LOCATION ELRED FLInactive Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy over loamy, siliceous, semiactive, hyperthermic Ultic Alaquods
TYPICAL PEDON: Elred fine sand--range.
(Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise
stated.)
A1--0 to 5 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2 rubbed) fine sand; weak fine crumb structure; very friable; many fine, medium
and coarse roots; mixture of organic matter and light gray sand grains have a salt-and-pepper appearance; slightly acid; clear
smooth boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
A2--5 to 13 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) fine sand; few fine distinct brownish yellow (10YR 6/8) mottles in the lower part;
single grained; loose; few fine, medium and coarse roots; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary. (2 to 8 inches thick)
A3--13 to 16 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/4) fine sand; common fine distinct brownish yellow (10YR 6/8) mottles; single grained; loose; few fine roots; sand grains are weakly coated with oxides; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
B21ir--16 to 24 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) fine sand; common coarse faint yellow (10YR 7/6) mottles; single grained;
loose; few fine and medium roots; sand grains are well coated with oxides; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (4 to 10 inches
thick)
B22ir--24 to 33 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) fine sand; common coarse faint yellow (10YR 7/6) mottles; single
grained; loose; common medium roots; neutral; abrupt wavy
boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)
B23tg--33 to 42 inches; olive gray (5Y 5/2) fine sandy loam;
few coarse distinct light olive brown (2.5Y 5/6) mottles; massive
in place, parts to weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine and medium roots; sand grains coated and bridged with clay; neutral; gradual wavy boundary. (6 to 24 inches thick)
B3g--42 to 48 inches; gray (5Y 5/1) loamy fine sand; few
coarse distinct light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) mottles; massive;
common fine and medium roots; mildly alkaline; clear wavy
boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
IIC--48 to 62 inches; light olive gray (5Y 6/2) fine sand and shell fragments; single grained; loose; calcareous.
TYPE LOCATION: Pinellas County, Florida; about 5/16 mile north of junction of Florida Highway 694 and county road 149, 2 1/2 miles northeast of Pinellas Park, Florida, in the NE1/4 sec. 23, T. 30
S., R. 16 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness is 40 to 65 inches. Combined thickness of the A and Bir horizons is 20 to 40 inches. Soil reaction ranges from medium acid to mildly alkaline in the A
and Bir horizons and slightly acid to moderately alkaline in the
Bg horizon and neutral to moderately alkaline in the IIC horizon.
The A1 horizon has hue 10YR, value 3, chroma 1, value 4 or 5,
chroma 1 or 2; or hue N, value 3. Where the value of 3.5 or less, thickness is less than 10 inches. Texture is coarse sand, sand,
or fine sand.
The A2 horizon has hue 10YR, value 5 to 7, chroma 1 to 3 and value
7, chroma 4. Texture is coarse sand, sand, or fine sand.
The A3 horizon has hue 10YR, value 5 to 7, chroma 3 or 4. Texture
is coarse sand, sand, or fine sand.
The B21ir horizon has hue 10YR, value 5 or 6, chroma 4 to 8 or hue 7.5YR, value 5, chroma 6 or 8. The B22ir horizon has hue 10YR,
value 3 to 6, chroma 4, or hue 7.5YR, value 4 or 5, chroma 4. Texture of the Bir horizons is sand or fine sand.
The Btg horizon has hue 10YR, value 4 to 7, chroma 1 or 2; or hue
5Y, value 4 or 5, chroma 1 or 2; or hue 2.5Y, value 4, chroma 2;
or hue N, value of 4 or 5. In some pedons the Btg horizon has hue 10YR, value 5, chroma 4 to 8 with many coarse mottles in shades of gray. Texture of this horizon is sandy loam or sandy clay loam,
and in many pedons contains pockets or lenses of sand or loamy
sand as well as lumps of sandy clay. The average clay content is
13 to 20 percent, but the range is from about 12 to 35 percent.
Some pedons have a B3g horizon with colors similar to the Btg horizon. Texture is dominantly loamy fine sand.
The C horizon is a mixture of sand and shell fragments. The
matrix has hues of 10YR through 5Y, value 4 through 7, chroma 2 or less. In some areas shell fragments are not in this horizon.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other soils in the same family. Similar soils are
Bradenton,
Bushnell, Charlotte, Panasoffkee, and
Pineda series. All of these but Charlotte soils lack spodic horizons. Bradenton soils have A horizons less than 20 inches
thick and fine sandy loam Bt horizons. Bushnell soils have
mottles of chroma 2 or less in the upper 10 inches of the sandy
clay Bt horizon. Charlotte soils have a sandy texture to depths
of 80 inches or more. The Bt horizon of the Panasoffkee soils has
a clay content of more than 35 percent.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Elred soils occur on nearly level low upland flats and in poorly defined drainageways in the lower Coastal
Plain. Slope gradients range from about 0 to 2 percent. The soil formed in sandy over loamy marine sediments. At the type
location, rainfall averages about 48 inches annually, and the mean annual temperature is about 73 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing
Bradenton and Charlotte series and the
Basinger,
Delray,
Felda,
Manatee,
Parkwood,
Pompano, and
Wabasso series. Basinger soils
have C and Bh horizons within depths of 40 inches. Delray and Manatee soils are more poorly drained. Felda soils lack spodic horizons. Parkwood soils have Btca horizons. Pompano soils have
a sandy texture to depths of 80 or more inches. Wabasso soils
have Bh horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained; slow runoff; and
internal drainage. Permeability is rapid in the A horizon; moderately rapid in the Bir horizon, and moderate in the B2tg horizon. Water table is within 10 inches for 1 to 3 months
duration during most years. It is within 40 inches the remainder
of the year except during the driest periods when it recedes to depths of more than 40 inches
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of this soil are used for range. Where water control practices are feasible and climate is
favorable, the soil is used for citrus fruits, winter truck crops, and improved pasture. Natural vegetation consists of
saw-palmetto, scattered cabbage palms, slash pine, laurel and live oaks, 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: Okeechobee County, Florida; 1970.
REMARKS: The soil was formerly included in the Felda and
Charlotte series and classified in the Low Humic Gley great soil group. This definition removes from the Felda series those soils that have a spodic horizon above the Btg horizon.