LOCATION ARIPEKA FLEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, siliceous, superactive, hyperthermic Aquic Hapludalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Aripeka fine sand--on a low ridge in native vegetation (Colors are for moist soil.)
A--0 to 3 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) fine sand; weak fine granular structure; very friable; few fine roots; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (3 to 15 inches thick)
E--3 to 5 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) fine sand; single grained; loose; many fine and medium roots; slightly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
Bw1--5 to 10 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) fine sand; few fine faint pale brown (10YR 6/3) splotches of clean sand grains; single grained; loose; few fine and medium roots; neutral; gradual wavy boundary.
Bw2--10 to 13 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) fine sand; weak medium granular structure; very friable; few medium and large roots; few fine faint yellowish red (5YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation; slightly alkaline; clear irregular boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bw horizon ranges from 0 to 16 inches)
Bt1--13 to 15 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) cobbly sandy clay loam; friable; few medium and large roots; about 20 percent, by volume, limestone cobbles; few fine faint yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary.
Bt2--15 to 21 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) cobbly fine sandy loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few medium and large roots; about 20 percent, by volume, limestone cobbles; moderately alkaline; clear irregular boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizon range from 5 to 33 inches)
Cr--21 to 29 inches; white (10YR 8/1) soft limestone; massive; firm; about 35 percent, by volume, hard limestone fragments; this layer has a solution hole approximately 15 inches in diameter containing strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) fine sandy loam material and hard limestone fragments; moderately alkaline; abrupt irregular boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
R--29+ inches; hard limestone that can be chipped but not dug with a spade. This layer has a solution hole about 15 inches in diameter extending to a depth of about 45 inches below the soil surface. It is filled with fine sandy loam material and hard limestone fragments.
TYPE LOCATION: Hernando County, Florida; approximately 0.4 mile north of Hernando Beach Church in the NE 1/4, SW 1/4, Sec. 7, T. 23 S.; R. 17 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness typically is 20 to 25 inches but ranges from 20 to 30 inches. In solution holes, the thickness ranges to 45 inches or more. Depth to the R horizon ranges from about 23 to 40 inches. Reaction ranges from extremely acid to slightly alkaline in the A, E, and Bw horizons and from slightly acid to moderately alkaline in the Bt horizon.
The A horizon has hue 10YR, value of 2 to 4, and chroma of 2 or less. Content of limestone pebbles and cobbles ranges from 0 to 5 percent, by volume. Texture is fine sand or loamy fine sand.
The E horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 4 to 8, and chroma of 2 or 3. Content of limestone pebbles and cobbles ranges from 0 to 5 percent, by volume. Texture is fine sand or loamy fine sand.
The Bw horizon has hue 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 to 5, and chroma 3 to 8. Masses of iron accumulation in shades of brown, yellow, or red range from none common. Content of limestone pebbles and cobbles ranges from 0 to 5 percent, by volume. Texture is fine sand or loamy fine sand.
The Bt horizon has colors similar to that of the Bw horizon. Hard limestone cobbles 3 to 10 inches in size comprise 15 to 35 percent of the Bt horizon in pedons with cobbly textures. Non-cobbly phases usually have less than 5 percent cobbles. Texture is fine sandy loam, sandy clay loam, or their cobbly modifiers.
The Cr horizon is composed of soft limestone having hue of 10YR, value of 7 or 8, and chroma of 1 or 2. Hard limestone fragments occur randomly throughout the horizon and range from about 20 to 35 percent, by volume. Solution holes range from none to three in each pedon.
The R horizon is composed of hard limestone that can only be excavated by power equipment. In many pedons, the solution holes are filled with soil and limestone fragments from the overlying horizons.
COMPETING SERIES: Tarrytown is the only other series in the same family. Tarrytown soils are on lower positions, are very deep, have loamy textures in the surface layer and in the upper part of the subsoil, and have a lithic contact within a depth of 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Aripeka soils are on low ridges. Some areas are adjacent to tidal marshes and are on low-lying "islands" within tidal marsh areas. Slopes range from 0 to 1 percent. They formed in sandy and loamy marine sediments overlying limestone. The climate is humid subtropical. The average annual precipitation ranges from 50 to 60 inches and the average annual air temperature ranges from 70 to 74 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include the Bluff, Boca, Felda, Homosassa, Lacoochee, Wabasso, and Weekiwachee series. The poorly drained Bluff soils are on lower positions, are very deep, and have a mollic epipedon. The poorly and very poorly drained Boca and Felda soils are on lower positions and have sandy surface and subsurface layers 20 to 40 inches thick. In addition, Felda soils are very deep. The very poorly drained Homosassa soils are in lower tidal marshes. The poorly drained Lacoochee soils are in lower tidal marshes, have poorly developed spodic horizons, and are shallow do limestone. The poorly drained Wabasso soils are on lower positions, are very deep, and have spodic horizons. The very poorly drained Weekiwachee soils are in lower tidal marshes and are organic.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained; rapid permeability in the A, E, and Bw horizons and moderately rapid or moderately slow permeability in the Bt horizon.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of Aripeka soil remain in natural forest. The vegetation consists of longleaf pine, slash pine, southern redcedar, and cabbage palm with an understory dominantly of sawpalmetto, gallberry, and pineland threeawn.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Peninsular Florida. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Auburn, Alabama.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Hernando County, Florida; 1976.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 5 inches (A and E horizons).
Albic horizon - the zone from 3 to 5 inches (E horizon).
Argillic horizon - the zone from 13 to 21 inches (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Areas adjacent to the tidal marshes are flooded by storm tides.
This soil lacks redoximorphic depletions in most pedons but due to a high water table its behavior is like that of the Aquic subgroup.
The water table is at depths of 18 to 30 inches for 2 to 6 months and at 30 to 60 inches for 6 months or more.