THE 9 TYPES OF SOILS IN VENEZUELA - ENVIRONMENT - 2025

There are several types of soils in Venezuela, which are not uniformly distributed and their distribution is varied throughout the country. The nation of Venezuela is located in an intertropical zone, but its soils depend on the climate that exists at each latitude or at each determined height.

In Venezuela you can recognize different landforms:

The continental shelf, located at more than 1,000 meters and covering 17% of the territory.

The Caribbean coast or mountain chain, with altitudes between 2,000 and 2,765 meters that cover 3.2% of the Venezuelan territory.

The valleys and hills of the Falcón, Lara, and Yaracuy states, which represent 6% of the territory.

The Andean chain with altitudes between 2.00 and 5.007 meters, representing 5.8% of the Venezuelan region.

The planes or plains located from 40 to 200 meters of latitude that cover 22.5% of the region, and the territory of Guyana, located between 100 to 3,840 meters, covering 45.4% of the national territory. The geology consists mostly of a granite Precambrian base, located in the part of Guyana, which has a sedimentary layer of stones and quartz of variable thickness on top.

For this reason they are infertile lands that include: soils of the flat mountains or of tepuis and of the Gran Sabana, with a lot of land and very low in organic matter; mountains of earth and clay, derived from granite; and lands along the Orinoco River, influenced by alluvial sediments.

Types of soils found in Venezuela

Thanks to its variety of relief, climate, flora and rocks, Venezuela has a great variety of soils. They can be classified under the US Soil Taxonomy or USDA system.

Venezuela has nine of the 12 existing types of soils of that classification: entisols, inceptisols, vertisols, mollisols, ultisols, oxisols, aridisols, histosols and alfisols

1- Entisols

They are young soils defined as lands that do not show any development profile; only one A horizon. An entisol has no visible horizons and most are similar to its parent material, which can be unconsolidated rocks or sediments.

In Venezuela they are present in the states of: Zulia, Lara, Falcón, Yaracuy, Portuguesa, Barinas, Apure, Carabobo, Miranda, Aragua, Guárico, Anzoátegui, Monagas and Delta Amacuro.

2- Inceptisols

They are more developed than entisols. They do not accumulate clay, iron oxide, aluminum oxide, or organic matter.

They are one of the most common soils in this country. They have a horizon and are usually common in the Andes mountain range. In Venezuela they can also be found in Sucre, Monagas and Delta Amacuro.

3- Vertisols

They have a high clay content in which cracks can form over the years. Vertisols have extreme A horizons or no B horizons.

They typically form from tall basic rocks such as basalt, in climates that are humid or where erratic floods or droughts are common. Depending on their parent material and their climate, they can be gray to red, going through deep black.

Its texture and unstable behavior make it difficult for many tree species to grow; forests are unusual. However crops such as cotton, wheat and rice can be grown in this type of soil.

They occupy a large part of the territory of Venezuela, especially in the states of Guárico, Falcón, Yaracuy, Lara, Barinas, Portuguesa and Anzoátegui.

4- Mollisols

They form in semi-arid or semi-humid areas. Its parent material is commonly limestone or windblown earth.

They are rich in organic matter and nutrients; they have a deep A horizon. They are the most productive type of soil in the agricultural area.

They are only present in the states of Aragua and Carabobo, being the least common type of soil in the country.

5- Ultisols

It is also known as red clay soils. They are defined as mineral soils that do not contain any calcareous material.

They occur in humid temperatures or in tropical regions. They are of low fertility due to their clayey and acidic nature, but can be grown with a fertilizer regime or graduated humidity conditions.

They are the most common type of soil in Venezuelan territory, located in Apure, Guárico, Anzoátegui, Monagas, Zulia and Cojedes, as well as most of Amazonas and Bolívar.

6- Oxisols

They are common in tropical forests. They are red or yellow in color, thanks to their high concentration of iron, aluminum oxides and hydroxide.

They also contain quartz and kaolin, as well as small amounts of organic matter and clay minerals. They have low fertility and are present in the states of Amazonas and Carabobo.

7- Aridisols

They are the type of soil that dominates in deserts. They have a very low concentration of organic matter and a great deficiency of water.

The accumulation of salts on its surface can result in saline. They can be found in the states of Lara, Zulia, Falcón, Anzoátegui, Guárico and Sucre.

8- Histosols

They consist primarily of organic materials; they are thick soils. Many are acidic and deficient in plant nutrients, albeit high in carbon.

They form when organic matter develops faster than the frequency at which it is destroyed.

They can be used for cultivation following certain specifications and treatments. However, construction on this type of soils is not recommended as buildings can sink due to their high moisture content. This type of soils can be found in almost the entire state of Delta Amacuro.

9- Alfisols

They form in humid or semi-arid areas, typically under a wooded layer of wood. They are rich in clay and have a relatively high fertility.

They have a high content of the elements aluminum and iron. Due to their high productivity and abundance, they represent one of the most important soils for the production of food and fiber.

They are widely used in agriculture and forestry, they are generally easier to keep fertile and productive than other types of soils.

They are the oldest type of soil on earth. In Venezuela they are present in the states of Zulia, Cojedes, Guarico and Portuguesa.

References

1. Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. Recovered from fao.org.
2. Types of soils in Venezuela. Recovered from scribd.com.
3. Soils of Venezuela. Recovered from wikipedia.org.
4. Nature Studies (1999). First edition. Editorial Santillana. Carcas, Venezuela.
5. Types of soil in Venezuela (2011) Recovered from learning pedology.wordpress.