LOCATION GAYLESVILLE AL+GA

Established Series
Rev. LFR:CFM
10/2018

GAYLESVILLE SERIES

The Gaylesville series consists of deep, poorly to somewhat poorly drained slowly permeable soils that formed in clayey alluvium. These soils are on nearly level to stream terraces, they are frequently flooded and are saturated to near the surface in winter and early spring. Slope ranges from 0 to 2 percent.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, active, thermic Aeric Endoaqualfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Gaylesville silty clay loam--woodland. (Colors are for moist soil.)

A--0 to 3 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) silty clay loam; weak fine granular structure; friable; many fine and medium roots; common fine and medium pores; extremely acid; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 7 inches thick)

BE--3 to 14 inches; mottled light gray (2.5Y 7/2), strong brown (7.5YR 5/6), and yellowish red (5YR 4/6) silty clay loam; many coarse light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) and brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) coatings on peds; moderate medium angular blocky structure; firm; few fine roots; few fine pores; thin patchy clay films on faces of peds; extremely acid; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 11 inches thick)

Btg1--14 to 22 inches; mottled yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) and light gray (2.5Y 7/2) silty clay; many medium light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) and brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) coatings on peds; moderate medium angular blocky structure; firm; few fine and medium roots; few fine and medium pores; thin patchy clay films on faces of peds; extremely acid; gradual wavy boundary. (4 to 28 inches thick)

Btg2--22 to 33 inches; mottled brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) and light gray (10YR 7/2) silty clay; common medium light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) and brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) coatings on peds; strong medium angular blocky structure; firm; few fine roots; few fine pores; thin patchy clay film on faces on peds; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (9 to 38 inches thick)

Btg3--33 to 72 inches; mottled light gray (10YR 7/1), yellowish brown (10YR 6/6), and yellowish red (5YR 5/6) silty clay; common medium light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) and brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) coatings on peds; strong medium angular blocky structure; firm; few fine pores; strongly acid.

TYPE LOCATION: Cherokee County, Alabama; about 3 miles south of Centre, NE1/4SW1/4 sec. 3, T. 11 S., R. 9 E.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness exceeds 60 inches. Reaction ranges from medium acid to extremely acid throughout. Flakes of mica range from none to few throughout.

The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 3 through 5, and chroma of 2 through 4. It is loam, silt loam, or silty clay loam.

The BE horizon, where present, is mottled with shades of yellow, red, brown, and gray or it has hue of 10YR, value of 5 and 6, and chroma of 3 to 8. Some pedons have value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 2. Texture is silty clay loam, clay loam, silt loam, or loam.

The Btg horizon is mottled with shades of yellow, brown, red, and gray, and has shades or gray as dominant color on the faces of peds. Texture is silty clay loam, silty clay, clay loam, or
clay. Clay content of the control section ranges from 35 to about 55 percent. In some pedons, without a BE horizon, the upper part of the Bt horizon has the same range in texture, hue, value, and chroma as the BE horizon.

COMPETING SERIES: These are Acadia, Grubbs, and Tupelo series. Acadia soils have clayey control sections dominated by montmorillonite. Grubbs soils have redder subsoils that are slightly acid to moderately alkaline in the lower part of the B horizon. Tupelo soils, which are underlain by limestone bedrock, have browner colors in their upper B horizon.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Gaylesville soils are on level stream terraces that are subject to frequent flooding. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent. The soil formed in clayey alluvium from shale, sandstone, and limestone uplands. Average annual rainfall is 55 inches near the type location.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are Bomar, Canton Bend, Cedarbluff, Cloudland, and Tanyard series. Bomar and Cloudland soils have fragipans. Cedarbluff soils have less clayey control sections and a lower base saturation. Canton Bend soils are well drained and have thinner sola. Tanyard soils are moderately well drained and have a less clayey subsoil.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly to somewhat poorly drained; slow runoff; slow permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Pasture and woodland. Forested areas are chiefly hardwoods, dominated by oaks, hickory, beech, sweetgum, with some shortleaf and loblolly pines.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Southern Appalachian Valley of Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee. The series is extensive. Approximately 10,000 acres mapped in the county where the series is established.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Cherokee County, Alabama; 1973.

REMARKS:

ADDITIONAL DATA: Data by Alabama Agricultural Experiment
Station. Sample number S69Ala.-10-4-(1-5*). Cherokee County, Alabama.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.