LOCATION PELHAM GA+AL FL LA NC SCEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, siliceous, subactive, thermic Arenic Paleaquults
TYPICAL PEDON: Pelham loamy sand--forested. (Colors are for moist soils unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 6 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) loamy sand; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many fine and medium roots; about 40 percent uncoated sand grains; very strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (2 to 8 inches thick)
Eg1--6 to 16 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) loamy sand; single grained; loose; few fine roots; about 80 percent uncoated sand grains; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Eg2--16 to 21 inches; gray (10YR 6/1) loamy sand; single grained; loose; few fine roots; about 90 percent uncoated sand grains; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Eg3--21 to 26 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) loamy sand; single grain; loose; few fine roots; about 95 percent uncoated sand grains; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the E horizon is 18 to 32 inches)
BEg--26 to 34 inches; light gray (10YR 7/1) sandy loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine roots; common fine faint light brownish gray masses of iron depletion; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Btg1--34 to 50 inches; light gray (10YR 7/1) sandy clay loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine roots; many medium prominent brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) and common medium prominent light brown (7.5YR 6/4) masses of iron accumulation; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Btg2--50 to 56 inches; light gray (10YR 7/1) sandy clay loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine roots; many medium prominent brownish yellow (10YR 6/8) masses of iron accumulation; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Btg3--56 to 68 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) sandy clay loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; common medium distinct light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) masses of iron accumulation; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Btg horizon is 15 to more than 60 inches)
Cg--68 to 80 inches; light gray (10YR 7/1) sandy loam; massive; very friable; many medium prominent brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) masses of iron accumulation; very strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Wilcox County, Georgia; about one mile west on U. S. Highway 280 from intersection of U. S. Highway 280 and Georgia Highway 112; 0.3 mile north on county paved road; north 1.7 miles on county dirt road; east 1560 feet on REA power line right of way; 75 feet north west. (USGS Quadrangle, Rochelle, Georgia (1974); lat. 31 degrees 58 minutes 44 seconds N., long. 83 degrees 28 minutes 12 seconds W.)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness is greater than 60 inches. The clay content of the particle size control section ranges from 15 to 30 percent. Reaction ranges from extremely acid to strongly acid throughout, except where the surface has been limed.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 2 through 5, and chroma of 1 or 2; or it is neutral with value of 2 through 4. Texture is loamy fine sand, loamy sand, loamy coarse sand, fine sand, sand or coarse sand.
The Eg horizon has hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 4 through 7, and chroma of 1 or 2. Masses of iron accumulation in shades of brown and yellow are none to common. Texture is loamy fine sand, loamy sand, loamy coarse sand, fine sand, sand or coarse sand.
The BEg horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 4 through 7, and chroma of 1 or 2. Masses of iron accumulation in shades yellow and brown and depletions in shades of grey are none to common. Texture is fine sandy loam, sandy loam, or coarse sandy loam.
The upper part of the Btg horizon has hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 4 through 7, and chroma of 1 or 2; or it is neutral with value of 5 through 7. Masses of iron accumulation in shades of yellow, brown and red and depletions in shades of gray range from none to many. Texture is sandy clay loam, very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam or sandy loam.
The lower part of the Bt horizon has the same colors and masses of iron accumulation and depletion as the upper part. Some pedons may have hue of 10YR, value of 5 and chroma of 4 through 8, with common to many depletions. Texture is usually sandy clay loam, very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam or sandy loam, but ranges to sandy clay.
The BCg or Cg horizons, where present, have hue of 10YR, value of 3 through 7, and chroma of 1 or 2. Masses of iron accumulation in shades of yellow or brown and depletion in shades of gray are none to many. It is usually fine sandy loam, sandy loam, loamy sand or sand.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Leagueville of the same family and the Alapaha, Blichton, Ellabelle, Kanapaha, Plummer, and Surrency series. Leagueville soils have chroma of 3 in some part of the E horizon and are better drained. Alapaha and Blichton soils have more than 5 percent plinthite in some horizons above the 60 inch zone. In addition, Blichton and Kanapaha soils have a mean average soil temperature of more than 72 degrees F. Ellabelle and Surrency soils have an umbric epipedon. Kanapaha and Plummer soils have a sandy epipedon more than 40 inches thick.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Pelham soils occur in poorly drained areas of the Coastal Plain. Slopes range up to 5 percent. Elevation is 15 to 450 feet. They occupy broad flats, toe slopes, depressions, and some drainageways. The soil formed in unconsolidated Coastal Plain sediments. The mean annual temperature is 60 to 70 degrees F., and mean annual rainfall is 40 to 55 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include the competing Alapaha, Ellabelle, Plummer, and Surrency series, and the Albany, Goldsboro, Leefield, Lynchburg, Ocilla, Osier, Paxville, Rains, Smithton, and Stilson series. Albany soils have sandy A horizons 40 to 60 inches thick. Goldsboro, Rains, and Smithton soils have sandy A horizon less than 20 inches thick. Leefield and Stilson soils have more than 5 percent plinthite above a depth of 60 inches. Lynchburg soils have matrix colors with chroma of 3 or more in the upper part of the Bt horizons and less than 20 inches of a sandy epipedon. Ocilla soils are somewhat poorly drained. Osier soils are sandy throughout. Paxville soils have an umbric epipedon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained; slow runoff; moderate permeability. Depth to water table ranges from +1.0 to 1.5 feet. Some areas are ponded and others are subject to brief periods of flooding.
USE AND VEGETATION: The native vegetation consists of slash pine, loblolly pine, and longleaf pine together with sweetgum, blackgum, water oak, and cypress. The understory is composed of gallberry, myrtle, swamp holly, and scattered palmettos, and ground cover is wiregrass and other water-tolerant grasses. Most areas of Pelham soils are used for forestry. Some areas are used for pasture and a few areas are used for growing vegetables and corn.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains from North Carolina to eastern Texas. Chiefly on low marine terraces in southern Georgia, southeast Alabama, northern Florida, eastern South Carolina, and southeastern Texas. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Auburn, Alabama.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Dougherty County, Georgia, 1965.
REMARKS: Diagnostic features and horizons recognized in this pedon:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface to approximately 26 inches (Ap and E horizons).
Albic horizon - the zone from approximately 6 to 26 inches (E horizon).
Arenic feature - the zone from the surface to approximately 26 inches (Ap, and E horizons).
Argillic horizon - the zone from approximately 26 to 68 inches (BEg, Btg1, Btg2, Btg3 horizons).
The SIR designations are: GA0015, GA0079, GA0088 and GA0098.
Pelham soils are in MLRAs 133A, 133B and 153A.
The type location was moved to Wilcox County, Georgia in 1994.