LOCATION CALOOSA                 FL

Established Series
Rev. TEC; GRB
03/2019

CALOOSA SERIES

The Caloosa series consists of very deep, moderately well drained, slowly permeable soils on broad to narrow flats bordering major rivers that have been dredged. They formed in sandy over clayey sediments deposited and spread from dredge and fill operations. Near the type location, the mean annual temperature is about 73 degrees F., and the mean annual precipitation is about 52 inches. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy over clayey, siliceous, superactive, nonacid, hyperthermic Typic Udifluvents

TYPICAL PEDON: Caloosa fine sand--pasture. (Colors are for moist soil)

Ap--0 to 10 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) fine sand; single grained; loose; common fine roots, few medium and coarse roots; common lenses of silt loam; about 10 percent, by volume, sand-size shell fragments; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 10 inches thick)

C1--10 to 27 inches; stratified pale brown (10YR 6/3) and gray (10YR 5/1) fine sand; single grained; loose; common fine and medium roots; few fine lenses of silty clay loam; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary.

C2--27 to 38 inches; stratified light gray (10YR 7/2) silty clay and clay; few fine prominent brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) masses of iron accumulation; massive; few fine roots; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary.

C3--38 to 80 inches; stratified gray (10YR 5/1) and dark gray (10YR 4/1) silty clay and clay; massive; firm; common medium distinct brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) masses of iron accumulation; moderately alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Lee County, Florida; approximately 1,000 feet south of Florida Highway 78 and about 200 feet east of Otter Creek in the SW1/4, NW1/4, NE1/4, Sec. 16, T. 43 S., R. 26 E; lat. 26 degrees 44 minutes 13.84 seconds N. and long. 81 degrees 43 minutes 11.6 seconds W., WGS84.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the fill material ranges from 40 to more than 80 inches. Fragments of shell range from sand-size up to 6 cm in size. Shell content ranges from less than 5 percent to 30 percent, by volume, throughout, but the weighted average of shell content (2 mm or larger) in the control section is less than 10 percent, by volume. Soil reaction ranges from slightly acid through moderately alkaline throughout.

The Ap horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 1 or 2. Texture is sand or fine sand.

The upper part of the C horizon has hue of 10YR to 5GY, value of 4 to 8, and chroma of 1 to 3; or it is stratified in these colors. Texture is sand or fine sand.

The lower part of the C horizon has hue of 10YR to 5GY, value of 4 to 8, and chroma of 1 to 3. Redoximorphic accumulations in shades of yellow or brown range from none to many. Underlying materials are generally sandy, but some pedons have silty clay loam, clay, or sandy clay Ab and Cb horizons at depths of more than 40 inches. Texture is sandy clay, clay, or silty clay.

COMPETING SERIES: There are no other known series in the same family.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Caloosa soils are on broad to narrow flats bordering major rivers in Peninsular Florida where materials dredged from the river bottoms has been spread. Slopes are dominantly 0 to 2 percent. They consist of deposits of stratified clayey materials capped by varying thicknesses of more recently dredged sandy materials. The climate is humid subtropical. The average annual precipitation ranges from 50 to 55 inches and the average annual soil temperature ranges from 72 to 74 degrees F.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are Matlacha, St. Augustine, and Wulfert series. Matlacha and St. Augustine soils are on similar positions, are somewhat poorly drained, and are composed of sandy dredge and fill materials that contain fragments of diagnostic horizons. In addition, Matlacha soils have more than 15 percent, by volume, shell and limestone fragments. The very poorly drained Wulfert soils are in lower adjacent tidal swamps and marshes and are organic.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained; slow permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Caloosa soils are mainly used for improved pasture. In most areas, the natural vegetation has been removed and the existing vegetation consists of scattered south Florida slash pine, waxmyrtle, cabbage palm, and various forbs and grasses.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South Florida. The series is of small known extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Auburn, Alabama.

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lee County, Florida; 1982.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon:

Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 10 inches (Ap horizon).

Caloosa soils are saturated with water at a depth of 2.5 to 3.5 feet for 2 to 4 months during the summer rainy season. The saturated hydraulic conductivity class is moderate.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.