January 2002 Soil Of The Month

Patzcuaro, Mexico

This soil profile is located in Patzcuaro, Mexico, which is 366 kilometers northwest of Mexico City. This picture was taken at the November International GLOBE Training Workshop organized by CECADESU (Centro de Educaciony Capacitacion para el Desarrollo Sustentable) and SEMARNAT (Secretaria de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales. Pazcuaro sits in a valley at 2,150 meters above sea level. It has a warm, temperate climate with a mean average temperature of 16ê C. The parent material of this soil is lacustrine. The texture ranges from a Silty Clay Loam to Silty Clay with Granular (surface) and Blocky (sub-surface) structure. The soils in this region are used for agricultural production. This particular site is right next to a cornfield. The soil had pH values between 6.3-6.9, medium levels of Phosphorus and Potassium, and low levels of Nitrogen. The corn had already been harvested at the time of the training, which would explain the low Nitrogen level. Most likely the corn plants had utilized most of the available Nitrogen in the soil.