Major Land Resource Area 191X
High Limestone Plateaus of the Mariana Islands
Accessed: 10/09/2025
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i
Key Characteristics
- Soil texture or particle size are not as above; Soil is not excessively or somewhat excessively drained
- Water-table depth not as above; Soils are not very poorly drained
- Landform is Basin Floor Positions on Limestone Plateaus (see OSD); Soils are clays developed from tuff
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i
Key Characteristics
- Soil texture or particle size are not as above; Soil is not excessively or somewhat excessively drained
- Water-table depth is very shallow (0 to 10 inches); Soils are very poorly drained
- Wet at ~ 0 inches; Surface soil is 8 inches muck over mucky clay loam…(Mesei variant)
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i
Key Characteristics
- Soil texture is Loamy Sand or soil particle size is Loamy Skeletal; Soils are excessively or somewhat excessively drained…(Shioya, Takpochao Variant)
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i
Key Characteristics
- Soil texture or particle size are not as above; Soil is not excessively or somewhat excessively drained
- Water-table depth not as above; Soils are not very poorly drained
- Landform is Limestone Plateaus
- Soils are deep (40 to 60 inches) and very deep (60 inches or greater)…(Kagman, Saipan, Yigo will be added)
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i
Key Characteristics
- Soil texture or particle size are not as above; Soil is not excessively or somewhat excessively drained
- Water-table depth not as above; Soils are not very poorly drained
- Landform is Limestone Plateaus
- Soils are very shallow (0 to 10 inches), shallow (10 to 20 inches), or moderately deep (20 to 40 inches)
- Not frequently shrouded in clouds and fog
- Subsurface soils contain 0 to 12% rock frags > 3 inches
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i
Key Characteristics
- Soil texture or particle size are not as above; Soil is not excessively or somewhat excessively drained
- Water-table depth not as above; Soils are not very poorly drained
- Landform is Limestone Plateaus
- Soils are very shallow (0 to 10 inches), shallow (10 to 20 inches), or moderately deep (20 to 40 inches)
- Frequently shrouded in clouds and fog…(Luta “MOIST” Phase)
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ProvisionalQX191X01X505/F191XY505MPVery Low Available Water Capacity Soils on Limestone Plateaus and EscarpmentsiKey Characteristics
- Soil texture or particle size are not as above; Soil is not excessively or somewhat excessively drained
- Water-table depth not as above; Soils are not very poorly drained
- Landform is Limestone Plateaus
- Soils are very shallow (0 to 10 inches), shallow (10 to 20 inches), or moderately deep (20 to 40 inches)
- Not frequently shrouded in clouds and fog
- Subsurface soils contain 13 to 40% rock frags > 3 inches…(Ritidian, Takpochao, Luta “DRY” Phase)
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ProvisionalQX191X01X506/F191XY506MPSomewhat Poorly and Poorly Drained Valley Bottoms and Coastal Plainsi
Key Characteristics
- Soil texture or particle size are not as above; Soil is not excessively or somewhat excessively drained
- Water-table depth not as above; Soils are not very poorly drained
- Landform is Coastal Plain; Soils are clays and sandy clay loams developed from argillaceous alluvium…(Inarajan)
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i
Key Characteristics
- Soil texture or particle size are not as above; Soil is not excessively or somewhat excessively drained
- Water-table depth is very shallow (0 to 10 inches); Soils are very poorly drained
- Wet at ~ 9 inches; Surface soil is 2 inches mucky clay over clay…(Inarajan variant)
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Zoom in to display soil survey map units for an area of interest, and zoom out to display MLRAs. Select a map unit polygon to view ecological sites correlated to that map unit. View a brief description of an ecological site by clicking on its name in the map popup. Soil survey correlations may not be accurate, and ecological site classification of a location should always be verified in the field. Each selection may require the transfer of several hundred KB of data.
Ecological site keys
ES Site Key, MLRA 191
I.
Soil texture is Loamy Sand or soil particle size is Loamy Skeletal; Soils are excessively or somewhat excessively drained…(Shioya, Takpochao Variant)
... QX191X01X501 – Excessively and Somewhat Excessively Drained Coastal Strand
II.
Soil texture or particle size are not as above; Soil is not excessively or somewhat excessively drained
A.
Water-table depth is very shallow (0 to 10 inches); Soils are very poorly drained
1
Wet at ~ 0 inches; Surface soil is 8 inches muck over mucky clay loam…(Mesei variant)
... QX191X01X005 – Very Poorly Drained Muck
2
Wet at ~ 9 inches; Surface soil is 2 inches mucky clay over clay…(Inarajan variant)
... QX191X01X507 – Very Poorly Drained Mucky Clay
B.
Water-table depth not as above; Soils are not very poorly drained
1
Landform is Coastal Plain; Soils are clays and sandy clay loams developed from argillaceous alluvium…(Inarajan)
... QX191X01X506 – Somewhat Poorly and Poorly Drained Valley Bottoms and Coastal Plains
2
Landform is Basin Floor Positions on Limestone Plateaus (see OSD); Soils are clays developed from tuff
... QX191X01X004 – Somewhat Poorly and Poorly Drained Limestone Basins
3
Landform is Limestone Plateaus
i.
Soils are deep (40 to 60 inches) and very deep (60 inches or greater)…(Kagman, Saipan, Yigo will be added)
... QX191X01X502 – Deep and Very Deep Soils on Limestone Plateaus
ii.
Soils are very shallow (0 to 10 inches), shallow (10 to 20 inches), or moderately deep (20 to 40 inches)
a.
Frequently shrouded in clouds and fog…(Luta “MOIST” Phase)
... QX191X01X504 – Limestone Plateau Cloud Forest
b.
Not frequently shrouded in clouds and fog
1)
Subsurface soils contain 0 to 12% rock frags > 3 inches
... QX191X01X503 – Very Shallow to Moderately Deep Soils on Limestone Plateaus
2)
Subsurface soils contain 13 to 40% rock frags > 3 inches…(Ritidian, Takpochao, Luta “DRY” Phase)
... QX191X01X505 – Very Low Available Water Capacity Soils on Limestone Plateaus and Escarpments
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