El Cacique soil and landscape

Soil profile: El Cacique soil in an area of El Cacique-La Taína complex, 20 to 60 percent slopes. El Cacique soils are characterized by a surface layer of gravelly clay loam and a subsurface layer of very paragravelly clay over hard, fractured, consolidated serpentinite bedrock. They are in the udic soil moisture regime. (Soil Survey of San Germán Area, Puerto Rico; by Jorge L. Lugo-Camacho, Natural Resources Conservation Service)

 

Landscape: Forestland in an area of El Cacique-La Taína complex, 20 to 60 percent slopes. El Cacique and La Taína soils are subject to slippage.

 

The El Cacique series consists of shallow, well drained, moderately slowly permeable soils on summits and side slopes of the serpentinite hills and mountains of the Humid Mountains and Valleys MLRA. They formed in material that weathered from serpentinite bedrock. Near the type location, the mean annual temperature is about 81 degrees F., and the mean annual precipitation is about 80 inches. Slopes range from 5 to 90 percent.

 

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey, magnesic, isohyperthermic, shallow Typic Argiudolls

 

USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of El Cacique soils are used for forestland, grazing, or wildlife habitat. The vegetation consists of Maricao doncella, Cupey delmonte, and Algarrobo trees, Cariaquillo, Leucaena, Arbol de navidad del pobre, and Carrasco shrubs, along with lamina and guinea grasses.

 

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Summits and side slopes of the humid serpentinite hills and mountains of southern Puerto Rico. This series is not extensive. These soils were formerly included in the Maresua series.

 

For additional information about the survey area, visit:

www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_MANUSCRIPTS/puerto_rico/PR...

 

For a detailed soil description, visit:

soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/E/EL_CACIQUE.html

 

For acreage and geographic distribution, visit:

casoilresource.lawr.ucdavis.edu/see/#el%20cacique

 

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