LOCATION MABEL FLEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, superactive, hyperthermic Albaquic Hapludalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Mabel fine sand - on a 2 percent slope in pasture. (Colors are for moist soil.)
A--0 to 6 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) fine sand; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many uncoated sand grains; many fine and medium roots; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
E1--6 to 10 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) fine sand; single grained; loose; few fine roots; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
E2--10 to 16 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) fine sand; common fine faint brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) mottles; single grained; loose; few fine roots; moderately acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the E horizon is 0 to 16 inches)
Bt--16 to 24 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) sandy clay loam; few coarse distinct red (2.5YR 4/6) mottles; weak fine subangular blocky structure; firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; sand grains coated and bridged with clay; few fine roots; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Btk--24 to 30 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) clay; many medium distinct light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) and few fine distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) mottles; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; thin continuous clay films along ped faces; 10 percent calcium carbonate intrusions approximately 10 cm wide; violently effervescent; few fine roots; mildly alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. Combined thickness of the Bt and Btk horizons is 5 to 50 inches.)
C1--30 to 43 inches; light gray (5YR 7/1) clay; many coarse prominent brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) and few fine distinct yellowish red (5YR 4/6) mottles; massive; firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; 10 percent fine soft white calcium carbonate nodules; violently effervescent; few fine roots; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary.
C2--43 to 56 inches; light gray (5YR 7/1) clay loam; many coarse prominent reddish yellow (5YR 6/8) and few medium prominent brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) mottles; massive; firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; 25 percent fine soft white calcium carbonate nodules; violently effervescent and common white coarse gravel and cobbles; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary.
C3--56 to 80 inches; light gray (5YR 7/1) clay loam; few medium prominent reddish yellow (5YR 6/8) and brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) mottles; massive; firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; 30 percent fine soft white calcium carbonate nodules; violently effervescent and common hard white coarse gravel and cobbles; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Sumter County, Florida; 1,400 feet north of Highway 44, 944 feet east of Highway 470; NE1/4SE1/4, sec. 2, T. 19 S., R. 21 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness is 20 to 60 inches. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid to neutral in the A, E, and uppermost Bt horizons and from very strongly acid to moderately alkaline in the other Bt, Btk, and C horizons. Boulders occur randomly at or near the surface and within the upper pedon at intervals of about 20 to 80 feet and cover 0.01 to 1.0 percent of the soil surface. None to common gravel and cobble-size chert fragments are throughout the pedon. Limestone substratum phases have none to few boulders, and are underlain by limestone at depths of 40 to 72 inches.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 1 to 4. Texture is sand, fine sand, or loamy fine sand.
The E horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 2 to 4 with mottles in shades of yellow and brown, or pockets and streaks are in some pedons that have similar color to that of the A horizon. Texture is sand, fine sand, or loamy fine sand.
The upper part of the Bt horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 5, and chroma of 3 to 8 with mottles in shades of yellow, brown, and red. Texture is sandy clay loam or sandy clay.
The lower part of the Bt horizon and the Btk horizon have hue of 10YR, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 3 to 6 with mottles in shades of gray, yellow, red and brown. Texture is sandy clay or clay. Where present, the Btg has similar properties except chroma is 2 or less. The control section has 35 to 60 percent clay, with less than 30 percent silt.
The C horizon has hue of 5YR, value of 7 or 8, and chroma of 1 with mottles in shades of yellow and red. It is clay loam, clay or sandy clay loam. It has common calcium carbonate nodules 1 to 3 centimeters in size and common limestone cobbles.
The 2Cr horizon, where present, is soft limestone that contains hard limestone and chert boulders in some pedons. The 2R horizon, where present, can usually be excavated with power equipment.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no known series in the same family. The Bushnell and Micanopy series are in related families. Bushnell soils are thermic and have limestone at a depth of 20 to 40 inches. The Micanopy soils are Paleudalfs and have a thicker solum.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Mabel soils are on nearly level to gently sloping landforms in the Coastal Plain of central Florida. These soils formed in sandy and clayey marine deposits. The mean annual temperature is about 70 to 74 degrees F. Average annual rainfall is about 50 to 60 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Bushnell, and the Floridana, Paisley, and Vero soils. Floridana soils have a mollic epipedon. Paisley soils have a high water table above a depth of 18 inches of the surface. Vero soils have a spodic horizon. In addition, Vero have an argillic horizon between a depth of 20 to 40 inches. All of the associated soils are poorly drained and occur in lower positions except for Bushnell soils.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained. A high water table or saturation is within a depth of 18 to 36 inches for 1 to 3 months during most years and above a depth of 18 inches for less than 1 month after very heavy rains in some years. Runoff is slow. Permeability is slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most of the acreage is in pasture. Natural vegetation consists of live oak, water oak, palm trees, scattered sawpalmetto, lopsided indiangrass and chalky bluestem.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mabel soils are of small extent and are known to occur only in central Florida.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Auburn, Alabama
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Sumter County, Florida; 1985.
REMARKS: Hapludalfs occur in mesic and thermic temperature regimes, Soil Taxonomy, page 129. This soil is hyperthermic.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are :
Ochric epipedon - 0 to 16 inches.
Albic horizon - 6 to 16 inches.
Argillic horizon - 16 to 30 inches.
This soil was formerly included with the Bushnell series.