Aimeliik soil and landscape
Soil profile: The Aimeliik series consists of forest soils characterized by relatively fertile topsoil over infertile subsoil. Reddish subsoil (at a depth of about 15 to 35 centimeters in this profile) overlies subsoil that still retains some characteristics of the parent material. The Aimeliik series is one of the most extensive series in Palau. This profile is in an area of map unit 603, Aimeliik silt loam, 30 to 50 percent slopes, in Melekeok State, Babeldaob Island. (Soil Survey of the Islands of Palau, Republic of Palau; by Jason L. Nemecek and Robert T. Gavenda, Natural Resources Conservation Service)
Landscape: Ancient manmade terraces in areas of Palau soils under grass on the western coast of Babeldaob Island. Fire-resistant pandanus trees remain on the grassland. The forested area consists primarily of Aimeliik soils.
The Aimeliik series consists of; very deep, well drained, soils that is shallow to an abrupt textural change. These soils formed in saprolite derived from basalt, andesite, dacite, volcanic breccias, tuff, or bedded tuff. Aimeliik soils are on all hillslope positions of hills on volcanic islands. Slope is 2 to 75 percent. The mean annual rainfall is about 3685 millimeters (145 inches), and the mean annual temperature is about 27 C (81 F.)
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Very-fine, halloysitic, isohyperthermic Typic Kandiperox
Control section: 25 to 100 centimeters (10 to 39 inches)
Thickness of the solum: 50 to 150 centimeters (20 to 59 inches)
Depth to bottom of diagnostic features:
Ochric epipedon 7 to 29 centimeters (3 to 11 inches)
Fibric soil materials 2 to 8 centimeters (1 to 3 inches)
Depth to diagnostic features:
Kandic horizon: 8 to 40 centimeters (3 to 16 inches)
Abrupt textural change: 8 to 40 centimeters (3 to 16 inches)
Thickness of diagnostic features:
Ochric epipedon: 8 to 40 centimeters (3 to 16 inches)
Kandic horizon: 26 to 125 centimeters (10 to 49 inches)
Fibric soil materials: 1 to 10 centimeters (0 to 4 inches)
Linear extensibility: 4 to 11 percent, weighted average RV is 6 percent
Surface Fragments: Rock fragments are vesicular petroferric fragments, tuff, ironstone and gibbsite concretions; 0 to 15 percent total rock fragments; 0 to 15 percent gravel; 0 to 15 percent cobbles
Saturated hydraulic conductivity: High in the subsoil and moderately high in the underlying material.
These soils are in mixed-upland forests plant communities and are used for native vegetation, watershed, and slash and burn or agroforestry cultivation of subsistence crops. A few areas are used for urban development. Agroforestry ground crops include; beans, cassava, kang kong, melon, peppers, noni, okra, pineapple, piper betle, pumpkin, taro squash, sugar cane, taro, and yams. Agroforestry tree crops include; avocados, bananas, betel nut, breadfruit, football fruit, guava, Inocarpus fagifer, keam, lemons, mango, medicinal plants, mountain apple, ngel, star fruit, titimel, and tropical almond. Most areas are in native tropical rainforest or, to a lesser extent, patches of forest in perennial grassland that is burned by humans almost annually. Native vegetation includes; (canopy) Pinanga insignis, Cyathea sp, Alphitonia carolinensis, Pouteria obovata, Fagraea ksid, Callophyllum inophyllum var. wakamatsui, Rhus taitensis, (understory) Atuna corymbosa, Garcinia matudai, Pleome multiflora, Finschia chloraxantha, Manilkara udoid, Symplocos racemosa, Campnosperma brevipetiolata, Cerbera floribunda.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRA 193 Volcanic Islands of Western Micronesia, Republic of Palau. These soils of these series are of large extent; about 50,000 acres in size. They are mapped on the islands of island of Babeldaob and to a lesser extent on Koror and Arakabesan.
The A horizon does not become dry for longer than 4 consecutive days and 24 cumulative days per year during the dry season (February, March, and April). Drying only occurs under bare soil conditions. The soil does not meet the definition of an oxic horizon because the clay content increases by more than 8 percent within 15 centimeters (6 inches.) The Ngardok forested series was correlated with Aimeliik, bedded tuff. The Aimeliik, bedded tuff substratum has a platy structure and seems to be more erosive when vegetation is removed. In addition, when Aimeliik occurs near Ollei and Nekken series the rock fragments are likely to be hard basalt and indurated tuff.
Particle-size distribution measurements are usually not reliable for tropical soils; therefore, apparent field textures and the corresponding mid-point values of texture classes were used rather than laboratory analysis for particle sizes. Particle size distribution is difficult to determine in tropical soils because of the tendency to form water-stable aggregates. The poor soil dispersion in laboratory analyses reflects the water-stable aggregates of clay in silt and sand-sized "particles." Therefore, the soils may have large clay content but physically they behave as coarser textures.
For additional information about the survey area, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_MANUSCRIPTS/pacific_basin/...
