LOCATION LOWNDES GA+FLEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, siliceous, subactive, thermic Arenic Paleudults
TYPICAL PEDON: Lowndes loamy sand--pasture. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 7 inches, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loamy sand; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many fine roots; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary. (4 to 9 inches thick)
E--7 to 24 inches, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) loamy sand; weak fine granular structure; very friable; common medium dark grayish brown splotches from Ap horizon; common fine roots; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary. (14 to 31 inches thick)
EB--24 to 30 inches, brown (7.5YR 4/4) loamy sand; weak fine granular structure; very friable; common streaks and pockets of pale brown (10YR 6/3); few fine roots; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
Bt--30 to 40 inches, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) sandy clay loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; sand grains coated and bridged with clay; few fine hard white rounded nodules; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (10 to 18 inches thick)
B/E--40 to 48 inches, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) loamy sand and common medium prominent pockets of light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) sand; single grained; very friable; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick)
B't1--48 to 56 inches, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) sandy clay loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; thin patchy clay films on faces of peds; few fine hard white rounded nodules; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
B't2--56 to 65 inches, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) sandy clay; few medium prominent reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) and few fine prominent light gray (10YR 7/1) pockets of sandy clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm; few fine hard white nodules; common distinct clay films on faces of peds; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
B't3--65 to 76 inches, strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) sandy loam; common medium prominent reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) pockets of sandy clay loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; few fine hard white nodules; very strongly acid. (Combined thickness of the B't horizon is 44 inches or more)
TYPE LOCATION: Lowndes County, Georgia; 1.1 miles south on Loch Laurel road from intersection of Georgia Highway No. 376 and Loch Laurel road; 50 feet west of road in pasture.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 60 to more than 80 inches. Hard white nodules range from none to few in the A, EB, Bt and B/E horizons and from few to common in the B't horizons. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid to moderately acid in all horizons except where limed. Average clay content in the upper 20 inches of the argillic horizon ranges from 18 to 30 percent.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 2 or 3. It is loamy fine sand, loamy sand or sand.
The E horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 through 6 and chroma of 4 or 6. It is loamy fine sand, loamy sand or sand. The EB horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 4 through 8. It is loamy fine sand or loamy sand. Some pedons may have an E' horizon in colors and textures the same as the E horizon.
The Bt horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 5YR, value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 4 through 8. It is sandy loam or sandy clay loam.
In the B/E horizon, the B part has hue of 7.5YR, 10YR, or 2.5Y, value of 5 or 6 and chroma of 4 through 8. It is loamy sand or sandy loam. The E part occurs as common to many medium to coarse pockets with hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 6 through 8 and chroma of 3 through 6 and texture is sand or loamy sand. The E' horizon, where present, has the same color range as the Bt horizon. In addition, it includes hue of 7.5YR, value of 5, and chroma of 8. Texture is sand or loamy sand.
The B't horizons have hue of 7.5YR or 5YR, value of 5 or 6 and chroma of 4 through 8. Texture is sandy loam, fine sandy loam, sandy clay loam or sandy clay. There are none to common mottles in shades of red, brown and gray. In some pedons there is a BC horizon with colors the same as the B't horizon. Texture is loamy sand or sandy loam.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Autryville, Bonneau, Boykin, Briley, Letney, Lovett, Rosalie, and Trep series of the same family and the Albany, Blanton, Darco, Lucy, Ocilla, Pocalla, Troup, Wadley, and Wagram series of closely related families. All series listed except Pocalla lack a bisequal profile and all lack hard white rounded nodules. In addition, Albany, Blanton, Darco, Troup, and Wadley soils have a sandy epipedon more than 40 inches thick, and Troup soils have a kandic horizon. Bonneau soils have a seasonal high water table and mottles with chroma 2 or less at depths of about 40 inches. Lovett soils are moderately well drained. Lucy, Troup, and Wagram soils have a kandic horizon. In addition Lucy soils have yellowish red or red Bt horizons, and Wagram soils lack mottles of chroma 2 or less within 60 inches of the surface. Pocalla soils have more than 5 percent plinthite within 60 inches of the surface. Ocilla soils have mottles of chroma 2 or less in the upper Bt horizon. Rosalie soils have yellowish red or red Bt horizons.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Lowndes soils are on moderately sloping to steep sideslopes on uplands in the Southern Coastal Plain. They are restricted to that part of the Hawthorn geological formation that has been influenced by the Ocala limestone uplift. They formed in sandy and loamy marine sediments. Slopes range from 0 to 17 percent. Elevation is 90 to 200 feet. Mean annual temperature is 62 to 71 degrees F. and mean annual precipitation is 45 to 60 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Albany, Ocilla, and Troup series and the Chipley, Lakeland, and Valdosta series. Chipley and Lakeland soils lack argillic horizons. Valdosta soils are sandy between depths of 10 and 40 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to rapid runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are used for growing pasture or corn. Wooded areas consist of slash pine, loblolly pine, water oak, and live oak with an understory of bluestems, panicums, tickclover, threeawn, and other annual and perennial forb and grasses.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern Coastal Plain of northern Florida and southern Georgia. In Georgia, it is only known to occur in the southern part of Echols and Lowndes Counties. The series is of moderate extent with about 3,500 acres in Lowndes County, Georgia.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Auburn, Alabama
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lowndes County, Georgia; 1975.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface to approximately 24 inches. (Ap and E horizons.)
Arenic epipedon - the zone from the surface to approximately 30 inches. (AP, E and EB horizons.)
Argillic horizon - the zones from approximately 30 to 40 inches and 48 to 76 inches. (Bt, B't1, B't2, and B't3 horizons.)
ADDITIONAL DATA: The thesis Characterization and Classification of Some Phosphatic Soils of Georgia is summarized by the author, Raymond Little, with these statements and conclusions: (1) Study was conducted of some soils of Georgia believed to be phosphatic in origin. (2) Six of nine pedons studied contained at least 0.1% total p. (3) Phosphorus usually increased with depth indicating possible influence of phosphatic parent material.
Revised 1/93
SIR=GA0039
MLRA=133A