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Preliminary Study of Bolivian Soils
Author(s) -
Storie R. Earl
Publication year - 1953
Publication title -
soil science society of america journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1435-0661
pISSN - 0361-5995
DOI - 10.2136/sssaj1953.03615995001700020011x
Subject(s) - soil water , alluvium , geology , alluvial plain , laterite , alluvial fan , alluvial soils , coastal plain , hydrology (agriculture) , structural basin , geomorphology , soil science , paleontology , nickel , materials science , geotechnical engineering , metallurgy
Bolivia has great contrasts in topography, climate, vegetation, geology, and soils. There are three broad physiographic regions: I. Altiplano; II. Montanas‐Valles, and III. Llanos, which are divided into 11 soil subregions (as shown on Soil Region Map). The Northern Altiplano (Ia) has prairie‐like soils with many secondary soils varying from recent alluvium to claypan and hardpan soils; the Northern Andes Mountains (Ib) has Alpine Prairie soils; the Southern Altiplano (Ic) has Gray Desert soils, and the Southern Altiplano Mountains has Gray Desert lithosols. The Yungas (IIa), a region of semitropical climate, has yellow and red lateritic soils; the Cochabamba Valley (IIb), where the climate is semiarid, has Noncalcic Brown soils; and the Southern Mountains (IIc) has Noncalcic Brown upland and lithosol soils. The Gran Chaco alluvial plain (IIIa) and the Santa Cruz Plains (IIIc) have large areas of calcareous alluvial soils; the Eastern Llanos or Plains (IIId) has large areas of lateritic and laterite soils; while the Northern Tropical Plains (IIIe) has large areas of alluvial soils of slightly acid reaction.