Ngardmau soil and landscape
Soil profile: The Ngardmau series is characterized by infertile topsoil over infertile subsoil. Below a depth of 50 centimeters, the subsoil retains some characteristics of the parent material, which gives the subsoil the variegated color pattern of red, yellow, and white. Ngardmau soils support mostly false staghorn ferns (Gleichenia linearis or Dicranopteris linearis). This profile is in map unit 614 (Babelthuap-Ngardmau-Typic Udorthents undifferentiated group, 12 to 30 percent slopes), in Airai 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: An area of Babelthuap-Ngardmau-Typic Udorthents undifferentiated group, 12 to 30 percent slopes, on degraded fern land on a volcanic landscape in southeast Airai State on Babeldaob Island.
The Ngardmau series consists of very deep, well drained soils on uplands. These soils formed in highly weathered volcanic breccia and tuff. Slope is 2 to 75 percent. The mean annual rainfall is about 145 inches, and the mean annual temperature is about 81 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Very-fine, parasesquic, isohyperthermic Oxic Dystrudepts
Coarse fragments on the surface range from 25 to 90 percent pebble-size and 0 to 15 percent irregular vesicular ferritic and gibbsitic concretions 3 to 6 inches in size. Thickness of the solum ranges from 10 to 20 inches.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are idle land and used only for watershed. The vegetation is a degraded anthropic savannah consisting of poor stands of Gleichenia linearis, Nepenthes mirabilis, Extrosia lepornia, Paspalum orbiculare and scattered shrubs and pandanus.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Ngardmau soils are of small extent in Palau on the island of Babelthuap. Ngardmau soils have a perudic moisture regime. The surface layer becomes dry for short periods, particularly during the months of February, March, and April, due to the high coarse fragment content. The mean annual soil temperature is 82 degrees F. In local pronunciation of the word Ngardmau, the "g" is silent. This soil meets all the requirements at an oxic horizon except thickness.
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/N/NGARDMAU.html
For acreage and geographic distribution, visit:
casoilresource.lawr.ucdavis.edu/see/#ngardmau
Ngardmau soil and landscape
Soil profile: The Ngardmau series is characterized by infertile topsoil over infertile subsoil. Below a depth of 50 centimeters, the subsoil retains some characteristics of the parent material, which gives the subsoil the variegated color pattern of red, yellow, and white. Ngardmau soils support mostly false staghorn ferns (Gleichenia linearis or Dicranopteris linearis). This profile is in map unit 614 (Babelthuap-Ngardmau-Typic Udorthents undifferentiated group, 12 to 30 percent slopes), in Airai 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: An area of Babelthuap-Ngardmau-Typic Udorthents undifferentiated group, 12 to 30 percent slopes, on degraded fern land on a volcanic landscape in southeast Airai State on Babeldaob Island.
The Ngardmau series consists of very deep, well drained soils on uplands. These soils formed in highly weathered volcanic breccia and tuff. Slope is 2 to 75 percent. The mean annual rainfall is about 145 inches, and the mean annual temperature is about 81 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Very-fine, parasesquic, isohyperthermic Oxic Dystrudepts
Coarse fragments on the surface range from 25 to 90 percent pebble-size and 0 to 15 percent irregular vesicular ferritic and gibbsitic concretions 3 to 6 inches in size. Thickness of the solum ranges from 10 to 20 inches.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are idle land and used only for watershed. The vegetation is a degraded anthropic savannah consisting of poor stands of Gleichenia linearis, Nepenthes mirabilis, Extrosia lepornia, Paspalum orbiculare and scattered shrubs and pandanus.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Ngardmau soils are of small extent in Palau on the island of Babelthuap. Ngardmau soils have a perudic moisture regime. The surface layer becomes dry for short periods, particularly during the months of February, March, and April, due to the high coarse fragment content. The mean annual soil temperature is 82 degrees F. In local pronunciation of the word Ngardmau, the "g" is silent. This soil meets all the requirements at an oxic horizon except thickness.
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/N/NGARDMAU.html
For acreage and geographic distribution, visit:
casoilresource.lawr.ucdavis.edu/see/#ngardmau