0.25 |
| 30-45 | - | - | - | 0.28 | 0.02 | 3.12 | 0.45 | 0.02 | 0.12 | - | 0.24 |
| 70-85 | - | - | - | 0.20 | 0.02 | 2.81 | 0.35 | 0.01 | 0.05 | - | 0.13 |
| 130-145 | - | - | - | 0.19 | 0.03 | 3.06 | 0.40 | 0.01 | 0.06 | - | 0.14 |
| 260-290 | - | - | - | 0.16 | 0.05 | 3.83 | 0.37 | 0.00 | 0.05 | - | 0.13 |
Physical characteristics
Particle size distribution
| Depth (cm) | Gravel % v/v | very coarse sand % w/w | coarse sand % w/w | medium sand % w/w | fine sand % w/w | very fine sand % w/w | Total sand % w/w | coarse silt % w/w | fine silt % w/w | Total silt % w/w | Clay % w/w |
| 0-4 | - | 3.4 | 10.0 | 16.2 | 16.0 | 4.9 | 50.5 | 5.9 | 12.6 | 18.5 | 31.0 |
| 4-15 | - | 2.4 | 8.0 | 14.1 | 15.5 | 4.8 | 44.8 | 6.0 | 3.4 | 9.4 | 45.9 |
| 30-45 | - | 3.5 | 7.2 | 9.1 | 10.7 | 4.1 | 34.6 | 5.4 | 7.1 | 12.5 | 53.1 |
| 70-85 | - | 2.9 | 6.4 | 8.2 | 11.5 | 4.4 | 33.4 | 11.3 | 13.6 | 24.9 | 41.7 |
| 130-145 | - | 3.0 | 6.5 | 6.6 | 9.3 | 4.7 | 30.1 | 7.9 | 11.2 | 19.1 | 50.8 |
| 260-290 | - | 3.3 | 5.2 | 5.5 | 7.7 | 5.1 | 26.8 | 11.1 | 13.6 | 24.7 | 48.5 |
| 400-460 | - | 4.6 | 10.1 | 5.8 | 5.1 | 3.2 | 28.8 | 11.1 | 16.7 | 27.8 | 43.4 |
Other physical data
| Depth (cm) | Bulk density kg/dm³ | Spec. Surf. Area m²/g | COLE cm/cm | Water disp. clay % | Clay % w/w |
| 0-4 | - | - | - | 8.5 | 31.0 |
| 4-15 | - | - | - | 9.9 | 45.9 |
| 30-45 | - | - | - | 0.5 | 53.1 |
| 70-85 | - | - | - | 0.0 | 41.7 |
| 130-145 | - | - | - | 0.0 | 50.8 |
| 260-290 | - | - | - | 0.0 | 48.5 |
| 400-460 | - | - | - | - | 43.4 |
Elemental composition of the soil
| Depth (cm) | Al2O3 % w/w | CaO % w/w | Fe2O3 % w/w | K2O % w/w | MgO % w/w | Na2O % w/w | SiO2 % w/w | TiO2 % w/w |
| 0-4 | 15.1 | 0.10 | 9.3 | 0.29 | 0.10 | - | 63.4 | 3.61 |
| 4-15 | 17.2 | 0.07 | 9.7 | 0.30 | 0.06 | - | 60.2 | 3.54 |
| 30-45 | 22.0 | 0.03 | 9.8 | 0.24 | 0.07 | - | 57.5 | 2.77 |
| 70-85 | 21.7 | 0.03 | 10.2 | 0.23 | 0.06 | - | 55.9 | 2.99 |
| 130-145 | 23.4 | 0.03 | 10.4 | 0.23 | 0.07 | - | 53.2 | 2.78 |
| 260-290 | 25.4 | 0.04 | 10.6 | 0.16 | 0.07 | - | 52.0 | 2.38 |
| Depth (cm) | Al2O3/Fe2O3 mol/mol | LOI % w/w | MnO2 % w/w | P2O5 % w/w | SiO2 / Al2O3 mol/mol | SiO2/Fe2O3 mol/mol | SiO2 / R mol/mol |
| 0-4 | 2.5 | 8.5 | 0.13 | 0.32 | 7.1 | 18.1 | 5.1 |
| 4-15 | 2.8 | 8.8 | 0.12 | 0.28 | 5.9 | 16.5 | 4.4 |
| 30-45 | 3.5 | 8.9 | 0.08 | 0.33 | 4.4 | 15.6 | 3.5 |
| 70-85 | 3.3 | 8.9 | 0.06 | 0.17 | 4.4 | 14.6 | 3.4 |
| 130-145 | 3.5 | 9.6 | 0.06 | 0.17 | 3.9 | 13.6 | 3.0 |
| 260-290 | 3.8 | 9.9 | 0.06 | 0.14 | 3.5 | 13.1 | 2.7 |
Clay mineralogy
| Depth (cm) | Chlorite | Feldspar | Gibbsite | Goethite | Halloysite | Hematite | Kaolinite | Mica / illite | Mixed-layer | Quartz | Smec | Vermiculite |
| 0-4 | - | - | very weak to weak | weak to medium | - | weak | very strong | - | - | very weak | - | - |
| 4-15 | - | - | very weak to weak | weak to medium | - | weak | very strong | - | - | very weak | - | - |
| 30-45 | - | - | very weak to weak | weak to medium | - | weak | very strong | - | - | very weak | - | - |
| 70-85 | - | - | weak | weak to medium | - | weak | very strong | - | - | very weak | - | - |
| 130-145 | - | - | very weak to weak | weak to medium | - | weak | very strong | - | - | very weak | - | - |
| 260-290 | - | - | very weak to weak | weak to medium | - | weak | very strong | - | - | very weak | - | - |
Mineral sand
| Depth (cm) | Heavy Frac. sand % w/w | K-Feldspar % w/w | Light Fra. sand % w/w | Opaque % w/w | Plagioclase % w/w | Quartz % w/w |
| 30-45 | - | 2 | - | 97 | - | 98 |
| 130-145 | - | 1 | - | 87 | - | 99 |
| 400-460 | - | 1 | - | 83 | 1 | 98 |
Minerals
| Depth (cm) | Anatase % w/w | Andalusite % w/w | Apatite % w/w | Augite % w/w | Biotite % w/w | Hornblende (basaltic) % w/w |
| 30-45 | 4 | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| 130-145 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 400-460 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Depth (cm) | Grenate % w/w | Grossular % w/w | Muscovite % w/w | Rutile % w/w | Sillimanite % w/w | Spinel % w/w |
| 30-45 | - | - | - | 12 | - | - |
| 130-145 | - | - | - | 11 | 1 | - |
| 400-460 | - | - | - | 11 | - | - |