LOCATION MEADOWBROOK FLEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, siliceous, subactive, thermic Grossarenic Endoaqualfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Meadowbrook sand-in a wooded area.
A--0 to 7 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) sand; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many fine, few medium and large roots; extremely acid; gradual wavy boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
Eg1--7 to 35 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) sand; common medium distinct very dark gray (10YR 3/1) mottles; single grained; loose; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Eg2--35 to 42 inches; gray (10YR 6/1) sand; single grained, loose; few distinct yellow (10YR 7/6) masses of iron accumulations and common medium faint grayish brown (10YR 5/2) iron depletions; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of E, Eg, or Bw horizons is 31 to 70 inches)
Btg1--42 to 70 inches; gray (10YR 6/1) sandy loam; weak medium granular structure; friable; few ironstones concretions ranging from 1/4 to 1 inch in size; common, coarse, prominent and few medium prominent reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/8) masses of iron accumulation; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary. (5 to 30 inches thick)
Btg2--70 to 80 inches; light gray (10YR 7/1) sandy loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; few fine prominent brownish yellow (10YR 6/8) masses of iron accumulation; strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Clay County, Florida. Approximately 0.5 mile east of U.S. 301 and 0.9 mile south of Duval County line; about 1,100 feet east and 600 feet north of southwest corner, Section 4, T. 4 S.; R. 23 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness is 50 inches to more than 80 inches. Soil reaction ranges from extremely acid to neutral in the A horizon, from extremely acid to moderately alkaline in the E horizon, and very strongly acid to moderately alkaline in the Bw and Bt horizons.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 2 to 5, and chroma of 1 or 2. Where the value is 3 or less, thickness is 7 inches or less. Texture is sand or fine sand or their mucky analogues.
The E horizon has hue of 10YR to 5GY, value of 4 to 8, and chroma of 1 to 3. Redoximorphic features in shades of gray, yellow, and brown range from none to common. Texture is sand or fine sand.
The Bw horizon, where present, has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 3 to 8. Redoximorphic features in shades of gray, yellow, and brown range from few to many. Texture is sand or fine sand.
The Btg horizon has hue of 10YR to 5GY, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 2 or less; or it is neutral with these values. Redoximorphic features in shades of gray, yellow, brown, and red range from few to many. Texture is sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or sandy clay loam. Some pedons have a loamy sand or loamy fine sand layer in the upper part.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series in the same family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Meadowbrook soils are on broad low flats and along narrow small streams. They formed in sandy and loamy sediments of the Southern Coastal Plain and the Atlantic and Gulf Coast Flatwoods. The climate is warm and humid. Slopes are 0 to 5 percent. The average annual temperature ranges from 66 to 70 degrees F., and the average annual precipitation ranges from 50 to 60 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include the Goldhead, Pelham, Plummer, and Sapelo soils. Goldhead soils have sandy epipedons 20 to 40 inches thick. Pelham and Plummer soils have a base saturation less than 35 percent. In addition, Pelham soils are Arenic. Sapelo soils have Bh horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly and very poorly drained; permeability is rapid in the sandy A, E, and Bw horizons and moderately slow to moderate in the loamy subsoil.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of Meadowbrook soils are used for forest. A few areas have been cleared and are used for pastureland. Vegetation includes mixed stands of slash pine, loblolly pine, and longleaf pine with live, laurel, and water oaks, blackgum, sweetgum, red maple and cypress in wetter areas. The understory consists dominantly of gallberry, waxmyrtle, wiregrass, pitcher plants, and bracken fern.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Meadowbrook soils are in northeast Florida. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Auburn, Alabama.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Clay County, Florida, l986.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon and Grossarenic properties - The zone from the soil surface to a depth of 42 inches. (A, Egl, Eg2 horizons).
Albic horizon - The zone from 7 to 42 inches (Eg1, Eg2 horizons).
Argillic horizon - The zone from 42 to 80 inches (Btgl, Btg2 horizons).
A water table is within 12 inches of the surface for long periods, mainly after heavy rains from late summer to spring. Depressions are covered with water for 6 to 9 months in most years.