LOCATION PINELLAS FLEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, siliceous, superactive, hyperthermic Arenic Endoaqualfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Pinellas fine sand--range. (Colors are for moist soil.)
A--0 to 3 inches; black (10YR 2/1) rubbed, fine sand; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many fine and medium roots; mixture of organic matter and light gray (10YR 7/1) sand grains have a salt-and-pepper appearance; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
E1--3 to 8 inches; gray (10YR 6/1) fine sand; single grained; loose; many fine, medium, and coarse roots; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary.
E2--8 to 18 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) fine sand; single grained; loose; many medium roots, few coarse roots; common coarse faint very pale brown (10YR 7/4) masses of iron accumulation and few medium faint white (10YR 8/1) areas of stripped sand; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the E horizons range from 5 to 26 inches)
Bk1--18 to 25 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/3) fine sand; weak fine granular structure; very friable; few coarse roots; many soft masses of calcium carbonate in interstices between sand grains; sand grains are thinly coated with calcium carbonate; calcareous; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary.
Bk2--25 to 35 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) fine sand; single grained; loose; few fine and medium roots; many soft masses of calcium carbonate in interstices and in many root channels; sand grains are thinly coated with calcium carbonate; common coarse distinct brownish yellow (10YR 6/8) masses of iron accumulation; calcareous; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bk horizons range from 17 to 34 inches)
Btg1--35 to 48 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) fine sandy loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly sticky; common fine and medium roots; common very pale brown (10YR 8/2) few soft masses of calcium carbonates in root channels; sand grains are bridged and coated with clay; few lenses of uncoated sand grains; common coarse faint olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) masses of iron accumulation; slightly alkaline; gradual wavy boundary.
Btg2--48 to 54 inches; gray (5Y 5/1) fine sandy loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly sticky; very pale brown (10YR 8/2) few soft masses of calcium carbonate in root channels; sand grains are bridged and coated with clay; few fine faint olive (5Y 5/4) masses of iron accumulation; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Btg horizons range from 10 to 30 inches.)
2C--54 to 80 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) gravelly sand; single grained; loose; about 25 percent, by volume, shell fragments; calcareous; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Pinellas County, Florida. Approximately 0.75 mile southeast of junction of U.S. Highway 19 and 49th Street North, about 200 feet east of U.S. 19, and about 2.0 miles northeast of Pinellas Park; SE 1/4, NW 1/4, SW 1/4, Sec. 22, T. 30 S., R. 16 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 30 to 60 inches. Reaction of the A and E horizon ranges from strongly acid to slightly alkaline. The Bk horizon is calcareous. The Btg and C horizons range from slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 2 to 6, and chroma of 1 or 2; or it is neutral with value of 2 to 6. Texture is sand, fine sand, loamy sand, or loamy fine sand.
The E horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 8, and chroma of 1 to 3; or it is neutral with value of 5 to 8. Redoximorphic features in shades of brown, yellow, and gray range from none to common. Texture is sand or fine sand.
The Bk horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 5 to 8, and chroma of 2 or 3. Accumulations of calcium carbonate occur as coatings on sand grains, in the interstices between sand grains, are more than 6 inches thick, have more than 15 percent calcium carbonate equivalent, and are more than 5 percent higher than the underlying horizons. Texture is sand or fine sand.
The Btg horizon has hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 4 to 8, and chroma of 1 or 2; or it is neutral with value of 4 to 7. Redoximorphic features in shades of brown, yellow, olive, or gray range from none to common. In some pedons, this horizon has accumulations of calcium carbonate in root channels but calcium carbonate equivalent is less than 5 percent. Texture is fine sandy loam, sandy loam, or sandy clay loam.
The C horizon, where present, occurs over layers of shell fragments in some pedons. They have the same range of colors as the Btg horizon. Texture is sand or fine sand.
The 2C horizon, where present, is a mixture of sand and shell fragments in varying proportions. Color is largely dependent on color of the shell, but the sand has color similar to the Btg horizon. Texture is the gravelly to extremely gravelly analogs of sand or fine sand.
COMPETING SERIES: These include the Boca, Felda, and Isles soils in the same the family. All are very poorly or poorly drained and Boca and Felda soils are on similar to lower positions. In addition, Boca soils are moderately deep to hard limestone bedrock, Felda soils lack calcareous E horizons, while Isles soils are on lower positions and are deep to limestone bedrock.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Pinellas soils are in areas bordering sloughs and shallow depressions. Slopes are less than 2 percent. They formed in sandy marine sediments over loamy materials. The climate is humid subtropical. The average annual precipitation ranges from 50 to 60 inches, and the average annual air temperature ranges from 72 to 74 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include the competing Boca and Felda soils and the Astor, Basinger, Bradenton, Delray, Holopaw, Manatee, Oldsmar, Parkwood, Pineda, Pompano, Riviera, Valkaria, and Wabasso series. The very poorly drained Astor, Delray, and Manatee soils are on lower positions and are Mollisols. In addition, Delray soils have sandy surface and subsurface layers 40 to 80 inches in thickness and Manatee soils have sandy surface and subsurface layers less than 20 inches in thickness. The poorly and very poorly drained Basinger and Valkaria soils are on similar to lower positions, are sandy throughout, and have weakly expressed spodic horizons. Bradenton soils are on higher and lower positions and have sandy surface and subsurface layers less than 20 inches in thickness. The poorly and very poorly drained Holopaw soils are on similar positions and have sandy surface and subsurface layers 40 to 80 inches thick. The very poorly and poorly drained Oldsmar and Wabasso soils are Spodosols. In addition, Oldsmar soils are on similar positions while Wabasso soils are on similar to lower positions and have argillic horizons less than 37 inches from the surface. Parkwood soils are on similar positions and have mollic epipedon. Pineda and Riviera soils have E horizons that tongue into the argillic horizon. The very poorly drained Pompano soils are on similar to lower positions and are sandy throughout.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained; moderately rapid to rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are used for native range or grazed woodland. A few areas on which water control measures have been established are used for growing citrus or improved pasture. The natural vegetation consists of cabbage palm, sawpalmetto, scattered slash pine, inkberry, maidencane, and pineland threeawn.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Peninsular Florida. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Auburn, Alabama.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Palm Beach County Area, Florida; 1975.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface to a depth of 18 inches (A and E horizons)
Albic horizon - the zone from 3 to 18 inches (E1 and E2 horizons).
Argillic horizon - the zone from 35 and 54 inches (Btg1 and Btg2 horizons).
Pinellas soils were formerly mapped in the Keri series as a loamy substratum phase. This concept limits the series to those soils that have calcareous E horizons over a Btg horizon.
The water table is within depths of 12 inches for less than 3 months and is 12 to 40 inches deep for 2 to 6 months during most years. It may recede to depths of more than 40 inches during extended dry seasons.