LOCATION CLOUDLAND AL+TNEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, siliceous, semiactive, thermic Glossic Fragiudults
TYPICAL PEDON: Cloudland fine sandy loam--idle.
(Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise
stated.)
Ap--0 to 10 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loam; weak fine granular structure; very friable; few fine roots; medium
acid; clear smooth boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
B2--10 to 22 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) silt
loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine roots; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (7 to 24 inches thick)
Bx&A--22 to 28 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) loam with common medium distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) and light
gray (2.5Y 7/2) mottles, weak coarse prisms, 2 to 4 inches in diameter, parting to weak platy and moderate medium subangular
blocky structure; prisms are firm and brittle and comprise about
60 percent of horizontal area; few small pores within prisms; few fine roots in light gray (10YR 7/2) polygonal veins surrounding prisms filled with sandy loam material; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (3 to 13 inches thick)
Bx--28 to 36 inches; mottled light yellowish brown (2.5Y
6/4), yellowish brown (10YR 5/6), and reddish yellow (7.5YR 7/5) loam; weak coarse prisms, 3 to 5 inches in diameter, parting to
weak coarse platy and weak medium subangular blocky structure;
prisms are firm and brittle and comprise about 75 percent of horizonal area; few small pores within prisms, few fine roots in light gray (2.5Y 7/2) polygon veins surrounding prisms; 5 percent small chert fragments; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
(6 to 23 inches thick)
B3--36 to 62 inches; mottled strong brown (7.5YR 5/6),
yellowish brown (10YR 5/6), pale brown (10YR 6/3); and light
brownish gray (10YR 6/2) loam; massive; firm; 5 percent small
chert fragments; very strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Cherokee County, Alabama; about 2.5 miles north of Bomar community in the SE1/4NW1/4SW1/4SE1/4 sec. 23, T. 10S., R.
10 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness is more than 60 inches. Depth to the fragipan ranges from 18 to 28 inches. Reaction
ranges from medium acid to very strongly acid in the A and B2 horizons, except where limed, and from strongly acid to very
strongly acid in the Bx and B3 horizons. Coarse fragments range
from 0 to 10 percent in the A, B2, and Bx horizons and from 0 to
25 percent in the B3 horizons. Silt content is more than 30
percent in the B2 and Bx horizons.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 through 6, and chroma of 2 through 4. Texture is fine sandy loam, loam, or silt loam.
The B2 horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 or 6, and
chroma of 4 through 8. Texture is fine sandy loam, loam, or silt loam. The Bx horizon is mottled in shades of yellow, brown, and
gray or it has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of
3 through 8 with common to many mottles of chroma 2 or less.
Percent brittleness by volume ranges from 60 to about 90. Texture
is loam, clay loam, or silty clay loam. The B3 horizon has the
same hue, value, chroma, and texture range as the Bx horizon.
COMPETING SERIES: These include the
Prentiss and
Stemley series
in the same family and the
Dickson,
Locust,
Nixa,
Paden,
Roane,
Sango, and
Wynnville series in closely related families. Prentiss soils have thicker fragipan horizons and have red mottles in the lower part of the fragipan horizon. Stemley soils have more than
15 percent by volume of chert fragments in the A, B2, and Bx horizons. Dickson, Locust, Paden, Roane, and Wynnville soils have
a weighted average of 18 through 34 percent clay in their control sections. Nixa soils have more than 35 percent coarse fragments
in its control section. Sango soils have less than 15 percent
sand coarser than very fine sand.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Cloudland soils are on level to gently
sloping stream terraces and upland depressions. Slopes range from
0 to 3 percent. The regolith is alluvium washed from soil derived from sandstone and shale residuum. Average annual rainfall is 55 inches and the mean annual temperature is 60 degrees F. near the
type location.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include the
Allen,
Cedarbluff,
Gaylesville,
Holston, and
McQueen series. All of
these soils lack fragipans, except Cedarbluff which has some
fragic characteristics and is more poorly drained.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: These soils are moderately well
drained. Runoff is moderate to slow. Permeability is moderate in the upper part of the solum and slow in the fragipan.
USE AND VEGETATION: Corn, soybeans, cotton, pasture, and
woodland. Forested areas are chiefly hardwoods, dominated by
oaks, hickory, maple, beech, and elm with some shortleaf and
loblolly pines.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Southern Appalachian Valleys of Alabama, Tennessee, and Georgia. The series is of moderate
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia
extent. Approximately 8,000 acres mapped in the county where the series is proposed.
DBSERIES ESTABLISHED: Cherokee County, Alabama; 1973
REMARKS: The name is from a community in the county. Sample No. S70-Ala-10-58(1-5) Data by Alabama Agricultural Experiment
Station.
Horizon Depth Sand Silt
Clay Texture
Ap 0-10@ 47 46
7 fsl-1
B2 10-22@ 37 53
10 sil
Bx1 22-28@ 39 41
20 l
Bx2 28-36@ 38 40
22 l
B3 36-62@ 35 45
20 l