LOCATION EMERALDA FLEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, superactive, hyperthermic Mollic Albaqualfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Emeralda fine sand--cultivated. (Colors are for moist soil.)
Ap--0 to 6 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) fine sand; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many fine roots; strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)
Eg--6 to 11 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) fine sand; single grained; loose; few fine roots; few fine faint dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) areas of organic matter accumulation; moderately acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
Btg1--11 to 26 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) sandy clay; moderate medium angular blocky structure; firm; plastic; few fine roots; many distinct clay films on ped faces; few lenses of fine sand; many medium distinct light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) and few medium prominent red (2.5YR 4/6) masses of iron accumulation; common medium faint grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) areas of iron depletions; neutral; clear wavy boundary.
Btg2--26 to 44 inches; gray (10YR 6/1) sandy clay; weak medium angular blocky structure; very firm; plastic; many distinct clay films on ped faces; common pressure faces; few nonintersecting slickensides having polished and grooved surfaces; few lenses of fine sand; common medium distinct brownish yellow (10YR 6/8) and few fine prominent red (2.5Yr 4/6) masses of iron accumulation; few fine faint light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) and gray (10YR 5/1) areas of iron depletions; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Btg horizons range from 30 to 60 inches)
BCg--44 to 56 inches; light gray (5Y 7/2) sandy clay; weak coarse angular blocky structure; firm; plastic; few pressure faces; few medium pockets of soft masses of white (10YR 8/1) calcium carbonate accumulations and few fine white (10YR 8/1) calcium carbonate nodules in lower part; many coarse thin lenses of gray (10YR 5/1) to dark gray (10YR 4/1) fine sand; many medium distinct brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) and yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) masses of iron accumulation; common medium faint gray (10YR 5/1) and grayish brown (10YR 5/2) areas of iron depletions; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (4 to 14 inches thick)
Cg--56 to 66 inches; light gray (5Y 7/2) sandy clay; massive; firm; plastic; about 15 percent, by volume, soft white (10YR 8/1) masses of calcium carbonate accumulations and few medium white (10YR 8/1) calcium carbonate nodules occurring in pockets; few faint pressure faces; many thin lenses of gray (10YR 5/1) and dark gray (10YR 4/1) fine sand; many medium and coarse distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) and brownish yellow (10YR 6/8) masses of iron accumulations; common medium faint gray (10YR 5/1) and grayish brown (10YR 5/2) areas of iron depletions; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Lake County, Florida; approximately 4.0 miles north-northeast of Lisbon on the Emeralds Road, about 1.0 mile due east of Emeralda Road and about 1.25 miles west of State Highway 452; NW 1/4, SW 1/4, NE 1/4, Sec. 15, T. 18 S., R. 25 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 40 to 70 inches. Silt content is less than 30 percent throughout. Reaction ranges from strongly acid to slightly acid in the A and E horizons, from slightly acid to moderately alkaline in the Bt horizons, from slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline in the BC horizon, and moderately alkaline in the C horizon.
The A or Ap horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 1 or 2; or it is neutral with value of 2 or 3. Texture is sand, loamy sand, loamy fine sand, sandy loam, or fine sandy loam.
The Eg horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 1 or 2; or it is neutral with value of 4 to 7. Texture is sand, loamy sand, or loamy fine sand.
The Btg horizon has hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 1 or 2; or neutral with value of 4 to 7. Redoximorphic features in shades of gray, yellow, brown, or red range from few to many. Weighted average clay content in the upper 20 inches of the Bt horizon is more than 35 percent. Texture is sandy clay loam, sandy clay, clay loam, or clay.
The BCg horizon has the same color and texture range as the Bt horizon. It contains soft masses of calcium carbonate accumulations and nodules. Lenses of sand range from none to few.
The Cg horizon has the same color and texture range as the Bt horizon. Soft masses of calcium carbonate accumulations and nodules range from few to many. Lenses of sand range from none to many.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no known series in the same family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Emeralda soils are on broad areas in the lower Coastal Plain. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent. They formed in clayey marine sediments. The climate is humid subtropical. Near the type location, the average annual precipitation ranges from 50 to 56 inches and the average annual air temperature ranges from 71 to 75 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include the Chobee, Delray, Felda, and Manatee series. The very poorly drained Chobee, Delray, and Manatee soils are on lower positions and are Mollisols. In addition, Chobee and Manatee soils have less clay in the control section while Delray soils have sandy surface and subsurface layers 40 to 80 inches in thickness. The very poorly or poorly drained Felda soils are on similar to lower positions, have less clay in the control section, and have sandy surface and subsurface layers 20 to 40 inches in thickness.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained; slow or very slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of Emeralda soils are in native vegetation and are used for wildlife habitat. Some small areas have been cleared and are used mostly for improved pasture. Native vegetation consists of live oak, laurel oak, water oak, scattered slash pine, sweetgum, and red maple with an understory of waxmyrtle, cabbage palm, sawpalmetto, gallberry, cutgrass, beaked panicum, and sand cordgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Peninsular Florida. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Auburn, Alabama.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lake County, Florida; 1970.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon:
Ochric epipedon: the zone from 0 to 11 inches (A and Eg horizons).
Mollic feature: the zone from 0 to 6 inches (A horizon).
Argillic horizon: the zone from 11 to 56 inches (Btg1, Btg2, and BCg horizons).
The water table is at depths of less than 10 inches for 6 to 9 months during most years and is saturated during most of the year.
This soil was formerly a part of the Meggett series. This definition restricts these soils to those that have A horizons with moist values of 3 or less and 6 to 10 inches thick and Ap horizons that have moist values less than 3.5. Also, the mean annual soils temperature in Meggett soils is less than 72 degrees F.