LOCATION CHESTATEE GA+NCEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, kaolinitic, thermic Typic Hapludults
TYPICAL PEDON: Chestatee stony sandy loam - forested.
(Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 9 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) stony sandy loam; weak fine granular structure; friable; many fine roots; 20 percent by volume of angular rock fragments ranging from 1 to 20 inches in longest dimension; very strongly acid; clear irregular boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
Bt1--9 to 13 inches; red (2.5YR 4/6) stony sandy clay loam; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine roots and medium pores; common fine flakes of mica; 25 percent by volume of angular rock fragments ranging from 1 to 20 inches in longest dimension; peds coated with brown soil from Ap; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
Bt2--13 to 28 inches; red (2.5YR 4/6) bouldery clay; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm; common fine roots; 25 percent by volume fragments of rock ranging from 3 to 40 inches in longest dimension; common fractured soft subangular rock fragments; common medium flakes of mica; thin continuous clay films on faces of peds; very strongly acid; gradual irregular boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)
Bt3--28 to 36 inches; red (2.5YR 4/6) bouldery clay; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm; few fine roots and pores; about 45 percent by volume, slightly hard to hard, gneiss and granite stones and coarse fragments; many medium flakes of mica; few patchy clay films on faces of peds; irregular tongues 2 to 12 inches thick extend to depths of 60 inches in places; tongues are oriented to tilted bedding of weathered rock; very strongly acid; clear irregular boundary. (5 to 20 inches thick)
C--36 to 66 inches; soft saprolite of granite and gneiss with bedding tilted about 30 degrees; crushed to red (2.5YR 5/6) and strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) loam; firm; common fine flakes of mica; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 40 inches thick)
Cr--66 to 72 inches; pinkish white (7.5YR 8/2), red (2.5YR 4/6), and very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) massive weathered rock that crushed to coarse sandy loam; firm; common fine flakes of mica; strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Hall County, Georgia; 6.0 miles northwest of Gainesville, Georgia on Georgia Highway 60; 4.7 miles north-northeast on Georgia Highway 283; 0.95 mile west on Mt. Vernon Road; 0.25 mile south on dirt road.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 20 to 40 inches, but irregular tongues of the Bt horizon extend to 60 inches. Reaction is very strongly acid or strongly acid. Flakes of mica range from few to common in the upper part of the solum and from few to many in the lower part.
The Ap or A horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4, 5, or 6 and chroma of 2, 3 or 4. It is stony sandy loam or stony fine sandy loam or their bouldery analogues. Coarse fragments including stones and boulders range from 15 to 25 percent by volume with 30 to 60 percent of the rock fragments 10 to 48 inches long.
The Bt horizon has hue of 2.5YR, 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 4, 6, or 8. The fine earth fraction of the Bt1 horizon is sandy clay loam or clay loam; the Bt2 horizon is clay or clay loam and the Bt3 horizon is clay, clay loam or sandy clay loam. Coarse fragments including gravels, stones, and boulders range from 15 to 35 percent by volume with about 30 to 60 percent of the rock fragments 10 to 48 inches long.
The C horizon is granite and gneiss saprolite. Colors are reddish, brownish, yellowish and grayish depending on the degree of weathering and kind of rock. Crushed, it is sandy loam, loam, or coarse sandy loam.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Appling, Aragon, Cataula, Cecil, Georgeville, Herndon, Hulett, Kolomoki, Madison, Nankin, Nectar, Pacolet, Spotsylvania, and Wedowee series of the same family and the Evard, Hayesville, Mayodan, Saluda, Tallapoosa, and Vance series. All of the competing series lack a significant amount of stones throughout the solum. In addition, Appling, Cecil, Georgeville, Herndon, and Mayodan soils have sola more than 40 inches thick. Aragon soils contain chert fragments but do not have mica flakes. Cataula soils have a B horizon with brittle properties. Evard, Hayesville, and Saluda have annual soil temperature of less than 59 degrees F. Hulett and Madison soils contain more mica. Kolomoki soils occur on coastal plain terraces and Nankin soils occur on coastal plain uplands. Nectar soils have sola more than 40 inches over sandstone. Spotsylvania soils have a lithologic discontinuity. Tallapoosa soils have sola less than 20 inches thick. Vance soils have mixed mineralogy. Wedowee soils generally have browner Bt horizons.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Chestatee soils are sloping to steep and occur on sloping areas of the Piedmont. Slopes are commonly 15 to 25 percent but range from 10 to 50 percent. The soils formed in loamy materials weathered from granites, gneisses, schists, and quartzite. Average annual temperature is 59 to 65 degrees F., average annual precipitation is about 48 to 55 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Appling, Cecil, Madison, Pacolet, Tallapoosa, and Wedowee series, and the Louisburg series. Louisburg soils have cambic B horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; rapid runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: A few areas are used for pasture but mostly used for forestland. Forest species are oaks, pines, hickory, sweetgum, and dogwood.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Piedmont of Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The series is of moderate extent with about 3,300 acres in the soil survey of Barrow, Hall, and Jackson Counties, Georgia.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Raleigh, North Carolina
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Barrow, Hall, and Jackson Counties, Georgia; 1973.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 9 inches (Ap horizon).
Argillic horizon - the zone from approximately 9 to 36 inches (Bt1, Bt2, Bt3 horizons).
TABULAR SERIES DATA:
SOI-5 Soil Name Slope Airtemp FrFr/Seas Precip Elevation GA0054 CHESTATEE 2- 50 59- 65 210-240 48- 55 500-1100SOI-5 FloodL FloodH Watertable Kind Months Bedrock Hardness GA0054 NONE 6.0-6.0 - 60-60
SOI-5 Depth Texture 3-Inch No-10 Clay% -CEC- GA0054 0- 9 ST-SL ST-FSL BY-SL 10- 22 66- 85 8-20 - GA0054 0- 9 STV-SL STV-L 22- 44 50- 75 8-25 - GA0054 9-13 ST-SCL ST-CL BY-SCL 10- 30 60- 90 25-40 - GA0054 13-36 BY-C BY-CL BY-SC 10- 35 60- 90 35-60 - GA0054 36-72 WB - - - -
SOI-5 Depth -pH- O.M. Salin Permeab Shnk-Swll GA0054 0- 9 4.5- 5.5 .5-2. 0- 0 2.0- 6.0 LOW GA0054 0- 9 4.5- 5.5 .5-2. 0- 0 2.0- 6.0 LOW GA0054 9-13 4.5- 5.5 - 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 LOW GA0054 13-36 4.5- 5.5 - 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 LOW GA0054 36-72 - - - -