For a detailed soil description, visit:
soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/A/AIMELIIK.html
For acreage and geographic distribution, visit:
casoilresource.lawr.ucdavis.edu/see/#aimeliik
Aimeliik soil and landscape
Soil profile: The Aimeliik series consists of forest soils characterized by relatively fertile topsoil over infertile subsoil. Reddish subsoil (at a depth of about 15 to 35 centimeters in this profile) overlies subsoil that still retains some characteristics of the parent material. The Aimeliik series is one of the most extensive series in Palau. This profile is in an area of map unit 603, Aimeliik silt loam, 30 to 50 percent slopes, in Melekeok State, Babeldaob Island. (Soil Survey of the Islands of Palau, Republic of Palau; by Jason L. Nemecek and Robert T. Gavenda, Natural Resources Conservation Service)
Landscape: Ancient manmade terraces in areas of Palau soils under grass on the western coast of Babeldaob Island. Fire-resistant pandanus trees remain on the grassland. The forested area consists primarily of Aimeliik soils.
The Aimeliik series consists of; very deep, well drained, soils that is shallow to an abrupt textural change. These soils formed in saprolite derived from basalt, andesite, dacite, volcanic breccias, tuff, or bedded tuff. Aimeliik soils are on all hillslope positions of hills on volcanic islands. Slope is 2 to 75 percent. The mean annual rainfall is about 3685 millimeters (145 inches), and the mean annual temperature is about 27 C (81 F.)
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Very-fine, halloysitic, isohyperthermic Typic Kandiperox
Control section: 25 to 100 centimeters (10 to 39 inches)
Thickness of the solum: 50 to 150 centimeters (20 to 59 inches)
Depth to bottom of diagnostic features:
Ochric epipedon 7 to 29 centimeters (3 to 11 inches)
Fibric soil materials 2 to 8 centimeters (1 to 3 inches)
Depth to diagnostic features:
Kandic horizon: 8 to 40 centimeters (3 to 16 inches)
Abrupt textural change: 8 to 40 centimeters (3 to 16 inches)
Thickness of diagnostic features:
Ochric epipedon: 8 to 40 centimeters (3 to 16 inches)
Kandic horizon: 26 to 125 centimeters (10 to 49 inches)
Fibric soil materials: 1 to 10 centimeters (0 to 4 inches)
Linear extensibility: 4 to 11 percent, weighted average RV is 6 percent
Surface Fragments: Rock fragments are vesicular petroferric fragments, tuff, ironstone and gibbsite concretions; 0 to 15 percent total rock fragments; 0 to 15 percent gravel; 0 to 15 percent cobbles
Saturated hydraulic conductivity: High in the subsoil and moderately high in the underlying material.
These soils are in mixed-upland forests plant communities and are used for native vegetation, watershed, and slash and burn or agroforestry cultivation of subsistence crops. A few areas are used for urban development. Agroforestry ground crops include; beans, cassava, kang kong, melon, peppers, noni, okra, pineapple, piper betle, pumpkin, taro squash, sugar cane, taro, and yams. Agroforestry tree crops include; avocados, bananas, betel nut, breadfruit, football fruit, guava, Inocarpus fagifer, keam, lemons, mango, medicinal plants, mountain apple, ngel, star fruit, titimel, and tropical almond. Most areas are in native tropical rainforest or, to a lesser extent, patches of forest in perennial grassland that is burned by humans almost annually. Native vegetation includes; (canopy) Pinanga insignis, Cyathea sp, Alphitonia carolinensis, Pouteria obovata, Fagraea ksid, Callophyllum inophyllum var. wakamatsui, Rhus taitensis, (understory) Atuna corymbosa, Garcinia matudai, Pleome multiflora, Finschia chloraxantha, Manilkara udoid, Symplocos racemosa, Campnosperma brevipetiolata, Cerbera floribunda.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRA 193 Volcanic Islands of Western Micronesia, Republic of Palau. These soils of these series are of large extent; about 50,000 acres in size. They are mapped on the islands of island of Babeldaob and to a lesser extent on Koror and Arakabesan.
The A horizon does not become dry for longer than 4 consecutive days and 24 cumulative days per year during the dry season (February, March, and April). Drying only occurs under bare soil conditions. The soil does not meet the definition of an oxic horizon because the clay content increases by more than 8 percent within 15 centimeters (6 inches.) The Ngardok forested series was correlated with Aimeliik, bedded tuff. The Aimeliik, bedded tuff substratum has a platy structure and seems to be more erosive when vegetation is removed. In addition, when Aimeliik occurs near Ollei and Nekken series the rock fragments are likely to be hard basalt and indurated tuff.
Particle-size distribution measurements are usually not reliable for tropical soils; therefore, apparent field textures and the corresponding mid-point values of texture classes were used rather than laboratory analysis for particle sizes. Particle size distribution is difficult to determine in tropical soils because of the tendency to form water-stable aggregates. The poor soil dispersion in laboratory analyses reflects the water-stable aggregates of clay in silt and sand-sized "particles." Therefore, the soils may have large clay content but physically they behave as coarser textures.
For additional information about the survey area, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_MANUSCRIPTS/pacific_basin/...
For a detailed soil description, visit:
soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/A/AIMELIIK.html
For acreage and geographic distribution, visit:
casoilresource.lawr.ucdavis.edu/see/#aimeliik