LOCATION ELECTRA FL
Established Series
Rev. AGH
10/2018
ELECTRA SERIES
The Electra series consists of somewhat poorly drained soils that formed in thick beds of sandy and loamy marine sediments on slight ridges in the flatwoods areas of central and southern Florida. Slopes range from 0 to 5 percent.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy, siliceous, hyperthermic Oxyaquic Alorthods
TYPICAL PEDON: Electra fine sand--forested. (Colors are for moist soil.)
A--0 to 7 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) fine sand; weak medium granular structure; very friable; many fine and medium roots, few coarse roots; extremely acid; clear smooth boundary. (2 to 8 inches thick)
E--7 to 47 inches; white (10YR 8/1) fine sand; few fine distinct grayish brown (10YR 5/2) streaks along root channels; single grained; loose; common fine and medium roots and few coarse roots decreasing to common medium roots below about 24 inches; sand grains are uncoated; strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (28 to 46 inches thick)
Bh--47 to 60 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/2) fine sand; few coarse distinct dark brown (10YR 4/3) mottles near base of horizon; massive; friable; few fine roots; sand grains well coated with colloidal organic matter; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (4 to 18 inches thick)
Btg--60 to 80 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) fine sandy loam; many coarse distinct dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) streaks; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common medium dead and few fine live roots; sand grains bridged and coated with clay; very strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: St. Lucie County, Florida; about 8.5 miles south of Fort Pierce; 0.1 mile west of U.S. Highway 1; 0.15 mile south of Banyan Road; and 400 feet east of cable line trail; NE1/4NE1/4 Sec. 27, T. 36 S., R. 40 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness is 60 or more inches. It ranges from extremely acid to strongly acid in all horizons.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 1 or less or is neutral, value of 2. It is sand or fine sand.
The E horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 5 to 8, and chroma of 1 or 2. It is sand or fine sand.
The Bh horizon has hue of 5YR, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 1 or 3; hue of 10YR, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 1 or 2; hue of 7.5YR, value of 3, and chroma of 2; or is neutral, value of 2. It is sand, fine sand, loamy fine sand, or loamy sand.
Some pedons have a thin soft transitional EB horizon that has hue of 10YR, value of 3 or 4, and chroma of 1, or value of 5, and chroma of 2. It is sand or fine sand with many clean grains. Some pedons also have a BE horizon that has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 2 to 6. It is sand or fine sand, and 0 to 9 inches thick.
Some pedons have an E' horizon in hue of 10YR or 5Y, value of 5 to 7, and chroma of 1 to 4. It is sand or fine sand.
The Btg horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 5 to 7, and chroma of 1 to 3, or value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 3 or 4; or hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 6 or 7, and chroma of 2 to 4 with mottles in shades of gray, yellow, red, or brown. It is fine sandy loam, sandy loam, sandy clay loam, or sandy clay.
Some pedons have a BC horizon that has hue of 10YR or is neutral, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 2 or less with mottles of higher chroma. It is sandy clay.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Cassia,
Narcoossee,
Newnan,
Pomello, and
Zolfo soils. Cassia, Narcoossee, Pomello, and Zolfo soils do not have argillic horizons beneath the spodic horizon. Newnan soils have a spodic horizon between depths of 50 and 80 inches. In addition, Cassia soils have a spodic horizon at depths of less than 30 inches, and Zolfo soils have a spodic horizons at depths greater than 50 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Electra soils are on slight ridges in central and southern Florida. Slopes are dominantly 0 to 2 percent but range to 5 percent. Annual precipitation ranges from 50 to 60 inches and is heaviest in the summer. Average annual temperature is about 70 to 74 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing
Cassia and
Pomello series and
Adamsville,
Candler,
Myakka,
Pompano, and
Tavares series. Adamsville, Candler, and Tavares soils are on higher ridges and lack spodic and argillic horizons. Myakka soils are poorly drained, lack argillic horizons, and the spodic horizon is within depths of 30 inches. Pompano soils are on lower elevations and lack a spodic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained; slow runoff. Permeability is rapid in the A and E horizons and moderate in the Bh horizon and slow to very slow in the Bt horizon. The water table is at depths of 25 to 40 inches for cumulative periods of 2 to 4 months during most years and recedes to depths of more than 40 inches during drier periods.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are not used for cultivated crops. A few small areas are cleared and used for tame pasture. Most areas remain in native vegetation consisting of dwarf live oak, a few longleaf and sand pine, running oak, sawpalmetto, and blueberry. Creeping bluestem, chalky bluestem, lopsided indiangrass, low panicum, pineland threeawn, paspalum, and numerous forbs dominate the understory.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Peninsular Florida. The series is moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Auburn, Alabama
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Marion County, Florida; 1974.
REMARKS: These soils were included with Pomello series.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in these pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: from the surface to a depth of 47 inches (A and E horizons)
Albic horizon: from a depth of 7 inches to a depth of 47 inches (E horizon)
Spodic horizon: from a depth of 47 inches to a depth of 60 inches (Bh horizon)
Argillic horizon: from a depth of 60 inches to a depth of 80 inches (Btg horizon)
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.