LOCATION SEARCY ALEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, active, thermic Aquic Paleudalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Searcy sandy clay loam, on a smooth 3 percent slope in loblolly pine woodland at an elevation of about 380 feet. (Colors are for moist soil.)
Ap--0 to 3 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) sandy clay loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; many fine and very fine roots; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (2 to 8 inches thick)
Bt1--3 to 8 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure which parts to strong fine subangular blocky; firm; common fine and medium roots and few coarse roots; few faint clay films on faces of peds; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bt2--8 to 18 inches; red (2.5YR 4/6) clay; moderate medium subangular blocky structure which parts to strong fine subangular blocky; firm; common fine, medium, and coarse roots; few faint clay films on faces of peds; common very fine flakes of mica; few fine distinct grayish brown (10YR 5/2) iron depletions; common medium distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) and yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bt3--18 to 31 inches; 35 percent red (2.5YR 4/6), 35 percent light brownish gray (10YR 6/2), and 30 percent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) clay; moderate medium subangular blocky structure which parts to strong fine subangular blocky; common fine and medium roots and few coarse roots; common distinct clay films on faces of peds; many very fine flakes of mica; areas of red and yellowish brown are masses of iron accumulation and areas of light brownish gray are iron depletions; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bt4--31 to 37 inches; 40 percent light brownish gray (10YR 6/2), 30 percent red (2.5YR 4/6), and 30 percent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) clay; moderate medium subangular blocky structure which parts to moderate fine subangular blocky; firm; few fine and medium roots; common distinct clay films on faces of peds; many very fine flakes of mica; areas of light brownish gray are iron depletions and areas of red and strong brown are masses of iron accumulation; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
2Bt5--37 to 55 inches; 40 percent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6), 30 percent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6), and 30 percent light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) clay; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; firm; few fine roots; distinct continuous clay films on faces of peds; common very fine flakes of mica; areas of strong brown and yelowish brown are masses of iron accumulation and areas of light brownish gray are iron depletions; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
2Bt6--55 to 65 inches; 50 percent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) and 50 percent gray (5Y 6/1) clay; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; firm; distinct continuous clay films on faces of peds; common very fine flakes of mica; areas of yellowish brown are masses of iron accumulation and areas of gray are iron depletions; extremely acid. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizon is 60 to 80 inches.)
TYPE LOCATION: Butler County, Alabama; about 4.5 miles north of Ft. Dale, about 2100 feet east and 2200 feet south of the northwest corner, Sec. 4, T.11N., R.14E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness is more than 60 inches. Reaction ranges from extremely acid to moderately acid throughout the solum except for the surface layer in areas where lime has been added. Content of fine or very fine flakes of mica ranges from few to many throughout the solum. Thin transition horizons with color and texture similar to adjacent horizons are present in some pedons.
The Ap or A horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 3 or 4, and chroma of 2 to 4. Texture is sandy loam or fine sandy loam in areas that have not been eroded and is loam, sandy clay loam, or clay loam in eroded areas.
Some pedons have a thin E horizon with hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 3 to 6. Texture is fine sandy loam, sandy loam, or loam.
The upper part of the Bt horizon has hue of 2.5YR to 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 4 to 6. Texture is commonly clay or sandy clay but some pedons have a thin layer of clay loam or sandy clay loam in the upper part. Redox depletions with chroma 2 or less are within 30 inches of the surface. The lower part of the Bt horizon has colors similar to those of the upper part or it does not have a dominant matrix color and is multicolored in shades of red, brown, and gray. Texture of the lower part is clay, sandy clay, or silty clay.
The 2Bt horizon, present in most pedons, does not have a dominant matrix color and is multicolored in shades of brown, yellow, gray, and red. Texture is clay, sandy clay, or silty clay. The 2Bt horizon has coarse or very coarse blocky structure.
The C horizon, present in some pedons, generally does not have a dominant matrix color and is multicolored in shades of brown, gray, and red. Texture is clay, silty clay, sandy clay, or clay loam. Reaction ranges from strongly acid to neutral.
COMPETING SERIES: These include the Huntsburg, Stigler, and Tamaha series. The Huntsburg soil has hue yellower than 7.5YR in the upper part of the argillic horizon and has average annual precipitation of 46 inches. The Stigler and Tamaha soils have hue yellower than 7.5YR in the argillic horizon and have average annual precipitation of 43 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Searcy soils are on broad, nearly level to moderately sloping ridgetops and strongly sloping side slopes in the transitional area between the Southern Coastal Plain and the Blackland Prairie MLRA's. They formed in clayey marine sediments. The climate is warm and humid. Average annual temperature ranges from 63 to 67 degrees F. and average annual precipitation ranges from 53 to 60 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Brantley, Freest, Demopolis, Oktibbeha, Sumter, and Watsonia soils. The Brantley soils are on narrower ridges and steeper side slopes than the Searcy soils and have a decrease in clay content within 60 inches of the surface. The Freest soils are on terraces at lower elevations and are fine-loamy. The Demopolis and Watsonia soils generally are on lower, more dissected positions and are shallow to soft bedrock. Sumter soils are also on lower positions and are moderately deep to soft bedrock. Oktibbeha soils are on slightly lower positions and have vertic properties.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Searcy soils are moderately well drained. Runoff is slow to medium and permeability is slow. A water table is perched at a depth of 2 to 3.5 feet for short periods during winter and early spring.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are in woodland and are used for timber production and wildlife habitat. Common trees include loblolly pine, shortleaf pine, sweetgum, white oak, hickory, and red oak. Some areas have been cleared for use as cropland, pastureland, and hayland. Common crops include soybeans, corn, cotton, and wheat.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South-central Alabama. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Auburn, Alabama
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Butler County, Alabama; 1996. The series name is that of a small community in Butler County.
REMARKS: The Searcy series has been included in mapping with the Brantley and Kipling series.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface to about 3 inches (Ap horizon)
Argillic horizon - the zone from about 3 inches to 65 inches (Bt and 2Bt horizons)
Aquic properties - evidence of a seasonal high water table; redox depletions of chroma 2 or less within a depth of 30 inches of the surface.
Additional data: Physical and chemical characterization data from Auburn University are available for the typical pedon (S89AL-013-9).