5.02b (106.55 ha Index 88)
It is the most important group, since it occupies more than 80% of the lands in this subzone. It exists repeatedly in the Departments. of Florida and in the Department of Flores (Tips of the San Jose) and in the rest of the region defined for zone 5. The relief is undulating and strongly undulating, with modal slopes of 5 to 7%. The geological material corresponds to variable lithologies of pre-Devonian rocks, such as granites, migmatites, schistose metamorphic rocks (around Rosario), etc. The soils are moderately deep and superficial Subeutric Haplic Brunosols (moderately deep Brown Grasslands and Regosols), to which Inceptisole (Lithosols) are associated, sometimes very superficial. The upper horizon is brown and reddish brown, sometimes yellowish brown, with a loamy texture, gravelly loam or sandy loam with abundant gravel, fertility is medium, sometimes low. The rockiness is moderate and varies between 2 to 10% of the area with outcrops. Throughout the area there may be narrow lowlands, associated with drainage routes of little importance, which contain hydromorphic Luvic Gleysols (Humic Gley) and Typical Eutric or Luvic Brunosols (Black Prairies and Maximal Brown Prairies), which contain very good summer pastures. The use is pastoral. This group corresponds to the San Gabriel-Guaycuru unit on the 1:1.000.000 (DSF) scale chart.
5.4 (47.32 ha Index 114)
This group is frequent, although in a small area, throughout the crystalline area (zone 5) and good examples are those existing in San Gabriel (Route 6 and 56) and Reboledo in the Department of Florida and south of Cardona, on route 2, in the Department of Colonia. They occur in interfluve positions where there are small plateaus, sometimes with springs, with slopes of 3 to 5% at the edges (high hills). The soils developed from crystalline materials, and in part, from weak and discontinuous clayey silt sediments that cover them. They are moderately deep and superficial, with loamy textures, medium fertility, sometimes low, moderately well to well drained. We also find soils of black or very dark brown color, loamy to clayey loam texture, high fertility and moderately well drained. Soils of minimal differentiation, very dark, heavy colors, imperfect drainage and high fertility are associated. The use is pastoral with some areas under cultivation. This group was integrated into the San Gabriel-Guaycuru unit on the 1:1.000.000 (DSF) scale chart.
11.9 (33.25 ha Index 201)
This group is located discontinuously in the south of the Department of Colonia and it is observable along Route 1, in the vicinity of Nueva Helvecia. They also appear in the Department of San Jose, the last areas existing around Ecilda Paullier. The geological material corresponds to sediments from the Fray Bentos formation, which in some places appears with tilloid characteristics, since in its mass there are gravel, gravel and stones of lithologies corresponding to the crystalline basement. There is also fine-grained lithological contribution from the Quaternary sediments that occupy the interfluves and gradually decrease in thickness, until they disappear, on the dissected slopes characteristic of this group. The relief is made up of steep slopes that form a dissection front with slopes of 4 to 8%. The predominant soils are Subeutric Brunosols, sometimes Eutric, Typical, sometimes Luvic (medium to maximum Brown Grasslands), dark grayish brown in color, clay loam to heavy sandy loam texture, medium fertility, sometimes high and moderately well drained. The predominant use of the land is with winter-summer crops and forage for dairy, with average farm sizes and, in general, with many years of agriculture, so the characteristics of the natural field vegetation cannot be pointed out. This group is part of the Ecilda Paullier - Las Brujas unit on the 1:1.000.000 (DSF) scale chart.
10.8b (8.10 ha Index 184)
Most of the gently undulating lands in the Departments correspond to this group. of Canelones and San José, located in the surroundings of population centers such as Libertad, San José, Tala, Canelones, Saint Baptist, etc. They exist to a lesser extent in the Departments. of Colonia y Maldonado. The geological material corresponds to clayey silt sediments of brown color and normally with calcium carbonate concretions. The relief is gently undulating to undulating with predominance of slopes of 1 to 4%, with a region around Tapia with slopes of 3 to 6%. It corresponds to areas with a lower degree of current erosion, defined as moderate, with associated areas of light erosion. Sheet erosion then predominates, with variable loss of the upper horizons. This group is normally located in positions with low erosion risk, such as high interfluves and gently sloping slopes. The soils correspond to Typical Ruptic and Luvic Vertisols (Grumosoles) and Typical Eutric and Subeutric Brunosols (Black and Medium Brown Grasslands), black or very dark brown in color, silty clay loam texture, high fertility and moderately well drained. This group corresponds to the Tala-Rodríguez, Libertad and San Jacinto units and integrates to a lesser extent the Ecilda Paullier-Las Brujas and Isla Mala units of the 1:1.000.000 (DSF) scale chart.
5.01b (4.79 ha Index 61)
Selected Soil Type: 5.01b The relief is strongly undulating and the soils are Subeutric (sometimes District) Haplic Brunosols, deep (more than 50 cm.), moderately deep (30-50 cm.) and superficial (less than 30 cm. ), brown to reddish brown in color, gravelly loam to sandy gravelly loam, with medium to low fertility and variable internal drainage (Regosols). It presents outcrops with 15 to 35% of the area covered. It is located in areas of small extension in the Departments. of San Jose, Flores y Colonia. This group also includes the steep slopes with high rockiness existing in the Cerros de San Juan (Department of Colonia). This group is part of the Sierra de Mahoma unit and occupies small areas in the San Gabriel-Guaycuru and Andresito units on the map at a scale of 1:1.000.000 (DSF).
