LOCATION MONTEOCHA FLEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy, siliceous, hyperthermic Ultic Alaquods
TYPICAL PEDON: Monteocha loamy sand in a cypress pond.
(Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise
stated.)
A--0 to 12 inches; black (N 2/0) loamy sand; moderate medium granular structure; friable; many fine and medium roots; few large roots; extremely acid; clear smooth boundary. (10 to 24 inches thick)
E--12 to 18 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) sand with common fine and medium faint light gray (10YR 7/1) mottles; weak
fine granular structure; very friable; common fine and few medium roots; extremely acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (6 to 18 inches
thick)
Bh--18 to 27 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) sand; moderate medium granular structure; friable; common fine and few medium
roots; sand grains are well coated with organic matter; extremely acid; clear wavy boundary. (6 to 15 inches thick)
BC--27 to 34 inches; dark brown (10YR 4/3) sand with common medium faint dark brown (10YR 3/3) and (7.5YR 3/2) mottles; weak medium granular structure; very friable; few fine and medium
roots; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 7 inches thick)
E'--34 to 48 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) sand; single grained; loose; few fine roots; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
(8 to 15 inches thick)
Btg1--48 to 59 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) fine sandy
loam with few fine distinct dark brown streaks along root
channels; weak fine subangular blocky parting to moderate medium granular structure; friable; few fine roots; sand grains are well coated and bridged with clay; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (8 to 16 inches thick)
Btg2--59 to 85 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) fine
sandy loam; weak fine subangular blocky parting to moderate medium granular structure; friable; sand grains are well coated and
bridged with clay; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (10
to 26 inches thick)
Cg--85 to 94 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) sand; massive; nonsticky; sand grains are coated with fines; very strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Alachua County, Florida; in a cypress pond 0.4
mile northeast of intersection of U. S. Highway 441 and State Road 121, 200 feet off trail road. NE1/4NW1/4 sec. 18, T. 9 S., R. 20
E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The solum thickness is 60 inches or
more. Reaction ranges from extremely acid to strongly acid in all horizons.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or N, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of
1 or less. Texture is loamy sand, fine sand, or sand. Organic matter content of the A horizon ranges from about 5 to 12 percent. The E horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 5 to 7, and chroma of 1 or
2. Texture is sand or fine sand. Total thickness of the A and E horizons is 17 to 30 inches.
The Bh horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 3, and chroma
of 2; or hue of 10YR, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 1 to 3.
Texture is sand or fine sand. The Bh horizon is usually
saturated with water and there is little or no cementation.
However, when dry, a weak cementation is evident in most pedons.
The BC horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 4, and chroma of 2 or 3;
or value of 5, and chroma of 3, with or without dark brownish mottles. Texture is sand or fine sand. In some pedons, this
horizon is absent.
The E' horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 5 to 7, and chroma of 1
to 3. In some pedons, this horizon has few to common gray,
yellow, or brown mottles. Texture is sand or fine sand.
The Btg horizon has hue of 10YR or N, value of 5 or 6, and chroma
of 2 or less, or value of 4, and chroma of 1 or less, with or
without yellow and brown mottles. Texture is fine sandy loam,
sandy loam, or sandy clay loam. In some pedons, this horizon contains a few fine streaks and masses of coarser textured
material in the lower part. Some pedons have a BC' horizon with
hue of 10YR or N, value of 5 to 7, and chroma of 2 or less. Where present, it ranges from loamy sand to sandy loam in texture.
The Cg horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 6 or 7, and chroma of 1
or 2. Texture is sand, loamy sand, or sandy loam.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Pomona and
Wauchula series.
Pomona and Wauchula soils lack an umbric epipedon. In addition, Wauchula soils have an argillic between a depth of 20 and 40
inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Monteocha soils are in wet depressions
within the flatwoods in central and southern Florida. Slope gradients are less than 2 percent. Mean annual precipitation
ranges from about 50 to 55 inches, but is not evenly distributed throughout the year. Heaviest rainfall usually occurs during the summer months from about June to October. Mean annual temperature
is about 73 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Pomona
and
Wauchula series and the
Placid,
Jumper,
Lochloosa,
Pompano,
and
Sparr series. Placid soils are sandy to depths of more than
80 inches. Jumper, Lochloosa, Pompano, and Sparr soils are better drained and do not have spodic horizons. In addition, Jumper and Lochloosa soils have thinner A and E horizons and Pompano soils
are sandy to depths of more than 80 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Monteocha soils are very poorly
drained. Runoff is very slow. Permeability is rapid in the A horizon, moderately rapid to rapid in the Bh horizon, and
moderately slow to moderate in the Btg horizon. The water table
is within a depth of 10 inches for 6 months or more and most areas are ponded for more than 4 months during most years.
USE AND VEGETATION: Monteocha soils are used mainly for wildlife habitat. Native vegetation is dominantly ponded baldcypress, sweetbay, pond pine, red maple, greenbrier, and water tolerant grasses. Swamp tupelo occur in the northern range.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central and southern peninsular Florida. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Auburn, Alabama
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Alachua County, Florida; 1982.
REMARKS: These soils were formerly included in the Rutledge
series.