LOCATION OCHLOCKONEE AL+AR GA KY LA MS OK SC TN TX VAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, siliceous, active, acid, thermic Typic Udifluvents
TYPICAL PEDON: Ochlockonee sandy loam--pasture. (Colors are for moist soil.)
Ap--0 to 6 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) sandy loam; weak medium and fine granular structure; very friable; many fine roots; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick)
C--6 to 37 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) fine sandy loam; massive; friable; many fine roots and pores; few fine fragments of charcoal; 1/3 to 3/4 inch thick bedding planes in lower part; strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary.
Ab--37 to 44 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) very fine sandy loam; massive; friable; many fine roots; common fine pores; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 15 inches thick)
C'--44 to 72 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) loamy fine sand; massive; very friable; common thin strata of brown (10YR 4/3) sandy loam; very strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Franklin County, Alabama; 35 yards east and 50 yards north of bridge crossing Little Bear Creek, 2 miles southwest of Pleasant Hill Church, in the NW1/4,NE1/4 of Sec. 7, T. 8 S., R. 12 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Reaction ranges from very strongly acid to slightly acid in the A or Ap horizon and is very strongly acid or strongly acid in horizons below the A. Buried soil horizons, present in most pedons below a depth of 25 inches, have the same range in color and texture as the A horizon. Some pedons have gravelly strata below a depth of 40 inches.
The A or Ap horizon has hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 3 to 6, and chroma of 2 to 4. Texture is sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loamy fine sand, loamy sand, loam, or silt loam.
The C and C' horizons have hue of 5YR to 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 3 to 8. Texture is sandy loam, fine sandy loam, silt loam, loam, loamy sand, or loamy fine sand. Thin strata of finer or coarser textured materials are in most pedons. Some pedons have mottles of brown, yellow, and gray below a depth of 20 inches. Content of mica flakes ranges from none to common.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no series in the same family. Competing series in closely similar families are the Cartecay, Dela, Hatliff, Iuka, Madill, Oklared, Robinsonville, Toccoa, Tribbey, and Tullahassee series. The Cartecay, Tribbey, and Tullahassee soils are nonacid, have mixed mineralogy, and have low chroma mottles within 20 inches of the surface. The Dela soils are nonacid. Hatliff soils are nonacid and have low chroma mottles within 20 inches of the surface. Iuka soils have low chroma mottles within 20 inches of the surface. The Madill, Oklared, Robinsonville, and Toccoa soils are nonacid and have mixed mineralogy.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: These soils are on nearly level flood plains of streams draining sandy areas, mainly in the Coastal Plain. The soil formed in loamy and sandy alluvium. The climate is warm and humid. The average annual air temperature ranges from 56 to 62 degrees F. The average annual precipitation ranges from 48 inches to 56 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Iuka series on lower positions and the Bibb, Cahaba, Eunola, Kalmia, and Mantachie series. The poorly drained Bibb series is in lower positions of stream flood plains. The Cahaba, Eunola, and Kalmia soils are on adjacent stream terraces and are fine-loamy. The somewhat poorly drained Mantachie soils are in lower positions of stream flood plains and are fine-loamy.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow runoff; moderately permeable. Ocklockonee soils are rarely to frequently flooded. A seasonally high water table is within a depth of 36 to 60 inches in some season of most years.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas have been cleared and are cultivated to corn, sorghum, soybeans, cotton, small grains, vegetables, and hay. Other areas are in pasture or forest. Common trees growing in wooded areas include sweetgum, water oak, red maple, green ash, American elm, willow oak, Eastern cottonwood, sycamore, American beech, Southern magnolia, hickory, and loblolly pine.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Coastal Plains of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. The series is of large extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Auburn, Alabama
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Gadsden County, Florida; 1903.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon include:
Ochric epipedon -- the zone from the surface to 6 inches (Ap horizon) Fluvent features -- irregular decrease in organic carbon and presence of bedding planes and strata of contrasting textures.
SIR = AL0024