LOCATION ROME               GA
Established Series
Rev. RLW:HCD
02/2003

ROME SERIES


The Rome series consists of deep, well drained moderately permeable soils on stream terraces. These soils have light olive brown fine sandy loam A horizons, brownish loam, clay loam, and sandy clay loam Bt horizons over mottled brownish yellow sandy clay loam BC horizons. Slopes range from 0 to 6 percent. Near the type location, the mean annual temperature is about 60 degrees F, and mean annual precipitation is about 53 inches.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, semiactive, thermic Typic Hapludults

TYPICAL PEDON: Rome fine sandy loam - cultivated. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)

Ap--0 to 9 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) fine sandy loam; weak fine granular structure; very friable; common fine roots; few fine pores; 2 percent black concretions; moderately acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)

Btl--9 to 20 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine roots and pores; 5 percent black concretions; few faint clay films on faces of peds; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (9 to 30 inches thick)

Bt2--20 to 34 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) clay loam; common fine distinct brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) and yellowish red (5YR 4/6) mottles; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine roots and pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds; 5 percent black concretions; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (10 to 26 inches thick)

Bt3--34 to 53 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) sandy clay loam; common fine and medium prominent yellowish red (5YR 4/6) and few fine prominent very pale brown (10YR 7/4) mottles; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine roots and pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds; 3 percent black concretions; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (6 to 20 inches thick)

BC--53 to 66 inches; brownish yellow (10YR 6/8) sandy clay loam; many fine distinct pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) and common medium prominent yellowish red (5YR 4/6) mottles; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; very strongly acid. (10 to 20 inches thick)

TYPE LOCATION: Floyd County, Georgia; 1.3 miles south of Post Office, Coosa, Georgia, on Georgia Highway 100; 3.0 miles west of Georgia Highway 100 to Clemmons River Bend farm, 0.5 mile southwest of farmstead.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 60 to more than 72 inches. The soil is strongly acid or very strongly acid, except those surface horizons which have been limed. Black concretions range from few to common in the A horizon and from common to many in the Bt horizon. Flakes of mica range from none to common and fragments range from 0 to 5 percent throughout the solum. The clay content of the control section ranges from 18 to 35 percent, but commonly is 25 to 35 percent, and silt content ranges from 25 to 50 percent.

The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4, 5 or 6, and chroma of 3, 4 or 6. It is loam, fine sandy loam, or silt loam.

The Bt1 horizon has hue of 7.5YR, 10YR or 2.5Y; value of 4, 5 or 6; and chroma of 4, 6 or 8. It is clay loam or loam.

The Bt2 and Bt3 horizons have hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4, 5, or 6, and chroma of 3, 4, 6 or 8. Mottles are common to many fine to coarse reddish, brownish and yellowish. Some pedons have gray mottles in the Bt3 horizon more than 24 inches below the surface. The Bt2 and Bt3 horizons are clay loam, sandy clay loam, loam, or silty clay loam.

The BC horizon has the same matrix color range as the Bt2 and Bt3 horizons with common to many reddish, brownish, yellowish and grayish mottles. It is clay loam or sandy clay loam.

The C horizon, where present, is mottled red, brown, gray, and white sandy loam or sandy clay loam, including gravelly and very gravelly counterparts.

COMPETING SERIES: These include the Cheaha, Fruithurst, Rion, Sherless, Sherwood, State, Tidings, and Wickham series of the same family and the Altavista, Apison, Choccolocco, Euharlee and Whitwell series of closely related families. Apison and Euharlee soils are in a siliceous family. Altavista and Whitwell soils have mottles with chroma of 2 or less within 24 inches of the top of the argillic horizon. Cheaha and Sherless soils have bedrock at depths less than 40 inches. Choccolocco soils have less than 15 percent of the control section as coarse or coarser than fine sand. Fruithurst, Rion and Tidings soils have sola that are 20 to 40 inches deep. Sherwood soils have bedrock at depths less than 60 inches. State soils have solum thickness of 30 to 60 inches. Wickham soils have Bt horizons with 5YR or redder hue.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Rome soils are on level to gently sloping broad stream terraces in Southern Appalachian Ridges and Valleys, Piedmont Plateau, and Blue Ridge Mountains. Slopes range from 0 to 6 percent. The soils formed in alluvium. The mean annual temperature is about 60 to 67 degrees F, and the mean annual precipitation is about 45 to 55 inches.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include the competing Choccolocco, Etowah, and Whitwell series, and the Capshaw, Cedarbluff, Holston, Masada, Toccoa, and Wolftever series. Capshaw, Masada, and Wolftever soils have more than 35 percent clay in upper 20 inches of argillic horizon. In addition, Capshaw soils have base saturation more than 35 percent, and Wolftever soils have mottles with chroma 2 or less in upper 24 inches of argillic horizon. Cedarbluff soils have mottles with chroma of 2 or less in upper argillic horizon. Holston soils have less than 20 percent clay decrease within 60 inches of surface. Toccoa soils lack argillic horizons.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well-drained; slow to medium runoff; moderate permeability. Some areas on slopes of less than 2 percent have a rare flood hazard.

USE AND VEGETATION: Soils are mostly under cultivation with corn, cotton, hay, and soybeans the principal crops. Some areas are used for pasture. Native vegetation consists of oaks, beech, sycamore, sweetgum, loblolly, and shortleaf pine.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Alabama and Tennessee. The series is of moderate extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Floyd County, Georgia, 1975; Chattooga, Floyd, and Polk counties, Georgia, survey area.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons recognized in this pedon are:

Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface to approximately 9 inches (Ap horizon).

Argillic horizon - the zone approximately 9 to 53 inches (Bt1, Bt2, Bt3, horizons).


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.