LOCATION CHEKIKA FLEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, carbonatic, hyperthermic Lithic Udorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Chekika very gravelly loam--cropland (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated).
Ap--0 to 5 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) very gravelly loam, gray (10YR 6/1) dry; weak fine granular structure; very friable; about 45 percent by volume, limestone fragments 8 cm or less in diameter; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline; abrupt irregular boundary. (2 to 10 inches thick)
R--5+ inches; hard, porous, oolitic limestone.
TYPE LOCATION: Dade County, Florida; approximately 500 feet east of Canal C-111, about 800 feet west and 200 feet north of the southeast corner of Sec. 6, T 57 S., R 38 E; long. 80 degrees 34 minutes 9 seconds; lat. 25 degrees 29 minutes 29 seconds.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Chekika soils are usually rock plowed or scarified annually. The limestone has less than 38 percent loss by the Los Angeles abrasion test. The calcium carbonate equivalence ranges from 40 to 80 percent of the fine earth fraction in the solum, and from 92 percent or more in the limestone. Reaction is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline throughout.
The Ap horizon has a hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 3 or less moist; and hue of 10YR, or 2.5Y, value of 6 or 7 and chroma of 1 or 2 dry. Where the value is 3 or less, it is less than 6 inches thick. Content of limestone fragments predominantly is 35 to 60 percent by volume, but ranges to 70 percent. The fragments range from 2 mm to 8 cm in diameter. Texture is very gravelly or extremely gravelly analogues of silt loam or loam.
The C horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR, value of 2 to 4, chroma of 1 to 4. Texture is silt loam or silty clay loam. The material in solution holes is noneffervescent. Some solution holes have pockets of silty clay loam or silty clay in root channels. Texture is very gravelly or extremely gravelly analogues of silt loam or loam.
The R horizon is composed of hard, oolitic limestone.
COMPETING SERIES: The Krome soil is the only known series in the same family. The moderately well drained Krome soils are on higher positions on the Miami Ridge.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Chekika soils are transitional between well drained soils of the Miami Ridge and the poorly drained marl soils of Sawgrass Marsh in the Everglades. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent. They were formed by the scarification of oolitic limestone outcrops and the marly sediments that partially covers the limestone and fills the many cavities or solution holes. The climate is humid subtropical. The average annual precipitation ranges from 60 to 66 inches and the average annual temperature ranges from 73 to 75 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: Along with the competing Krome series, these include the Biscayne, Matecumbe, Pennsuco, and Perrine soils. The very poorly drained Biscayne and Pennsuco soils are on adjacent lower tidal areas and sloughs and are composed of limnic (marl) materials. In addition, Pennsuco soils are deep to oolitic limestone and nongravelly. The moderately well drained Matecumbe are in tropical hammocks, are shallow to oolitic limestone, and are Histosols. The poorly drained Perrine soils on adjacent lower flats, are composed of moderately deep limnic (marl) materials over oolitic limestone, and are nongravelly.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of Chekika soils are cultivated. Tomatoes, beans, corn, malanga, and limes are the principle crops.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Peninsular Florida; known to occur only in Dade County. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Auburn, Alabama.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Dade County, Florida; 1990. Chekika is the name of a state park near the type location.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface to 5 inches (Ap horizon).
Lithic contact 5 inches (R horizon).
The water table is between 12 and 36 inches from the surface and is always within the limestone bedrock.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Characterization and engineering test data is available for this pedon. Sample number S13-7-(1-2) by IFAS, Gainesville, FL. Additional samples (S97FL-025-007A and S97FL-025-007) by NSSL, Lincoln, NE.