LOCATION SANDBANK                FL

Tentative Series
ARW
09/2026

SANDBANK SERIES

MLRA(s)--152A
Depth class--Very deep
Drainage class--Subaqueous
Water depth range--0 to 2 meters (0 to 6 feet)
Parent material--Sandy estuarine deposits
Geomorphic location--Estuarine tidal stream deltas
Slope range--0 to 2 percent
Mean annual air temperature--21 degrees C (70 degrees F)
Mean annual water temperature--24 degrees C (75 degrees F)

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Siliceous, hyperthermic Fluventic Psammowassents

TYPICAL PEDON: Sandbank fine sand on a fluviomarine bottom under 0.3 meters of brackish water. (colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated; electrical conductivity is 1:5 by volume solution mixture unless otherwise stated).

Cseg1--0 to 41 centimeters; black (N 2.5/) fine sand; single grain; nonsticky, nonplastic; nonfluid; 5 percent very fine mixed mica flakes throughout; slight sulfurous odor; color change with 3 percent hydrogen peroxide; strong effervescence with 30 percent hydrogen peroxide; saline (2.7 dS/m); strongly alkaline (pH 8.5), very strongly acid (pH 4.7) oxidized pH; abrupt boundary

Cseg2--41 to 132 centimeters; 90 precent olive gray (5Y 4/2) and 5 percent black (N 2.5/) and 5 percent dark gray (5Y 4/1) fine sand; single grain; nonsticky, nonplastic; nonfluid; few very fine and coarse roots throughout; 5 percent very fine mixed mica flakes throughout; 2 percent shell fragments; slight sulfurous odor; no color change with 3 percent hydrogen peroxide; moderate effervescence with 30 percent hydrogen peroxide; saline (2.6 dS/m); strongly alkaline (pH 8.7), strongly acid (pH 5.2) oxidized pH; clear boundary

Cseg3--132 to 200 centimeters; 60 percent very dark gray (2.5Y 3/1) and 30 percent gray (2.5Y 5/1) and 10 percent dark gray (2.5Y 4/1) fine sand; single grain; nonsticky, nonplastic; nonfluid; few fine roots throughout; 5 percent very fine mixed mica flakes throughout; 2 percent shell fragments; strong sulfurous odor; no color change with 3 percent hydrogen peroxide; moderate effervescence with 30 percent hydrogen peroxide; saline (2.4 dS/m); moderately alkaline (pH 8.4), extremely acid (pH 3.5) oxidized pH; thin lenses of sapric soil material at the bottom of the horizon

TYPE LOCATION: Franklin County, Florida; East Bay; approximately 4.5 kilometers (2.8 miles) west of Eastpoint Public Park, approximately 11.1 kilometers (6.9 miles) north of the terminus of Forsythia Trail on St George Island, and approximately 5.8 kilometers (3.6) miles east of Turtle Harbor; USGS topographic quadrangle: Apalachicola, FL

Latitude--29.738603
Longitude-- -84.944724
Datum--WGS84
Coordinate source--from hand-held GPS

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to bedrock--Greater than 200 centimeters
Manner of failure--Nonfluid to slightly fluid throughoutSulfurous odor--None to strong throughout
Soil reaction--Neutral to moderately alkaline throughout profile (pH 6.6 to 8.4)
Oxidized reaction--Extremely acid to neutral throughout profile (pH 3.5 to 7.3)
Electrical conductivity (1:5 soil to water solution)--0.8 to 4.0 dS m-1 throughout profile
Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Shell fragments--0 to 10 percent
Wood fragments--0 to 20 percent
Sand--75 to 98 percent
Clay--1 to 8 percent
Total soil organic carbon stock 0 to 100 centimeters--3 to 6 kg m-2
Total soil organic carbon stock 0 to 200 centimeters--8 to 18 kg m-2

Aseg horizon (where present):
Hue--10YR to 10Y or N
Value--2 to 4
Chroma--0 to 2
Texture--Sand, fine sand, loamy sand, or loamy fine sand
Organic carbon density--2 to 10 kg m-3

