LOCATION BENNDALE MS+AL
Established Series
Rev. RED: WMK: RBH; GRB
03/2019
BENNDALE SERIES
The Benndale series consists of very deep, well drained, moderately permeable soils on nearly level to strongly sloping marine terraces and high stream terraces of the Southern Coastal Plain (MLRA 133A) and the Eastern Gulf Coast Flatwoods (MLRA 152A) Major Land Resource Areas. They formed in thick beds of loamy fluviomarine or fluvial sediments. Near the type location, the mean annual temperature is about 66 degrees F., and the mean annual precipitation is about 62 inches. Slopes range from 0 to 12 percent.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, siliceous, semiactive, thermic Typic Paleudults
TYPICAL PEDON: Benndale fine sandy loam, in a planted pine forest (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated).
Ap--0 to 2 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) fine sandy loam, weak fine granular structure; friable; many fine roots; strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
E/B--2 to 5 inches; mixed dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) and yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) fine sandy loam; weak fine granular and weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; many fine roots; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
Btl--5 to 11 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine and medium roots; sand grains coated and bridged with clay; common medium dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) material in krotovinas and root channels; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary.
Bt2--11 to 25 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) loam; weak and moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine roots; sand grains coated and bridged with clay; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Bt3--25 to 33 inches; brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) loam; weak and moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine pores; few pockets of uncoated sand grains; few faint clay films on faces of peds; sand grains coated and bridged with clay; few medium faint strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bt4--33 to 48 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) fine sandy loam; weak and moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few faint clay films on faces of peds; sand grains coated and bridged with clay; some pockets of uncoated sand grains; few nodules of plinthite; many medium faint strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) and common medium distinct yellowish red (5YR 4/6) masses of iron accumulation; very strongly acid; gradual irregular boundary.
Bt5--48 to 68 inches; brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) fine sandy loam; weak coarse angular blocky structure; friable; sand grains coated and bridged with clay; few pockets of uncoated sand grains; few nodules of plinthite; few faint clay films on faces of peds; many medium distinct gray (10YR 6/1) areas of iron depletions and yellowish red (5YR 4/6) and few fine prominent red (2.5YR 5/8) masses of iron accumulation; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt subhorizons commonly is 60 inches or more.)
BC--68 to 73 inches; 40 percent red (10R 4/8), 35 percent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) and 25 percent gray (10YR 6/1) sandy loam; weak coarse angular blocky structure; friable; few sand grains coated and bridged with clay; few faint clay films on faces of some peds; few nodules of plinthite; the areas of red and yellow brown are masses of iron accumulations and the areas of gray are iron depletions; very strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: George County, Mississippi. Six miles north of Crossroads Methodist Church on Merrill Road, about 100 feet east of road and 10 feet west of gate on Woods Road. The gate and fence are on the section line between sections 29 and 40, T. 1 S.; R. 7 W.; lat. 30 degrees 56 minutes 20.84 seconds N. and long. 88 degrees 42 minutes 44.6 seconds W., WGS84.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness exceeds 60 inches. Reaction ranges from extremely acid to strongly acid, except where the surface has been limed. The particle-size control section, the upper 20 inches of the Bt horizon, is 8 to 18 percent clay, and the silt content is more than 20 percent.
The A or Ap horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 2 or 6, and chroma of 1 to 3; or it is neutral with value of 3 or 4. Texture is loamy sand, fine sandy loam, sandy loam or loam.
The E horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6 and chroma of 2 or 4. Texture is loamy sand, fine sandy loam, sandy loam or loam.
The E/B horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6 and chroma of 2 to 6. Texture is fine sandy loam, sandy loam or loam.
The upper part of the Bt horizon has hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 4 to 8. Texture is sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or loam.
The lower part of the Bt horizon has hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 4 to 8 with few to many redoximorphic features in shades of red, brown and gray. Some pedons do not have a dominant matrix color and are variegated in shades of yellow, brown, red and gray. Some pedons have nodules of plinthite that may range up to 4 percent, by volume, along with few to common brown and black concretions. Texture is sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam, sandy clay loam and below a depth of 40 inches in some pedons, clay loam.
The BC horizon has hue of 5YR to 2.5Y, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 4 to 6; or there is no dominant color and is variegated in shades of yellow, red, brown and gray. Texture is loamy sand, sandy loam, or loam. Some pedons have a bisequum. Some pedons contain up to 10 percent, by volume, gravel.
The C horizon, where present, has hue of 2.5YR to 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 4 to 8; or there is no dominant color and is variegated and stratified in shades of yellow, brown, red and gray. Texture is loamy sand, sandy loam or sandy clay loam.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Butters and
Niwana series in the same family and the closely related
Heidel and McLaurin series. Butters soils have less than 20 percent silt in the top 20 inches of the Bt horizon. Niwana soils have a glossic horizon and an ochric epipedon that is more than 20 inches in thickness. Heidel and McLaurin soils are on similar positions but have redder subsoils.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Benndale soils are on marine terraces and high stream terraces of the Coastal Plain and Eastern Gulf Coast Flatwoods and Southern Coastal Plain Major Land Resource Areas. Slopes range from 0 to 12 percent. They formed in thick beds of fluviomarine or fluvial deposits. The climate is humid subtropical. Near the type location, the average annual rainfall ranges from 60 to 65 inches and the average annual temperature ranges from 62 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: In addition to the competing McLaurin and
Wagram series, these include the
Alaga,
Atmore,
Basin,
Malbis,
Ora,
Ruston,
Saucier, and
Savannah series. The excessively drained Alaga soils are on slightly higher positions and are sandy throughout. The poorly drained Atmore soils are in adjacent depressions and broad flats and have more than 5 percent plinthite in the profile. The somewhat poorly drained Basin soils are in adjacent depressions and broad flats and have fragipans. The moderately well or well drained Malbis soils are on similar to lower positions, have fine-loamy control sections and have more than 5 percent plinthite. The moderately well drained Ora and Savannah soils are on similar to lower positions, have fine-loamy control sections and fragipans. Ruston soils are on similar positions, have fine-loamy control sections and have redder subsoils. The moderately well drained Saucier soils are on similar to lower positions, have fine-loamy subsoils and more than 5 percent plinthite in the profile.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of Benndale soils are in planted forests of loblolly pine, longleaf pine, shortleaf pine and slash pines. The understory is dominated by gallberry, flowering dogwood, wax myrtle, and perennial grasses. Cleared areas are used for pasture, hay, corn, and soybeans.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Alabama and Mississippi; possibly in the Florida panhandle and Louisiana. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Auburn, Alabama.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Escambia County, Alabama; 1969.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface to a depth of about 5 inches (A and E/B horizons).
Argillic horizon - the zone from approximately 5 to 68 inches (Bt1, Bt2, Bt3, Bt4 and Bt5 horizons).
Benndale soils are in MLRAs 133A and 152A.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Laboratory data: Chemical analyses and particle size distribution for one pedon--8156 (7-12)--from Stone County, Mississippi. Data from Mississippi State University Soil Genesis Laboratory.
The following laboratory data are available on the NSSL web site:
67MS047002
72AL097001-pgm
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.