LOCATION BETHERA SC+AL FL GA NC VAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, semiactive, thermic Typic Paleaquults
TYPICAL PEDON: Bethera loam--forested. (Colors are for moist soil.)
A1--0 to 2 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) loam; moderate fine granular structure; friable; many fine and medium roots; extremely acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (2 to 8 inches thick)
A2--2 to 4 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) loam; weak fine granular structure; friable; many fine and medium roots; extremely acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 7 inches thick)
E--4 to 7 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) loam; weak fine granular structure; friable; many fine roots; many fine pores; very strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 5 inches thick)
BEg--7 to 10 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) clay loam; weak fine angular blocky structure; firm; few fine roots; few fine pores; few faint clay films on faces of peds; few fine faint gray (10YR 6/1) iron depletions, and common fine distinct brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) irregularly shaped masses of iron accumulation; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick)
Btg1--10 to 41 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) clay; moderate fine angular blocky structure; firm; few fine roots; few fine pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds; common medium distinct brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) and common medium prominent red (2.5YR 5/8) irregularly shaped masses of iron accumulation; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Btg2--41 to 68 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) clay; moderate fine angular blocky structure; firm; patchy distinct clay films on faces of peds; many medium distinct brownish yellow (10YR 6/8) irregularly shaped masses of iron accumulation; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Btg is 35 to 60 inches or more)
Cg--68 to 94 inches; 35 percent light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2), 35 percent gray (5Y 6/1), and 30 percent light gray (10YR 7/1) clay; massive; firm; extremely acid; clear smooth boundary.
TYPE LOCATION: Berkeley County, South Carolina about 13 miles northeast of Moncks Corner; 3.7 miles SE of Macedonia on S.C. Highway 48; site is 100 feet northeast of highway.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness is 60 to 80 inches or more. The soil is extremely acid to moderately acid throughout.
The A or Ap horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, or is neutral; value of 2 to 4, and chroma of 0 to 2. A or Ap horizons with value of less than 3.5 are less than 10 inches thick. The A horizon is fine sandy loam, sandy loam, loam, silt loam, or clay loam.
The E horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR to 5Y, or is neutral; value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 0 to 2. It is fine sandy loam, loam, silt loam, or clay loam.
The BEg or EBg horizon, where present, has properties similar to the adjacent horizons.
The Btg horizon has hue of 10YR to 5Y, or is neutral; value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 0 to 2. Common to many masses of iron accumulation in shades of yellow, brown, or red are in most pedons. The Btg horizon commonly is clay loam, sandy clay, or clay; but ranges to silty clay loam or silty clay.
The BCg or CBg horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR to 5Y, or is neutral; value of 5 to 7, and chroma of 0 to 2. Common to many masses of iron accumulation in shades of yellow, brown, or red, are in most pedons. The BCg or CBg horizon is sandy clay loam, clay loam, sandy clay, or clay.
The Cg horizon has hue of 10YR to 5Y, 5BG, or is neutral; value of 5 to 7, and chroma of 0 to 2. Many pedons have a combination of these colors. The Cg horizon is sandy clay loam, sandy clay, or clay.
