LOCATION KROME                   FL

Established Series
Rev. CN/WGH
06/2024

KROME SERIES

The Krome series consists of very shallow, moderately well drained, moderately permeable soils over limestone. They formed by scarification of outcrops of oolitic limestone, and the loamy residuum that partially covers the limestone and fills the many cavities or solution holes. These soils are on broad areas of the Miami Ridge. Slopes are predominantly 0 to 2 percent, but range to 5 percent.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, carbonatic, isohyperthermic Lithic Udorthents

TYPICAL PEDON: Krome very gravelly loam in cropland (tomatoes). (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)

Ap--0 to 7 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) very gravelly loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry; weak medium granular structure; very friable; about 40 percent by volume hard, coarse limestone fragments 3 inches or less in diameter; strongly effervescent; mildly alkaline; abrupt irregular boundary (2 to 10 inches thick).

R--7 inches; hard, porous, oolitic limestone.

TYPE LOCATION: Dade County, Florida; 0.5 miles northeast of Homestead General Airport; 500 feet west and 100 feet south of the northeast corner of sec. 5, T. 57 S. R. 38 E; Longitude - 80 degrees 27 minutes 24 seconds and Latitude - 25 degrees 30 minutes 19 seconds.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: These soils are usually rockplowed or scarified annually. The limestone has less than 38 percent loss by the Los Angeles abrasion test. Reaction is mildly alkaline through moderately alkaline. The calcium carbonate equivalence ranges from 40 to 80 percent of the fine earth fraction in the soil, and from 92 percent or more in the limestone.

The Ap horizon has hue of 10YR, 7.5YR or 5YR value of 3, and chroma of 2 or 3 moist; and hue of 10YR, value of 3 to 5 and chroma of 2 or 3 dry. Texture is very gravelly loam, or very gravelly sandy loam or their extremely gravelly loam, or very gravelly sandy loam or their extremely gravelly analogues. Content of limestone fragments predominantly is 35 to 60 percent by volume, but ranges to 70 percent. The fragments range from 2mm to 7.5cm in diameter.

The C horizon, if present, has hue of 5YR, value of 4 or 5, chroma of 3 to 6; or value of 5, and chroma of 8; or hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 3 to 6, and chroma of 3 to 8. Texture is silt loam, silty clay loam, clay loam, or silty clay. The material in solution holes have dark gray or very dark gray pockets of silty clay loam or silty clay in root channels.

COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in this taxonomic class. Gladeville, a strongly competing series in a similar family, has 35 percent or more clay by weight, and has mixed mineralogy and is thermic. Lindgren is sandy skeletal. Chekika soils have dry color value greater than 5.5 and are somewhat poorly drained.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Krome soils are on broad areas of the Miami Ridge. Slopes are generally 0 to 2 percent, but range to 5 percent. Average annual precipitation is 63 inches and temperature is 74 degrees.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Biscayne, Chekika, Hialeah, Matecumbe, Opalocka, Pennsuco, and Perrine. Biscayne, Pennsuco, and Perrine soils are composed of limnic (marl) materials and are poorly drained. Chekika soils are somewhat poorly drained. Hialeah and Opalocka occur in scarified areas and in a complex with Rock Outcrop. Opalocka soils are sandy. Lindgren soils are sandy skeletal. Matecumbe are organic soils.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained. The water table is between 40 inches and 60 inches and is always within the limestone bedrock. Moderate permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Krome soils are cultivated. Tomatoes, beans, avocadoes, and limes are the principle crops.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Peninsular Florida; known to occur only in Dade County. The series is of small extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Dade County, Florida; 1990. This soil was mapped as Rockdale fine sandy loam, level phase-Limestone complex and Rockdale fine sandy loam, undulating phase-Limestone complex in the 1947 soil survey. This soil was unclassified.
REMARKS:

ADDITIONAL DATA: Characterization and engineering test data is available for this pedon. SCS sample number S85FL-025-006 (1-3) 681.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.