soil map units where Ls Light sandy is dominant
Soil properties
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Geographic distribution | Tuvalu |
| Landscape position | Typically found around the periphery of most islands and are developed on the younger, recently accumulated sands and gravel deposits |
| Soil parent material | Coralline sand |
| Slope | Flat (0-3°) |
| Surface outcrops | No surface outcrops |
| Brief soil profile description | Shallow, often less than 10cm thick, friable with poor differentiation of horizons. Soil colour is typically grey brown (7.5YR 5/3) or brownish grey (7.5YR 4/2). The degree of staining varies with age, stability of surface, declining with depth beneath the surface along with organic matter content. |
| Soil profile texture | A shallow organic layer over unaltered corraline sand. |
| Minimum effective rooting depth | >50 cm |
| Soil pH (acidity) | pH ranges over 7.8-8.5 (moderately alkaline) |
| Salinity | Low |
| Soil fertility under natural conditions | Most soil properties are related to the organic matter content of the topsoil. Organic Carbon, Nitrogen, Cation Exchange Capacity all increase with the age of the soil, but Potassium is always low. Extractable phosphorus (Olsen P) values are generally low for topsoils and very low for subsoils. |
| Soil moisture regime | Ustic |
| Susceptibility to drought | Susceptibly to drought during dry periods but these are relatively rare, particularly in the southern islands. |
| Soil drainage | Excessively drained |
| Susceptibility to waterlogging | Not susceptible |
| Susceptibility to flooding | Not susceptible |
