LOCATION BUSHNELL FL
Established Series
Rev. GRB
10/2018
BUSHNELL SERIES
The Bushnell series consists of moderately deep, somewhat poorly drained, slowly permeable soils on karst limestone plains in northern Florida. They formed in sandy and clayey marine sediments over limestone. Near the type location, the mean annual temperature is about 69 degrees F., and the mean annual precipitation is about 55 inches. Slopes range from 0 to 5 percent.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, superactive, thermic Albaquic Hapludalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Bushnell fine sand - in a wooded area. (Colors are for moist conditions.)
A--0 to 6 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) fine sand; weak fine granular structure; very friable, many fine, medium, and coarse roots; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (3 to 9 inches thick.)
E--6 to 10 inches, brown (10YR 4/3) fine sand; common medium faint dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) pockets and streaks; single grained; loose; common fine and medium roots; very strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 16 inches thick.)
Bt1--10 to 16 inches, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) sandy clay; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; sticky; plastic; about 2 percent, by volume, chert pebbles; few fine and medium roots; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Bt2--16 to 26 inches, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) clay; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; sticky; plastic; about 2 percent, by volume, chert pebbles; few fine and medium roots; common fine distinct gray (10YR 5/1) and grayish brown (10YR 5/2) areas of iron depletions; very strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizons range from 4 to 34 inches.)
2R--26 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) and brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) limestone that can be chipped and dug with difficulty using a pick and shovel.
TYPE LOCATION: Levy County, Florida. Approximately 1,000 feet east and 1,200 feet north of the southwest corner of sec. 21, T.13 S., R. 19 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness and depth to limestone ranges from 20 to 40 inches. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid to neutral in the A and E horizons and from very strongly acid to moderately alkaline in the Bt horizon. Pebble to boulder-size limestone or chert fragments occur at the surface and may be present in the solum.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 3 or 4, and chroma of 1 or 2. Where value is 3, and the A or Ap horizon directly overlies the Bt horizon, thickness is 6 inches or less and the boundary is abrupt. Texture is fine sand or loamy fine sand.
The E horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 3 or 4. Texture is fine sand or loamy fine sand.
The Bt horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 3 to 6. Redox depletions in shades of gray occur within the upper 10 inches of the Bt horizon. Texture is dominantly sandy clay or clay but may also be sandy clay loam in the upper 10 inches. Average clay content in the upper 20 inches of the argillic horizon ranges from 35 to 60 percent.
The Btg horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 1 or 2; or there is now dominant color and is multicolored in shades of red, yellow, brown and gray. Texture is sandy clay or clay.
The Cr horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 6 or 8, and chroma of 1 to 4. It is composed of soft, weathered, fractured limestone that can be dug with difficulty with a spade, has very firm to extremely firm rupture resistance with low to high excavation difficulty. It usually contains soft carbonate accumulations along with few to many hard limestone or chert fragments. It is highly irregular and interspersed with solution holes that range from 4 to 12 inches in diameter and filled with sandy loam to sandy clay textured soil material. Depth to limestone is variable within short distances.
The 2R horizon is composed of hard, unweathered limestone that has slightly rigid to very rigid rupture resistance with very high to extremely excavation difficulty. Some areas contain solution holes filled with Btg and/or Cr material.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in the same family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Bushnell soils are on karst uplands in northern Florida. They formed in sandy and clayey marine sediments over limestone. Slopes are less than 5 percent. The average annual temperature ranges from 67 to 71 degrees F., and the average annual precipitation ranges from 50 to 60 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include the
Flemington,
Jonesville,
Lutterloh,
Mabel,
Micanopy,
Moriah,
Otela,
Pedro,
Seaboard,
Shadeville, and
Williston series. The poorly drained Flemington soils are very deep, have more clay in the subsoil, and are smectitic. Jonesville, Moriah, and Shadeville soils have arenic epipedons and loamy argillic horizons. In addition, Jonesville soils are well drained and Shadeville soils are moderately well drained. Moriah soils are deep to limestone bedrock. Lutterloh and Otela soils have grossarenic epipedons and loamy argillic horizons. In addition, Lutterloh soils are very deep and Otela soils are very deep and moderately well drained. Mabel soils are deep and very deep and are hyperthermic. Micanopy soils are very deep. The well drained Pedro and Seaboard soils are shallow to limestone bedrock. In addition, Seaboard soils do not have an argillic horizon. The well drained Williston soils are hyperthermic.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of Bushnell soils are used for pastureland. Some areas are used for cropland or are planted to pine. The overstory vegetation consists of laurel oak, slash and loblolly pine, southern redcedar, sweetgum, magnolia, live oak and water oak. The understory vegetation is dominated by cabbage palm, scattered sawpalmetto, greenbriar, American beautyberry, maidencain, panicums, and a variety of other perennial and annual grasses and forbs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern Florida. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Auburn, Alabama.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Levy County, Florida, 1990.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon include:
Ochric epipedon - The zone extending from the surface to a depth of 10 inches.
Argillic horizon - The zone extending from 10 to 16 inches.
Abrupt textural change - Occurs at 10 inches.
Aquic feature - saturated at depths of 18 to 36 inches for 1 to 3 months during most years. During the drier months, the water table is below the surface of the bedrock. Surface water may stand in some areas for several days following heavy rains because of the slow infiltration rates in these soils.
MLRA: 152A
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.