LOCATION ARAGON GA+AL
Established Series
Rev. LWF
08/2024
ARAGON SERIES
The Aragon series consists of very deep, well drained, slowly permeable soils on uplands. These soils formed in residuum weathered from cherty limestone, sandstone, siltstone and shale. Slope ranges from 2 to 25 percent. Near the type location the mean annual temperature is 61 degrees F., and the mean annual precipitation is 53 inches.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, kaolinitic, thermic Typic Hapludults
TYPICAL PEDON: Aragon fine sandy loam-- coastal bermuda grass. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 6 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) fine sandy loam; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many fine roots; 13 percent gravel; strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (5 to 8 inches thick)
BA--6 to 15 inches; brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) loam; few fine prominent yellowish red (5YR 5/6) and few fine distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) mottles; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine roots; 8 percent gravel; common medium pores; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (3 to 12 inches thick)
Bt1--15 to 32 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) clay; many medium prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) and many medium distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) mottles; moderate medium angular and subangular blocky structure; firm; 3 percent gravel; common prominent clay films on faces of peds; few fine pores; few fine roots; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Bt2--32 to 42 inches; mottled red (2.5YR 4/6), yellowish red (5YR 5/6), strong brown (7.5YR 5/6), and yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) clay; moderate medium subangular and angular blocky structure; firm; 3 percent fragments of chert; common prominent clay films on faces of peds; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bt3--42 to 52 inches; mottled red (2.5YR 4/6), yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) and strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) clay; moderate medium angular and subangular blocky structure; firm; 2 percent soft white weathered sandstone; 2 percent fragments of chert; few distinct clay films on faces of peds; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizons is 19 to more than 55 inches)
C--52 to 65 inches; mottled red (2.5YR 4/6), yellowish red (5YR 5/6), gray (N 5/0), and strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) weathered sandstone, siltstone and cherty limestone; texture is sandy clay loam when crushed; massive; firm in place; yellowish red clay coatings along cleavage planes; very strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Polk County, Georgia; 0.4 mile south of Morningview Church on Clark-Wood Road; west 0.2 mile on Old Cedartown Road; south 0.1 mile on Baldwin Road; 50 feet west of road in coastal bermuda grass field. (Rockmart North, GA. (1973) USGS Quadrangle, lat. 34 degrees, 00 minutes, 15 seconds N., and long. 85 degrees, 05 minutes, 33 seconds W.)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 40 to more than 60 inches. Depth to unweathered bedrock is 5 to 10 feet. Reaction ranges from strongly acid to extremely acid, except where the soil has been limed. Content of chert fragments in each horizon ranges from 0 to 15 percent by volume.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 through 6, and chroma of 2 through 4. It is silt loam, loam, or fine sandy loam.
The BA horizon has hue of 7.5YR, 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 through 7, and chroma of 4 through 8. Some pedons have mottles in shades of red and brown. It is loam, clay loam or sandy clay loam.
The Bt horizons have hue of 2.5YR, 5YR, 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 6 or 8. Mottles are none to many in shades of yellow, brown and red or this horizon is mottled in the same colors. Clay content of the Bt horizons range from 45 to 70 percent and silt content is more than 20 percent.
The BC horizon, where present, has colors the same as the lower Bt horizon. Texture is variable within short horizontal distances and includes sandy clay loam and silty clay loam.
The C horizon, where present, has texture, color and consistence determined by amounts of limestone, sandstone, shale and siltstone in the underlying material.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Appling,
Cataula,
Cecil,
Chestatee,
Georgeville,
Herndon,
Hulett,
Kolomoki,
Madison,
Nankin,
Nectar, Nesses,
Pacolet,
Spotsylvania, and
Wedowee series of the same family and the
Albertville,
Capshaw,
Christian,
Dewey,
Enders,
Fullerton, Maydor,
Masada,
Mimosa,
Talbott and
Townley series of closely related families. Appling, Cataula, Cecil, Chestatee, Georgeville, Herndon, Hulett, Madison, Pacolet, Spotsylvania and Wedowee soils developed in acid crystalline rocks. Albertville and Townley soils have mixed clay mineralogy. Capshaw, Mimosa and Talbott soils have base saturation more than 35 percent. Christian soils have mean annual temperature less than 59 degrees F. Dewey and Fullerton soils lack a 20 percent clay decrease within 60 inches of the surface. Ender and Masada soils have mottle free upper B horizons. Kolomoki, Nankin and Nesses soils are formed in terrace or coastal plain sediments. Maydon soils are underlain by Trassic rocks. Nectar soils do not have chert fragments.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Aragon soils are on upland ridgetops and sideslopes in the Southern Appalachian Valley. Slopes commonly are 2 to 15 percent but range to 25 percent. Elevation is 500 to 1200 feet. Average annual temperature is 59 to 65 degrees F; annual precipitation is 45 to 55 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing
Dewey,
Fullerton,
Enders, and
Talbott series and the
Bodine,
Minvale, and
Mountview series. Bodine, Minvale, and Mountview soils have siliceous mineralogy and less than 35 percent clay.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are used for growing pasture, small grains, cotton, corn, and hay. Other areas are in forest or idle. Native vegetation is forests of mixed oaks, elm, hickory, beech, yellow poplar, dogwood, sourwood, Virginia pine, shortleaf pine, and loblolly pine.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Alabama, Georgia, and possibly Tennessee. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Auburn, Alabama
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Polk County, Georgia; 1975; Chattooga, Floyd, and Polk Counties, Georgia survey area.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of approximately 6 inches (Ap horizon).
Argillic horizon - the zone from approximately 6 to 52 inches (BA, Bt1, Bt2, and Bt3 horizons).
Revised 2/93
SIR=GA0017
MLRA=128, 129
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.