LOCATION MELVINA            FL
Established Series
ERL Rev. GRB
07/1999

MELVINA SERIES


The Melvina series consists of very deep, somewhat poorly drained, moderately slowly permeable soils on low ridges of the Eastern Gulf Coast Flatwoods. They formed in sandy and loamy marine sediments underlain by limestone. Near the type location, the mean annual air temperature is about 68 degrees F., and the mean annual precipitation is about 55 inches. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy, siliceous, thermic Oxyaquic Alorthods

TYPICAL PEDON: Melvina fine sand -- in a pine plantation
(Colors are for moist soil)

Ap--0 to 3 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) fine sand; weak fine granular structure; very friable; few fine and medium roots; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)

E--3 to 28 inches; light gray (10YR 7/1) fine sand; single grained; loose; few fine and medium roots; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (10 to 27 inches thick)

Bh1--28 to 31 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/2) fine sand; sand grains are thinly coated with organic matter; weak fine granular structure; very friable; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary.

Bh2--31 to 45 inches; dark brown (10YR 4/3) fine sand; sand grains are thinly coated with organic matter; many uncoated light gray (10YR 7/1) sand grains; weak medium granular structure; very friable; few fine roots; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bh horizons is 4 to 22 inches)

BE--45 to 53 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) fine sand; single grained; loose; few fine roots; neutral; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 25 inches thick)

Eg--53 to 56 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) fine sand; single grained; loose; few fine roots; neutral; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 30 inches thick)

Btg--56 to 75 inches; gray (10YR 6/2) sand clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine roots; few fine and medium distinct light olive brown (2.5Y 5/6) masses of iron accumulations and stains along root channels; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (5 to 30 inches thick)

2R--75 to 80 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) and light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) limestone bedrock; can be dug with light excavation equipment.

TYPE LOCATION: Taylor County, Florida. Approximately 2,600 feet west and 25 feet south of the northeast corner of sec. 2, T. 5 S., R. 6 E.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness and depth to limestone bedrock range from 60 to more than 80 inches. Depth to the Bh horizon is 12 to 30 inches. Reaction ranges from extremely acid to slightly acid in the A and E horizons, very strongly acid to neutral in the Bh horizon, very strongly acid to moderately alkaline in the BE and Eg horizons, and moderately acid to moderately alkaline in the Btg horizon.

The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 1 or 2. Texture is sand or fine sand.

The E horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 5 to 8, and chroma of 1 or 2. Texture is sand or fine sand.

The Eg horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR, value of 6 to 8, and chroma of 1 or 2. Texture is sand or fine sand.

The EB or BE horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR, value of 4 to 6 , and chroma of 3 to 8. Texture is sand or fine sand.

The Bh horizon has hue of 10YR to 5YR, value of 3 or 4, and chroma of 2 to 4. Texture is sand or fine sand.

The Btg horizon has hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 2 or less. Redoximorphic features in shades of brown or yellow range from none to common. Texture is sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or sandy clay loam.

The Cr horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 6 or 8, and chroma of 1 to 4. It is composed of soft, weathered, fractured limestone that can be dug with difficulty with a spade, has very firm to extremely firm rupture resistance with low to high excavation difficulty. It usually contains soft carbonate accumulations along with few to many hard limestone or chert fragments. It is highly irregular and interspersed with solution holes that range from 4 to 12 inches in diameter and filled with sandy loam to sandy clay textured soil material. Depth to limestone is very variable within short distances.

The 2R horizon is composed of hard, unweathered limestone that has slightly rigid to very rigid rupture resistance with very high to extremely excavation difficulty. Some areas contain solution holes filled with Btg and/or Cr material.

COMPETING SERIES: These include the Echaw, Hurricane, Mandarin, Ridgeland, and Rigdon series. Echaw soils do not have an argillic horizon and depth to the spodic horizon is 30 to 50 inches. Hurricane soils do not have an argillic horizon [Band depth to the spodic horizon is below 50 inches]. Mandarin soils do not have an argillic horizon. Ridgeland soils do not have an E horizon above the spodic horizon. Rigdon soils are extremely acid to strongly acid throughout and are not underlain by limestone.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Melvina soils are on nearly level, low ridges of the Eastern Gulf Coast Flatwoods. They formed in sandy and loamy marine sediments overlying limestone bedrock. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent. The average annual precipitation ranges from 50 to 60 inches, and the average annual temperature ranges from 66 to 70 degrees F.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Chaires, Harbeson, Lutterloh, Meadowbrook, Moriah, and Ridgewood soils. Chaires and Meadowbrook soils have higher seasonal high water tables and are on lower positions and depressional areas. Harbeson, Lutterloh, Moriah, and Ridgewood soils do not have spodic horizons. In addition, Harbeson soils are in depressions and drainageways and Moriah soils are underlain by limestone at a depth of 40 to 60 inches.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained; moderately slow permeability in the Btg horizon.

USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of Melvina soils are in forest. Natural vegetation consists of mixed hardwood and pine.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern peninsular Florida. This series is of small extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Taylor County, Florida, 1998.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Ochric epipedon - the zone extending from the surface to a depth of 28 inches. (Ap and E horizons)

Albic horizons--the zone from 3 to 28 inches and 53 to 56 inches. (E horizon)

Spodic horizon--the zone from 28 to 45 inches. (Bh1 and Bh2 horizons)

Argillic horizon--the zone from 56 to 75 inches. (Btg horizon)


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.