LOCATION HARDIN HEIGHTS FLEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, carbonatic, thermic, shallow Typic Haprendolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Hardin Heights sandy clay loam--woodland. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
A1--0 to 3 inches; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) sandy clay loam; weak fine granular structure; friable; slightly sticky, nonplastic; many fine roots; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary.
A2--3 to 6 inches; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) loam; moderate fine granular and subangular blocky structure; friable; slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common fine roots; neutral; clear wavy boundary.
A3--6 to 12 inches; very dark gray (2.5Y 3/1) loam; massive; friable; slightly sticky, slightly plastic; few fine roots; neutral; clear wavy boundary (Combined thickness of the A horizons range from 7 to 18 inches).
C1--12 to 15 inches; olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) loam; massive; friable; sticky, plastic, few fine roots; about 5 percent, by volume, white (10YR 8/1) limestone fragments; neutral; clear wavy boundary.
C2--15 to 20 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) silty clay; massive; firm; few fine and medium roots; few fine yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) splotches and streaks; about 20 percent, by volume white (10YR 8/1) limestone fragments and concretions; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary (Combined thickness of the C horizons range from 2 to 13 inches).
R--20+ inches; white (10YR 8/1) limestone that is rippable by mechanized equipment.
TYPE LOCATION: Sneads Community; Gadsden County, Florida. Latitude 30 degrees, 35 minutes 06 seconds N; longitude 84 degrees 36 minutes 32 seconds.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the soil ranges from 7 to 20 inches over limestone bedrock. Reaction ranges from slightly acid to slightly alkaline in the A horizons and from slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline in the C horizons.
The A or Ap horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 1 to 3; or it is neutral with value of 3. Content of limestone fragments ranges from 0 to 10 percent, by volume. Texture is loam, sandy clay loam or silty clay loam.
The C horizon has hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 2 to 6. Content of limestone fragments ranges from 5 to 30 percent, by volume. Texture is loam, sandy clay loam, silty clay loam or silty clay.
The Cr horizon, where present, is composed of soft limestone that is easily dug with hand tools. Hard limestone fragments range from 10 to 40 percent, by volume.
The R horizon is composed of limestone that is rippable by power equipment.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other known series in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Hardin Heights soils are on small areas of limestone upland outcrops of the Hawthorn Formation in the Southern Coastal Plain of the Florida Panhandle. Slopes range from 5 to 45 percent. They formed in loamy sediments that weathered from limestone bedrock. The climate is humid subtropical. The average annual precipitation ranges from 50 to 60 inches and average annual temperature ranges from 62 to 66 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include the Telogia series. The somewhat poorly drained Telogia soils are on adjacent lower positions, are deep to limestone, have more clay in the control section, and have smectitic control sections.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of Hardin Heights soils are in woodland. The native vegetation consists of white oak, red oak, hickory, maple, Florida sugar maple, red bud and Eastern Red cedar.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Florida panhandle. The series is of small known extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Auburn, Alabama.
SERIES PROPOSED: Gadsden County, Florida; 2006.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon:
Mollic epipedon - the zone from 0 to 12 inches (A1, A2 and A3 horizons).
Shallow feature - beginning at a depth of 20 inches (R horizon).