Cseg horizons:
Hue--10YR to 10Y or N
Value--2.5 to 5
Chroma--0 to 2
Texture--Sand, fine sand, loamy sand, loamy fine sand, some horizons contain fine strata of sandy loam lamellae
Organic carbon density--2 to 20 kg m-3

COMPETING SERIES:
These are the Broadaxe, Eastpoint, Lutz, McKissack, Mullet, Pelican Reef, and Thalinectes series.
Broadaxe soils--Formed on submerged wave-cut platforms and contain buried spodic horizons.
Eastpoint soils--Formed on submerged wave-cut platforms from sandy lagoonal deposits and do not have mica present throughout the profile.
Lutz soils--Formed on flood-tidal deltas from sandy lagoonal deposits, do not have mica present throughout the profile, and do not have oxidized pHs below 7.8.
McKissack soils--Formed on brackish estuarine tidal streams from eroded spodic soil materials, have between 6 to 12 kg m-2 organic carbon from 0 to 100 centimeters and organic stains between sand grains.
Mullet soils--Formed on washover-fan flats and do not have mica present throughout the profile.
Pelican Reef soils--Formed on relict flood-tidal deltas from sandy lagoonal deposits, do not have mica present through the profile.
Thalinectes soils--Formed in sandy lagoonal and marine deposits on washover-fans and longshore bars and have higher soil organic carbon densities.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landscape--Bays and Lagoons along the Gulf Coast
Landform--Estuarine tidal stream deltas
Parent material--Sandy estuarine deposits
Slope--0 to 2 percent
Water depth range--0 to 2 meters (0 to 6 feet) below mean sea level
Water salinity range--5 to 20 parts per thousand
Water temperature range--18 to 30 degrees C (64 to 86 degrees F)
Soil temperature range--19 to 27 degrees C (66 to 81 degrees F)

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
These are the Apalachicola, Cash, Dregs, and Lighter soils.
Apalachicola soils--Are on bay and lagoon bottoms and formed in fine-loamy lagoonal deposits.
Cash soils--Are on mainland coves and formed in fine-loamy estuarine deposits.
Dregs soils--Are on dredge-deposits shoals and formed in sandy human-transported materials
Lighter soils--Are on brackish estuarine tidal streams and formed in fine-loamy estuarine deposits.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class--Subaqueous
Saturated hydraulic conductivity--High to very high
Soil moisture regime--Peraquic
Soil is continuously inundated by brackish or salt water.

USE AND VEGETATION:
Major uses--The area is used for recreational fishing, hunting, and boating. Some areas may support limited aquatic habitat.
Typical vegetation--Vegetation presence is largely determined by energy of depositional flow. In areas where turbidity is low, tape grass (Vallisneria spiralis) may establish or species of brown algae.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
General area--Bays and Lagoons on the Gulf Coast of Florida
Land Resource Region(s)--T - Atlantic and Gulf Coast Lowland Forest and Crop Region
MLRA(s)--152A
Extent--Small

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Special Projects Office

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Franklin County, Florida, 2026

REMARKS:
Typical Pedon Taxonomic Features:
Reduced matrix--The zone from 0 to 200 centimeters has a soil color matrix chroma of 2 or less
Hyposulfidic materials--The zone from 0 to 132 centimeters has an initial pH that decreases by 1 or more units but remains at a value of 4.0 or more after 16 weeks of moist aerobic incubation
Hypersulfidic materials--The zone from 132 to 200 centimeters has an initial pH that decreased by 1 or more units and is less than 4.0 after 16 weeks of moist aerobic incubation
Peraquic feature--Zero or positive soil water potential at the soil surface (permanently submerged)
Taxonomic Version: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Thirteenth Edition, 2022
Other: Named after sand banks, which are depositional, levee like features in river deltas. Sandbank soils were previously mapped as water in Florida soil surveys.

NASIS User Site and Pedon ID: S2024FL037022
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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.