COMPETING SERIES: (Due to complexity of changes in the Keys to Taxonomy, this section was not updated at this time). There are no other known series in this family. Similar series in other families are Bayboro, Bladen, Byars, Cantey, Coxville, Grady, Leaf, Lumbee, Pantego, Paxville, Rains, Rembert, and Roanoke series. Bayboro, Byars, Pantego, and Paxville soils have an umbric epipedon. Bladen, Cantey, and Leaf soils have an abrupt texture change between the A and B horizons. Byars, Cantey, Coxville, and Rembert soils have kaolinitic mineralogy. Lumbee, Pantego, Paxville, and Rains soils have a fine-loamy particle-size control section. Roanoke soils have a solum thickness of 40 to 60 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Bethera soils are on nearly level and slightly depressional areas on terraces and flood plains of the lower Coastal Plain. Slopes are less than 2 percent. The soils formed in clayey marine or fluvial sediments. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 48 to 52 inches, and mean annual temperature ranges from 65 to 70 degrees F. The frost-free season ranges from 240 to 280 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Bayboro, Bladen, Leaf, Pantego, Rains, and Roanoke series, and the Craven, Goldsboro, Lynchburg, and Wahee series. Craven and Goldsboro soils are on higher landscapes, and have dominant chroma of 3 or more in the Bt horizon. Lynchburg and Wahee soils are on slightly higher landscapes and have a subhorizon dominated by chroma of 3 or more. Goldsboro and Lynchburg soils also have a fine-loamy particle-size control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained; very slow to ponded runoff; moderately slow or slow permeability. The water table is at or near the surface for 3 to 5 months in most years. Some areas near streams have occasional or frequent flooding.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most of the acreage is in forest of loblolly pine, slash pine, black tupelo, red maple, sweetgum, white oak, baldcypress, and water oak. The undergrowth is waxmyrtle, sweetbay, blackberry, and sumac. Cleared and drained areas are used principally for growing corn, soybeans, small grains, hay, and pasture.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Lower Southern Coastal Plain of Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The series is of large extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Raleigh, North Carolina
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Berkeley County, South Carolina; l974.
REMARKS: The Bethera series formerly was included in the Coxville series.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 7 inches (A1, A2 and E horizons).
Argillic horizon - the zone from 7 to 68 inches (BEg, Btg1 and Btg2 horizons).
Aquic conditions - endosaturation from the surface as indicated by matrix colors showing iron depletion, as well as areas of iron accumulation in the argillic horizon.
KEYS TO TAXONOMY = 1996
MLRA = 153A, 153B, 133A
SIR = SC0023, SC0109 (FLOODED)
TABULAR SERIES DATA:
SOI-5 Soil Name Slope Airtemp FrFr/Seas Precip Elevation SC0023 BETHERA 0- 2 65- 70 240-280 48- 52 25- 120 SC0109 BETHERA 0- 2 65- 70 240-280 48- 52 25- 120SOI-5 FloodL FloodH Watertable Kind Months Bedrock Hardness SC0023 NONE - APPARENT - 60-60 SC0109 COMMON 0-1.5 APPARENT DEC-APR 60-60
SOI-5 Depth Texture 3-Inch No-10 Clay% -CEC- SC0023 0- 7 FSL 0- 0 98-100 5-20 2- 6 SC0023 0- 7 L SIL 0- 0 95-100 10-20 3- 10 SC0023 0- 7 CL 0- 0 95-100 27-35 4- 10 SC0023 7-68 C CL SC 0- 0 98-100 35-50 8- 20 SC0023 68-80 C SC SCL 0- 0 98-100 20-50 4- 18 SC0109 0- 7 FSL SL 0- 0 98-100 5-20 2- 6 SC0109 0- 7 L SIL 0- 0 95-100 10-27 3- 10 SC0109 0- 7 CL 0- 0 95-100 27-35 4- 10 SC0109 7-68 C CL SC 0- 0 98-100 35-50 8- 20 SC0109 68-80 C SC SCL 0- 0 98-100 20-50 4- 18
SOI-5 Depth -pH- O.M. Salin Permeab Shnk-Swll SC0023 0- 7 3.6- 6.0 1.-6. 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 LOW SC0023 0- 7 3.6- 6.0 1.-6. 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 LOW SC0023 0- 7 3.6- 6.0 1.-6. 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 MODERATE SC0023 7-68 3.6- 6.0 .5-1. 0- 0 0.06- 0.6 MODERATE SC0023 68-80 3.6- 6.0 .5-1. 0- 0 0.06- 2.0 MODERATE SC0109 0- 7 3.6- 6.0 1.-6. 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 LOW SC0109 0- 7 3.6- 6.0 1.-6. 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 LOW SC0109 0- 7 3.6- 6.0 1.-6. 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 MODERATE SC0109 7-68 3.6- 6.0 .5-1. 0- 0 0.06- 0.6 MODERATE SC0109 68-80 3.6- 6.0 .5-1. 0- 0 0.06- 2.0 MODERATE