LOCATION KEYVACA FL
Established Series
Rev. GWH
10/2018
KEYVACA SERIES
The Keyvaca Series consist of well drained soils that are shallow to rippable oolitic limestone. Keyvaca soils formed in material weathered from the oolitic limestone. Slopes range from 0 to 1 percent.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, carbonatic, isohyperthermic Lithic Haprendolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Keyvaca very gravelly loam on an Everglades Flatwoods Upland (colors are for moist soil).
A--0 to 4 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) very gravelly loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) dry; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many fine, medium, and large roots; 5 percent by volume of limestone fragments greater than 3 inches in size, 40 percent by volume of limestone fragments smaller than 3 inches in size; moderately alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary (3 to 6 inches thick).
R--4 inches; soft to hard but rippable oolitic limestone.
TYPE LOCATION: Monroe County, Florida; Big Pine Key; 2.2 miles NW of U. S. Hwy. 1, on Key Deer Blvd. and 200 feet SW of road; SE 1/4, SE 1/4, NE 1.4, Sec. 22, T. 66 S., R. 29 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to bedrock is 3 to 6 inches. Percent by volume of stones, cobbles, and/or gravels range from 35 to 65 percent.
The A horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 2 or 3. Texture is gravelly sandy loam, gravelly loam, very gravelly sandy loam, very gravelly loam; or their cobbly and very cobbly analogies with 30 to 50 percent gravel sized oolitic limestone fragments and 5 to 25 percent cobble sized fragments. The soil has less than 45 percent silt. Reaction is mildly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
The R horizon is soft to hard but rippable oolitic limestone.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Pennekamp series in the same family, the
Matecumbe series in a similar family, and the
Biscayne and
Krome series in hyperthermic families. Pennekamp soils formed over coral limestone and have more than 45 percent silt. Matecumbe soils are organic.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Keyvaca soils are on everglade flatwood
uplands. Elevations are dominantly 4 to 6 feet above 1929 NGVD. Keyvaca soils are subject to rare flooding from hurricanes and other tropical storms. The mean annual temperature is about 78 degrees F. and the mean annual precipitation is about 50 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the moderately well drained organic
Matecumbe and the somewhat poorly drained marly
Saddlebunch soils on slightly lower landforms and the poorly drained marly
Cudjoe,
Lignumvitae, and
Keywest soils and the very poorly drained organic
Islamorada,
Keylargo, and
Tavernier soils on lower landforms.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: These soils are well drained with a high water table of 3.0 to 5.0 feet during wet periods of most years. Permeability is moderately rapid.
USE AND VEGETATION: Many areas of the soil are used for urban and recreational development. Native vegetation most commonly includes South Florida slash pine, poisonwood, wiregrass, silver palm, locustberry and plumy brake fern, and less commonly, cabbage palm, saw palmetto, satinleaf, pine fern, partridge pea, and waxmyrtle.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Approximately 3000 acres of Keyvaca soils are on the Florida Keys. These soils may occur on other tropical islands.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Auburn, Alabama
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Monroe County, Florida, 1989.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.