LOCATION SCRANTON FL+AL GA SC
Established Series
Rev. DLL/GRB
02/2014
SCRANTON SERIES
The Scranton series consists of very deep, poorly drained, rapidly permeable soils on broad flats of the Southern Coastal Plain (MLRA 133A), the Gulf Coast Flatwoods (MLRA 152A) and the Atlantic Coast Flatwoods (MLRA 153A) Major Land Resource Areas. They formed in sandy marine sediments. Near the type location, the mean annual temperature is about 69 degrees F., and the mean annual precipitation is about 55 inches. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Siliceous, thermic Humaqueptic Psammaquents
TYPICAL PEDON: Scranton fine sand--forested (Colors are for moist soil).
A1--0 to 9 inches; black (2.5Y 2.5/1) fine sand; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many fine and medium roots; common distinct gray (2.5Y 5/1) stripped sand grains; very strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary.
A2--9 to 18 inches; dark gray (2.5Y 4/1) fine sand; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many fine and medium roots; few fine gray (2.5Y 5/1) stripped sand grains; few fine distinct dark olive brown (2.5Y 3/3) areas of more organic carbon than matrix; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizons range from 8 to 20 inches).
Cg1--18 to 23 inches; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) fine sand; single grained; loose; many fine roots; few fine distinct olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) areas of more organic carbon than matrix; very strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary.
Cg2--23 to 37 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) fine sand; single grained; loose; few fine roots; few medium distinct light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) areas of more organic carbon than matrix and few fine distinct dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) areas of more organic carbon than matrix; very strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary.
Cg3--37 to 62 inches; 40 percent brownish yellow (10YR 6/6), 30 percent dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2), 20 percent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6), and 10 percent dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) fine sand; single grained; loose; few fine roots; the areas of brownish yellow, yellowish brown, and dark yellowish brown are areas of more organic carbon than matrix and the areas of dark grayish brown are organic matter depletions; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Cg4--62 to 80 inches; 30 percent dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2), 30 percent brown (10YR 4/3), 30 percent grayish brown (10YR 5/2), and 10 percent very dark brown (10YR 2/2) fine sand; single grained; loose; the areas of brown and very dark brown are areas of more organic carbon than matrix and the areas of dark grayish brown and grayish brown are organic matter depletions; very strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Liberty County, Florida; Apalachicola National Forest. Latitude 30 degrees, 6 minutes, 25 seconds N., longitude 84 degrees, 51 minutes, and 20 seconds W. USGS Owens Bridge topographic quadrangle.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Content of silt plus clay ranges from 5 to 20 percent in the particle size control section. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid to strongly acid in the A horizon and from very strongly acid to moderately acid throughout the rest of the profile.
The A or Ap horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 2 to 4, and chroma of 0 to 2; or it is neutral with value of 2 or 3. Where the value is 3 or less, it is a thickness of at least 8 inches. Many pedons exhibit streaking and stripping. Texture is loamy fine sand, loamy sand, fine sand, or sand.
The upper part of the Cg horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 0 to 2, or it is neutral with value of 4 or 5. The lower part of the C horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 8, and chroma of 0 to 2; or it is neutral with value of 5 to 8. Redoximorphic features in shades of brown, yellow, and gray range from few to many. Some pedons have dominant chroma of greater than 2 in the upper part of the C horizon because of the color of the sand grains. Texture is loamy sand, fine sand, or sand.
COMPETING SERIES:
Melhomes is the only known series in the same family. Melhomes soils are confined to Texas primarily in the
Willis
Formation in areas of less rainfall.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Scranton soils are on broad flats of the Coastal Plain. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent. They formed in sandy Coastal Plain sediments. The climate is humid subtropical. Near the type location, the average annual temperature ranges from 68 to 70 degrees F., and the average annual precipitation ranges from 52 to 58 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include the
Cainhoy,
Chipley,
Goldsboro,
Lakeland,
Leon,
Lynchburg,
Ocilla,
Osier,
Pelham,
Plummer, and
Rutlege series. The excessively drained Cainhoy and Lakeland soils are on higher adjacent positions. The somewhat poorly drained Chipley soils are on slightly higher positions. The moderately well drained Goldsboro soils are on slightly higher positions and have fine-loamy subsoils. Leon soils are on similar positions and have a Spodic horizon. The somewhat poorly drained Lynchburg and Ocilla soils are on slightly higher positions. In addition, Lynchburg soils have fine-loamy subsoils and Ocilla soils have sandy surface and subsurface layers 20 to 40 inches in thickness. Osier soils are on similar positions but do not have dark surface layers. Pelham and Plummer soils are on similar positions. In addition, Pelham soils have sandy surface and subsurface layers 20 to 40 inches in thickness while Plummer soils have sandy surface and subsurface layers 40 to 80 inches in thickness. The very poorly drained Rutlege soils are on similar to slightly lower positions and have Umbric epipedons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained; rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: The principal use of Scranton soils are forest or planted pine. Cultivated areas are used for growing corn, small grains, soybeans, and pasture grasses such as Bahiagrass and Coastal Bermuda grass and annual lespedeza. The natural vegetation is dominated by longleaf pine, slash pine, sweetgum, and wax myrtle.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South Carolina, Florida and Alabama. The series is of small known extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Auburn, Alabama.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Jackson County, Mississippi; 1909.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from the soil surface to a depth of 18 inches (A1 and A2 horizons).
Darkened surface layer (too thin for mollic or umbric horizon).
The water table is within 6 to 18 inches of the surface up to 6 months in most years. Internal drainage is impeded by a high water table during wet periods.
The Scranton series was transferred from South Carolina to Florida.
Scranton soils are in MLRAs 133A, 152A and 153A.
ADDITIONAL DATA:
SOI-5 Soil Name Slope Airtemp FrFr/Seas Precip Elevation
SC0075 SCRANTON 0- 2 60- 68 220-290 52- 58 0-450
SOI-5 FloodL FloodH Wtable Kind Months Bedrock
SC0075 NONE RARE 0.5-1.5 APPARENT NOV-APR >60
SOI-5 Depth Texture 3-Inch No-10 Clay% -CEC-
SC0075 0-18 LS LFS 0- 0 100-100 5-12 0.5-2
SC0075 0-18 S FS 0- 0 95-100 2-12 0.2-1
SC0075 7-37 LS S FS 0- 0 95-100 3-12 0.5-2
SC0075 37-72 S FS 0- 0 95-100 2-10 0.2-1
SOI-5 Depth -pH- O.M. Salin Permeab Shnk-Swll
SC0075 0-18 4.5- 6.5 1.-4. 0-0 6.0- 20 LOW
SC0075 0-18 4.5- 6.5 1.-4. 0-0 6.0- 20 LOW
SC0075 7-37 4.5- 6.0 - 0-0 6.0- 20 LOW
SC0075 37-72 4.5- 6.0 - 0-0 6.0- 20 LOW
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.