LOCATION EUSTIS                  FL+AL GA LA MO MS NC SC TN TX

Established Series
Rev. HFH
10/2018

EUSTIS SERIES


The Eustis series consists of deep, somewhat excessively drained soils that formed in coarse-textured marine or fluvial sediments on smooth to strongly dissected parts of the Coastal Plain.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Siliceous, thermic Psammentic Paleudults

TYPICAL PEDON: Eustis fine sand--forested. (Colors are for moist soil.)

Ap--0 to 6 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) fine sand; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many fine and medium roots; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (5 to 7 inches thick)

A21--6 to 9 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) fine sand; single grained; loose; many fine and medium roots; some grayish brown (10YR 5/2) fine sand like that of the Ap horizon; very strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary.

A22--9 to 24 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) fine sand; single grained; loose; few fine and medium roots; few sand grains are clean; very strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the A2 horizon is 9 to 34 inches)

B21t--24 to 36 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) loamy fine sand; weak medium granular structure; friable; few fine to coarse roots; many sand grains are coated with oxides and clay; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.

B22t--36 to 60 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) loamy fine sand; moderate medium granular structure; friable; few medium to coarse roots; sand grains are coated with oxides and clay; clay bridges between sand grains; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.

B23t--60 to 76 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) loamy fine sand; moderate medium granular structure; friable; sand grains are coated with oxides and clay; few clay bridges between sand grains; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizon is 46 to 66 inches)

C--76 to 98 inches; reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) fine sand, common medium distinct very pale brown (10YR 7/4) mottles; single grained; loose; strongly acid.

TYPE LOCATION: Madison County, Florida; 3.5 miles east of Madison, 75 feet south of U. S. Highway 90, NE1/4SE1/4, sec. 30, T. 1 N., R. 10 W.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the solum is 60 inches or more. Soil reaction is strongly acid or very strongly acid
throughout. The soil is dry for periods of less than 60 days in most years.

The A1 or Ap horizon has hue 10YR or 7.5YR, value 3 to 5, and chroma 3 or less. Where value is 3 thickness is less than 8 inches.

The A21 horizon has hue 10YR, value 4 or 5, and chroma 2 to 4. The A22 horizon has hue 10YR to 5YR, value 3 to 5, and chroma 3 or more. Texture of the A horizon ranges from sand to loamy fine sand.

The Bt horizon color is centered on hue 5YR, value 3 to 6, chroma 3 to 8 but hues range from 2.5YR to 10YR. Texture is loamy sand or loamy fine sand and contains at least 3 percent more clay than the A2 horizon. In some pedons, the Bt horizon occurs as bands or lamellae of loamy sand that total more than 6 inches thick within depths of 14 to 80 inches. Silt and very fine sand plus clay range from 10 to 30 percent. Clay content is at least 10 percent and typically ranges from 10 to 15 percent.

The C horizon has hue 5YR or 7.5YR, value 5 to 7, and chroma 6 or 8; or hue 10YR, value 5 and chroma 3 to 8, or value 7 or 8 and chroma 1 to 4. Colors with value 7 or 8 and chroma 2 or less are due to uncoated sand grains and are not indicative of wetness. In some pedons the C horizon is strongly mottled with yellow, brown, red, and white. White mottles indicative of wetness are below depths of 72 inches.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Betis and Valdosta series in the same family and the Flomaton series in a closely similar family. Betis soils are dry in the moisture control section for more than 75 days. Valdosta soils have less than 10 percent clay in the upper 20 inches of the argillic horizon. Flomaton soils have more than 35 percent pebbles and cobbles in the argillic horizon.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Eustis soils are on smooth to strongly dissected parts of the Coastal Plain. Slopes are mainly 0 to 12 percent, but they are as much as 30 percent in highly dissected areas. The regolith is thick coarse-textured marine or fluvial sediments. Average annual precipitation is about 52 inches and average annual temperature is about 69 degrees F. near the type location.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Alaga, Albany, Chipley, Dothan, Kenansville, Kershaw, Lakeland, Lucy, Orangeburg, Troup, and Wagram series. Alaga soils have 10 to 25 percent silt plus clay in the 10 to 40 inch control section and lack Bt horizons. Dothan and Orangeburg soils have loamy Bt horizons within depths of 20 inches, Kenansville, Lucy, and Troup soils between depths of 20 to 40 inches, and Albany and Troup soils between depths of 40 to 80 inches. In addition, Albany soils are somewhat poorly drained. Chipley, Kershaw, and Lakeland soils all lack Bt horizons. In addition, Chipley soils are somewhat poorly drained, Kershaw soils are in an uncoated family, and Lakeland
soils have 5 to 10 percent silt plus clay in the 10 to 40 inch control section.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained. Runoff is slow. Permeability of the Bt horizon is moderately rapid to rapid. Water holding capacity is low.

USE AND VEGETATION: Most of the soil is cleared and is used for growing corn, peanuts, melons, tung, peaches, and tobacco. Natural vegetation is longleaf, shortleaf, loblolly, and slash pines, blackjack, bluejack, post and turkey oaks, and an undergrowth of pineland threeawn, bluestem, and briars.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Atlantic and Gulf Coast Plain from Texas to Virginia. The series is extensive.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Auburn, Alabama

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lake County, Florida; 1923.

REMARKS: The Eustis series was formerly classified in the Regosol great soil group. This description limits Eustis soils to sandy soils that have a weakly expressed loamy sand or loamy fine sand Bt horizon having base saturation of less than 35 percent.


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.