LOCATION CLARA FL
Established Series
Rev. GRB
10/2018
CLARA SERIES
The Clara series consists of very deep, poorly drained and very poorly drained, rapidly permeable soils in flats, sloughs, flood plains, and depressions on the lower Coastal Plain. They formed in sandy marine sediments. Near the type location, the mean annual temperature is about 68 degrees F., and the mean annual precipitation is about 55 inches. Slopes are less than 2 percent.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Siliceous, thermic Spodic Psammaquents
TYPICAL PEDON: Clara sand - in a depressional freshwater marsh. (Colors are for moist soil.)
A1--0 to 4 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) sand, rubbed; gray (10YR 5/1), unrubbed; many medium distinct black (10YR 2/1) bodies of mucky sand; weak fine granular structure; very friable; nonsticky; nonplastic; common fine and medium roots; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary.
A2--4 to 9 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) sand, rubbed; gray (10YR 5/1) sand, unrubbed; many medium faint very dark gray (10YR 3/1) bodies of organically coated sand; single grained; loose; few fine and very fine roots; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizon is 3 to 9 inches)
E1--9 to 18 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) sand; common medium faint very dark gray (10YR 3/1) and dark gray (10YR 4/1) mottles and vertical streaks; single grained; loose; few fine and very fine roots; neutral; clear wavy boundary.
E2--18 to 29 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) sand; single grained; loose; few very fine roots; few medium faint dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) and grayish brown (10YR 5/2) iron depletions; neutral; clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the E horizon is 2 to 36 inches)
Bw1--29 to 34 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) sand; single grained; loose; few very fine roots; neutral; gradual wavy boundary.
Bw2--34 to 46 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) sand; few medium faint brown (10YR 4/3) streaks and splotches; single grained; loose; few very fine roots; neutral; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bw horizon is 12 to 52 inches)
C1--46 to 65 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) sand; few medium faint brown (10YR 5/3) streaks and splotches; single grained; loose; few very fine roots; neutral; diffuse wavy boundary.
Cg--65 to 80 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) sand; few medium faint pale brown (10YR 6/3) and brown (10YR 5/3) streaks and splotches; single grained; loose; few very fine roots; neutral.
TYPE LOCATION: Dixie County, Florida. Approximately 2,400 feet east and 2,600 feet north of the southwest corner of sec. 23, T.9 S., R.12 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 20 to 60 inches. Soil depth is more than 80 inches. Soil reaction ranges from extremely acid to moderately alkaline throughout.
The Oa horizon, where present, is less than 7 inches in thickness. It has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 2 or less. Texture is muck.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 2 to 4, and chroma of 2 or less (rubbed). Texture is sand, fine sand, mucky sand, or mucky fine sand.
The E horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 5 to 7, and chroma of 1 to 3, or value of 5 and chroma of 1 or 2. Redoximorphic features and vertical streaks in shades of brown or gray range from none to common. Texture is sand or fine sand.
The Bw horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 3 to 8. Where chroma is less than 6 in the upper part of the Bw horizon, the color is more than 1 unit of value darker than the overlying E horizon. Small splotches, streaks or discontinuous lenses of organically stained material with value less than 4 are in the upper part of the Bw horizon in some pedons. Redoximorphic features in shades of brown, yellow or gray range from few to many. Texture is sand or fine sand.
The C horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 5 to 7, and chroma of 3. Masses of iron accumulation are in shades of brown or yellow range from none to common. Texture is sand, fine sand, or loamy fine sand.
The Cg horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR, value of 5 to 8, and chroma of 1 or 2. Masses of iron accumulation are in shades of brown or yellow range from none to common. Texture is sand, fine sand, or loamy fine sand.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in the same family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Clara soils are in flats, sloughs, flood plains, and depressions on the lower Coastal Plain of northern Florida. They formed in sandy marine sediments. Slopes are less than 2 percent. The average annual temperature ranges from about 66 to 70 degrees F., and the average annual precipitation ranges from 50 to 60 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Goldhead,
Leon,
Meadowbrook,
Osier,
Pelham,
Plummer,
Pottsburg,
Rutlege,
Starke, and
Tooles series. Goldhead, Pelham, and Tooles soils have a loamy argillic horizon at depths of 20 to 40 inches. Meadowbrook, Plummer, and Starke soils have a loamy argillic horizon at depths of 40 to 79 inches. Leon and Pottsburg soils have a spodic horizon. Osier and Rutlege soils do not have a stained subsoil layer. In addition, Rutlege soils have an umbric epipedon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly and very poorly drained; rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are used for woodland or wildlife habitat. The natural vegetation in depressional areas consists of water tolerant grasses, sedges, and shrubs, such as maidencane, sand cordgrass, chalky bluestem, St.Johnswort, primrose willow, pickerel weed, and pennywort. Some depressional areas have a hardwood overstory consisting mainly of red maple, bay, water oak, cabbage palm, cypress and pond pine. On flood plains and hammocks, the vegetation consists of dense overstories of water oak, laurel oak, red maple, cypress, sweetgum, blackgum, slash and loblolly pine, and bay; a sparse understory vegetation consists mainly of cabbage palm, longleaf uniola, maidencane, blackberry, greenbriar and brackenfern. Slough areas are dominated by water tolerant sedges, grasses and shrubs, such as maidencane, bluestems, sand cordgrass, and cabbage palms.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern Florida. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Auburn, Alabama.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Dixie County, Florida, 1998.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons recognized in this pedon include:
Ochric epipedon: the zone from the surface to 29 inches
Albic horizon: the zone from 9 to 29 inches
The water table is within a depth of 12 inches in sloughs and on flood plains for 1 to 3 months during most years. In depressions, the water table is ponded above the surface throughout the year in more than 2 years out of 10 and is within a depth of 12 inches for 3 to 12 months during the remainder of years.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.