LOCATION ESTERO FL
Established Series
Rev. WGH:HFH
10/2018
ESTERO SERIES
The Estero series consists of deep, very poorly drained, moderately rapidly permeable soils that formed in thick deposits of sandy marine sediments in tidal swamps and marshes along the Gulf Coast in Peninsular Florida. Slopes are less than 1 percent.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy, siliceous, hyperthermic Typic Alaquods
TYPICAL PEDON: Estero muck in a tidal marsh. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise
stated.)
Oa--0 to 5 inches; black (10YR 2/1) muck; about 90 percent fiber, less than 10 percent rubbed; massive; friable; 322 mmho/cm conductivity; neutral by field test, very strongly acid after drying; abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
A11--5 to 8 inches; black (N 2/0) fine sand; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many fine roots; 40 mmho/cm conductivity; moderately alkaline by field test, strongly acid after drying, clear smooth boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
A12--8 to 13 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) fine sand; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many fine roots; 20 mmho/cm conductivity; moderately alkaline by field test, neutral after drying; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
A21--13 to 19 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) fine sand; few fine distinct yellowish red (5YR 5/8) mottles; single grained; loose; few fine roots; 20 mmho/cm conductivity; moderately alkaline by field test, neutral after drying; clear wavy boundary.
A22--19 to 33 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) fine sand; few medium distinct yellowish red (5YR 5/6) mottles; single grained; loose; few very fine roots; 21 mmho/cm conductivity; mildly alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the A2 horizon is 14 to 26 inches)
B21h--33 to 39 inches; black (5YR 2/1) and dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) fine sand; massive; very friable; sand grains thinly coated with organic matter; 36 mmho/cm conductivity; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
B22h--39 to 43 inches; black (10YR 2/1) and dark reddish brown (5YR 3/2) fine sand; massive; very friable; sand grains thinly coated with organic matter; 34 mmho/cm conductivity; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the B2h horizon is 4 to 25 inches)
B3--43 to 55 inches; dark brown (10YR 4/3) and black (10YR 2/1) fine sand; massive; very friable; 18 mmho/cm conductivity; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (8 to 20 inches thick)
C--55 to 80 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) fine sand; few fine distinct black (10YR 2/1) mottles; single grained; loose; very strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Lee County, Florida; about 1.25 miles south of intersection of power line and Hendry Creek and about 1 mile west; SW1/4SE1/4 sec. 15, T. 46 S., R. 24 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Soil reaction of the Oa and A horizon ranges from neutral to moderately alkaline by field test and from very strongly acid to mildly alkaline after drying. The Bh
horizon is strongly acid or very strongly acid. Conductivity of the saturation extract ranges from about 245 to 350 mmho/cm in the Oa horizon and from about 15 to 45 mmho/cm in the mineral
horizons.
The Oa horizon or Oe horizon has hue 10YR, value 2 or 3, chroma 1 or 2.
The A1 horizon has hue 10YR, value 2, chroma 1, or value 3 or 4, chroma 1 or 2; hue 2.5Y, value 3 or 4, chroma 2; or hue N, value 2 to 4. Where value is 3 or less and chroma 2 or less thickness is less than 10 inches either before or after mixing with the Oa or Oe to a depth of 10 inches. Texture is sand, fine sand, mucky sand, or mucky fine sand.
The A2 horizon has hue 10YR, value 5 to 7, chroma 1 or 2 with or without mottles and streaks of brown, yellow, red, or gray. Texture is sand or fine sand.
The Bh horizon has hue 10YR, value 2, chroma 1, or value 3, chroma 1 or 2; hue 7.5YR, value 3, chroma 2; or hue 5YR, value 2, chroma 1 or 2, or value 3, chroma 1 to 4. Colors with higher chroma as described do not occur in the B21h horizon of all pedons. Texture is sand, fine sand, or loamy fine sand. Few to common uncoated sand grains are in the upper part of the horizon
The B3 horizon has hue 10YR, value 3, chroma 3, or value 4, chroma 2 to 4; hue 7.5YR and 5YR value 4, chroma 2 or 4. Texture is sand or fine sand.
The C horizon has hue 10YR, value 4 to 7, chroma 3 or less. Texture is sand or fine sand. Some pedons have shell mixed with the sand.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Myakka and
Smyrna series in the same family and the
Lawnwood series in a closely similar family. All these soils lack histic epipedons and are on upland flatwoods landscapes. In addition, Lawnwood soils are in an orstein family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Estero soils are in tidal swamps and marshes along the Gulf Coast in Peninsular Florida. Slopes are less than 1 percent. The soils formed in thick deposits of sandy marine sediments. Near the type location, the mean annual precipitation is about 55 inches and the mean annual temperature is about 73 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing
Myakka series and the
Basinger,
Boca,
Canaveral, EauGallie,
Immokalee,
Pompano, and
Waveland series. All the associated soils lack histic epipedons and are on higher upland landscapes. Basinger, Boca, Canaveral, and Pompano soils lack spodic horizons. In addition, Boca soils have argillic horizons underlain by
limestone;
Canaveral soils are better drained and are mixed sand and shell;
Pompano soils lack subsurface diagnostic horizons; and
Basinger soils have non-spodic Bh horizons. EauGallie soils have
an argillic horizon beneath the spodic horizon.
Immokalee soils have a spodic horizon at deeper depths and
Waveland soils are on an orstein family.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Estero soils are very poorly drained. Runoff is slow. Permeability is moderately rapid in the spodic horizon and rapid in the other horizons. The soil is flooded during daily high tides.
USE AND VEGETATION: Estero soils are used mainly for wildlife habitat. Native vegetation consists of seashore saltgrass, batis, sea-oxeye, cordgrass, and scattered black-mangrove in some places. In other places the vegetation is a dense stand of black-mangrove.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Gulf Coast tidal area of Peninsular Florida. The series is of small known extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Auburn, Alabama
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Manatee County, Florida; 1980.
REMARKS: This series was formerly mapped as Tidal Swamp. These soils are classified in the Typic subgroup due to the wetness characteristics they exhibit. The base saturation of the epidedon
is too high for Umbric.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.