Highly weathered soil landscapes of Costa Rica

Abstract

Highly weathered soils, formerly known as lateritic soils, are currently classified according to the Soil Taxonomy as Oxisols and Ultisols. These soils have been identified in various landscapes of Costa Rica, developing under contrasting climatic conditions indicated by annual precipitation values between 1749 and 5778 mm. The chapter provides a concise description of five specific landscapes of Costa Rica, where Oxisols have been identified as dominant. The parent materials were grouped within four general categories: (1) Basaltic rocks from Jurassic-Miocene Oceanic Complexes, (2) Igneous materials of Paleocene-Pliocene ages, (3) Sedimentary materials from the Pliocene–Pleistocene ages, and (4) Volcanic materials from the Pleistocene. Despite this diversity in parent materials and climatic conditions, the stability of the geomorphic units is the common factor that allowed for the development of Oxisols and some great groups of Ultisols, corroborating the fundamental role of geomorphology