LOCATION BEERSHEBA TN
Established Series
Rev. JLP:RPS
12/2021
BEERSHEBA SERIES
The Beersheba series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils with moderately rapid permeability. These soils formed in loamy residuum from sandstone formations. They are on ridgetops and side slopes on the Cumberland Plateau. Slopes range from 2 to 20 percent.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, siliceous, semiactive, mesic Typic Hapludults
TYPICAL PEDON: Beersheba loam, 3 percent slopes, forested (colors are for moist soils unless otherwise stated)
Oi--0 to 1 inch; partially decomposed leaves.
A--1 to 2 inch; dark brown (10YR 3/3) very fine sandy loam; moderate medium granular structure; very friable; many fine and medium roots; many very fine and fine pores; extremely acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)
E--2 to 6 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) very fine sandy loam; moderate medium granular and weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; many fine and medium roots; many very fine and common fine and medium pores; about 2 percent fragments of soft sandstone up to 2 inches across; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (2 to 8 inches thick)
Bt1--6 to 15 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine and medium roots; many very fine, common fine and medium pores; few faint clay films in pores; about 5 percent fragments of soft sandstone up to 3 inches across; very strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary.
Bt2--15 to 27 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) sandy clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine roots; common very fine and fine pores; few distinct clay films on faces of peds and in pores; about 5 percent fragments of soft sandstone up to 3 inches across; very strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary.
Bt3--27 to 37 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) sandy clay loam interspersed with small spots of brownish yellow (10YR 6/8) sandy loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common very fine and fine pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds and in pores; about 10 percent fragments of soft sandstone; very strongly acid. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizon is 15 to 35 inches)
Cr--37 to 51 inches; brownish yellow (10YR 6/8) and yellow (10YR 8/6) soft weathered sandstone.
TYPE LOCATION: Grundy County, Tennessee; 0.3 mile north on 55th Avenue from the intersection with State Highway 108 at Gruetli-Laager, 0.4 mile west on Colony Road, 0.6 mile north on Nolan Road, 30 feet east of road.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The thickness of the solum and depth to soft sandstone range from 20 to 40 inches. Depth to hard sandstone normally ranges from about 40 to 60 inches. Fragments of soft and hard sandstone range from 0 to 15 percent in the solum and up to 35 percent in the C horizon. The soil is extremely acid to strongly acid except the surface layer is less acid where limed.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 3 or 4 and chroma of 1 to 3. The Ap horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 2 to 6. The E horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 to 6 and chroma of 2 to 4. The A and E horizons are loam, very fine sandy loam; fine sandy loam or rarely silt loam.
Some pedons have a transitional horizon between the A or E horizon and the Bt horizon.
The Bt horizon has hue of 10YR, 7.5YR or 5YR, value of 4 to 6 and chroma of 4 to 8. It is loam, sandy clay loam or clay loam. Some pedons have mottles in shades of brown, red or yellow.
The BC or C horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR, 7.5YR or 5YR, value of 5 or 6 and chroma of 4 to 8. The texture is loam, fine sandy loam or sandy loam. Some pedons have mottles in shades of brown, red, or yellow.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Alonzville,
Bailegap,
Gunstock,
Jefferson,
Lily,
Lonewood,
Marr,
Riney,
Sassafras and
Sunnyside series in the same family and the closely related
Gilpin,
Hartsells and
Linker series. Bailegap soils have bedrock at a depth of 40 to 60 inches. Gunstock soils have up to 55 percent fragments of siltstone and phyllite in the solum. The Alonzville, Jefferson, Lonewood, Marr, Riney, Sassafras and Sunnyside soils are more than 40 inches to a lithic or paralithic contact. Lily soils are similar except they have hard bedrock within 40 inches. Gilpin soils have mixed mineralogy and contain up to 40 rock fragments that are mostly shale. Hartsells and Linker soils have a thermic temperature regime and have hard bedrock within 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: These gently sloping to moderately steep soils are on ridgetops and side slopes on the Cumberland Plateau. They formed in residuum from acid sandstone formations. Slopes range from 2 to 20 percent. The average annual temperature is 56 degrees F., and the average annual precipitation is 60 inches near the type location.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing
Gilpin,
Lily, and
Lonewood series and the
Alticrest and
Ramsey series. Alticrest soils are coarse-loamy and do not have an argillic horizon. Ramsey soils have bedrock within 20 inches and do not have an argillic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; moderately rapid permeability; medium to rapid runoff.
USE AND VEGETATION: More than one-half the acreage of these soils is used as woodland. The rest is used mostly for hay, pasture, corn and vegetable crops. Wooded areas consists chiefly of upland oaks, hickories, blackgum, elm, yellow-poplar, shortleaf pine and Virginia pine.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Cumberland Plateau and Mountains in Tennessee and possibly Kentucky, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia. This series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Grundy County, Tennessee; 1990.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - 1 to 6 inches (A and E horizons)
Argillic horizon - 6 to 37 inches (Bt1 to Bt3 horizons)
12/2021 revision: Oi had 1 to 0 inch depths, corrected to be 0 to 1 in horizon depths then added 1 inch to all horizon depths throughout the typical pedon.
This soil has been included in the Lily and Hartsells series in Tennessee.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.