Soils of Peutjang Island, Southwest Java

Abstract

Following a 600 m transect from the southeastern shore toward the hills three main soil types were encountered, i.e., the sandy regosols, the tuffaceous over sandy regosols, and the latosolized tuffaceous regosols over podsolized grumusols. Descriptions and analyses of four soil profiles are given. The surface tuffaceous soils were developed from a pumiceous tuff erupted by Mount Krakatau in 1883. The buried grumusols were derived from a Tertiary marl. A tuffaceous soil of profile II exemplifies soil formation in a warm and humid climate from a pumiceous tuff under a tropical rainforest after a period of 74 years. There is evidence that tree species distribution in the tropical rainforest is influenced by topographical and edaphic conditions.