LOCATION COCOA FL
Established Series
Rev. HFH; GRB
03/2019
COCOA SERIES
The Cocoa series consists of moderately deep, well drained, rapidly permeable soils on upland coastal ridges. They formed in sandy marine or eolian sediments deposited over coquina limestone. Near the type location, the mean annual temperature is about 74 degrees F., and the mean annual precipitation is about 55 inches. Slopes range from 0 to 8 percent.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Siliceous, hyperthermic Psammentic Hapludalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Cocoa sand--cultivated (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated).
Ap--0 to 6 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) sand; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many fine roots, few medium roots; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
E--6 to 20 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) sand; single grained; loose; few fine and medium roots; few medium distinct dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) streaks along old root channels; sand grains are coated with oxides; slightly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (7 to 16 inches thick)
Bw1--20 to 27 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/8) sand; single grained; loose; few fine and medium roots; common coated sand grains; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Bw2--27 to 32 inches; red (2.5YR 4/6) sand; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many coated sand grains; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary. (Thickness of the Bw horizons ranges from 4 to 14 inches)
Bt--32 to 38 inches; red (2.5YR 4/6) loamy sand; weak medium granular structure; friable; sand grains are coated and bridged with clay; slightly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (6 to 16 inches thick)
R--38 to 40+ inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) hard coquina limestone.
TYPE LOCATION: Brevard County, Florida; about 1.25 miles north of the intersection of U.S. Highway 1 and State Road 515 at graded road, about 250 feet south of and halfway between U.S. Highway 1 and Indian River in the NW 1/4, NE 1/4, Sec. 26, T. 25 S., R. 36 E.; lat. 28 degrees 17 minutes 14.72 seconds N. and long. 80 degrees 41 minutes 43.89 seconds W., NAD83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to limestone ranges from 20 to 40 inches. Depths vary sharply within short distances. Reaction ranges from strongly acid to slightly alkaline throughout.
The A or Ap horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 1 to 3. Texture is sand, fine sand, or loamy sand.
The E horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 5 to 8, and chroma of 1 to 8. Sand grains are commonly coated with iron oxides. Texture is sand, fine sand, or loamy sand.
The Bw horizon has hue of 2.5YR or 5YR, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 6 to 8. Sand grains are coated with iron oxides. Texture is sand, fine sand, or loamy sand.
The Bt horizon has hue of 2.5YR to 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 6 or 8. Texture is loamy sand or loamy fine sand, but ranges to sand having more than 3 percent increase in clay content than the overlying horizon.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other known series in the same family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Cocoa soils are on upland ridges near the Atlantic coast. Slopes range from about 0 to 8 percent. They formed in thin regolith of sandy marine or eolian sandy sediments over coquina limestone. The climate is humid subtropical. Near the type location, the average annual precipitation ranges from 50 to 60 inches and the average annual temperature ranges from 72 to 76 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are
Astatula,
Canaveral,
Orsino,
Palm Beach,
Paola,
Parkwood,
Pomello, and
St. Lucie series, all of which are very deep. The excessively drained Astatula and St. Lucie soils are on higher positions and are sandy throughout. The somewhat poorly to moderately well drained Canaveral soils are on slightly lower positions, are sandy throughout and contain shell fragments. Orsino and Paola soils have horizons with very weakly expressed spodic horizons and are sandy throughout. In addition, Orsino soils are moderately well drained and on slightly lower positions while Paola soils are excessively drained and on higher positions. The well to excessively drained Palm Beach soils are on similar positions, are sandy throughout, and have fragments of shell throughout. The very poorly or poorly drained Parkwood soils are on lower positions, have mollic epipedons, have a coarse-loamy control section, and have secondary carbonates in the subsoil. The somewhat poorly to moderately well drained Pomello soils are on slightly lower positions and have a spodic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; rapid permeability to the coquina layer.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of Cocoa soils are cultivated, and citrus is the principal crop. The native vegetation consists of scattered live oak and laurel oak, cabbage palmetto, magnolia, and pineland threeawn.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Peninsular Florida. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Auburn, Alabama.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Reconnaissance Survey of Kissimmee and Upper St. Johns Valley, Florida; 1951.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 20 inches (A and E horizons)
Cambic horizon - the zone from 20 to 32 inches (Bw1 and Bw2 horizons)
Argillic horizon - the zone from 32 to 38 inches (Bt horizon)
Moderately deep feature - coquina limestone at 38 inches (R horizon)
The frost-free season is about 330 days.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.