LOCATION JONATHAN FL

Established Series
Rev. SHM; AGH; GRB
10/2018

JONATHAN SERIES

The Jonathan series consists of very deep, moderately well to somewhat excessively drained, very slowly or slowly permeable soils on slightly elevated knolls and ridges in flatwoods areas of the Lower Coastal Plains of Florida. They formed in thick beds of sandy marine sediments. Near the type location, the mean annual temperature is about 73 degrees F., and the mean annual precipitation is about 57 inches. Slope ranges from 0 to 5 percent.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy, siliceous, hyperthermic, ortstein Grossarenic Alorthods

TYPICAL PEDON: Jonathan sand--on a smooth convex 0.5 percent slope in an undisturbed flatwoods area. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)

A--0 to 5 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) sand; weak fine granular structure; very friable; mixture of uncoated sand grains and organic matter granules; many fine roots; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (1 to 6 inches thick)

E1--5 to 22 inches; light gray (10YR 7/1) sand; single grained; loose; common medium and coarse roots; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary.

E2--22 to 38 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) sand; single grained; loose; few medium roots; common brown (10YR 5/3) streaks along old root channels having more organic matter than the matrix; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary.

E3--38 to 56 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) sand; single grained; loose; few medium roots; few medium to coarse faint light gray (10YR 7/2) pockets of fine sand; moderately acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the E horizons ranges from 50 to 70 inches)

Bh--56 to 100 inches; black (5YR 2/1) loamy sand; massive; firm, weakly cemented ortstein consists of 60 to 90 percent of the horizon; sand grains are well coated; many fine, medium, and coarse dead roots in the upper few inches; common distinct pockets of gray (10YR 5/1), dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2), and dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) having less organic matter than the matrix; very strongly acid.

TYPE LOCATION: Martin County, Florida; approximately 4.5 miles northwest of Hobe Sound, about 0.85 mile north of the entrance to Poinciana Gardens Subdivision, and about 200 feet west of U.S. Highway 1 in Gomez Grant.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to the Bh horizon is more than 50 inches. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid to moderately acid in the A and E horizon and from extremely acid to very strongly acid in the Bh horizon.

The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 3 to 7, and chroma of 1 or 2; or it is neutral with value of 4 to 6. Texture is sand or fine sand.

The E horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 5 to 8, and chroma of 1 or 2; or it is neutral with value of 5 to 8. Vertical streaks of organic matter accumulation in old root channels range from none to common. Texture is sand or fine sand.

In some pedons, a transitional EB horizon 0.5 to 4.0 inches thick and containing many uncoated sand grains is between the base of the E horizon and the top of the Bh horizon. It has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 3 or 4, and chroma of 1 to 4. Texture is fine sand, sand, or loamy fine sand.

The Bh horizon has hue of 2.5YR to 10YR, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 1 to 4. It is weakly to strongly cemented in 60 to 90 percent of the horizon. Pockets of E horizon material in shades of gray range from none to common. Some pedons have a lower Bh that is noncemented and have the same range of colors and textures.

Some pedons have a BC horizon within 80 inches. Where present, it has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 3 or 4, chroma of 3 or 4. Texture is sand, fine sand, loamy sand, or loamy fine sand.

Some pedons have a C/Bh horizon with the same matrix colors as the BC horizon and with darker colored, weakly cemented Bh fragments. Texture is sand, fine sand, loamy sand, or loamy fine sand.

The C horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR, value of 5 to 7, and chroma of 2 to 4. Pockets of loamy fine sand range from none to common. Texture is fine sand or sand.

COMPETING SERIES: There are no known series in the same family.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Jonathan soils are on slightly elevated knolls and ridges in flatwoods areas on the Lower Coastal Plain of Florida. Slopes range from 0 to 5 percent. They formed in thick beds of sandy marine sediments. The climate is humid subtropical. The average ranges from 55 to 59 inches and the average annual air temperature ranges from 71 to 75 degrees F.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include the Ankona, Hobe, Immokalee, Pomello, Salerno Satellite, and St. Lucie soils in similar families. The very poorly or poorly drained Ankona and Immokalee soils are on lower positions and are 30 to 50 inches in depth to the spodic horizon. In addition, Ankona soils have an argillic horizon, while Immokalee soils do not have ortstein. The somewhat excessively drained Hobe soils are on higher positions, have an argillic horizon, and do not have ortstein. The somewhat poorly or moderately well drained Pomello soils are on lower positions and do not have ortstein. The poorly drained Salerno soils are on lower positions. The excessively drained St. Lucie soils are on higher positions, do not have spodic horizons, and are sandy throughout. The somewhat poorly drained Satellite soils are on lower positions, do not have spodic horizons, and are sandy throughout.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well to somewhat excessively drained; very slow or slow permeability in the Bh horizon.

USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are used for range or forest. Some areas have been cleared and are used for home sites. The native vegetation consists of slash pine, sawpalmetto, sand live oak, running oak, gallberry, fetterbush, pricklypear, and pineland threeawn. Sand pines are common in some areas.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern peninsular Florida. The series is of small known extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: St. Lucie County, Florida; 1977.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon:

Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface to 56 inches. (A, E1, E2, and E3 horizons)

Albic horizon - the zone from 5 to 56 inches (E1, E2, and E3 horizons).

Spodic horizon - the zone from 56 to more than 100 inches (Bh horizon).

Ortstein feature the zone from 56 to more than 100 inches (Bh horizon).

The water table may rise for brief periods to depths of 36 inches but is usually at depths of 40 to 60 inches for 1 to 4 months during the wet season. It is below 60 inches most of the rest of each year.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.