LOCATION SHACK GA+TNEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, siliceous, semiactive, thermic Fragic Paleudults
TYPICAL PEDON: Shack cherty silt loam - woodland. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 6 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) cherty silt loam; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many fine and medium roots; 25 percent chert fragments; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
E--6 to 10 inches; pale olive (5Y 6/3) cherty silt loam; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many fine and medium roots; 20 percent chert fragments; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (4 to 11 inches thick)
Bt1--10 to 21 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) cherty loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine roots; few fine and few coarse pores; 20 percent chert fragments; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (3 to 13 inches thick)
Bt2--21 to 31 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) cherty clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine roots; common fine pores; 20 percent chert fragments; very strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (6 to 18 inches thick)
Btx1--31 to 38 inches; mottled light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4), yellowish brown (10YR 5/8), strong brown (7.5YR 5/6), and gray (5Y 6/1) cherty clay loam; weak medium angular blocky structure; firm, compact and slightly brittle in about 30 percent of the yellowish brown and strong brown areas; 35 percent chert fragments by volume; common medium pores; few fine roots in gray areas; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (12 to 20 inches thick)
Btx2--38 to 46 inches; mottled strong brown (7.5YR 5/6), red (2.5YR 4/6), and light gray (5Y 7/1) cherty clay loam; moderate medium angular blocky and platy structure; firm, compact and slightly brittle in about 45 percent of volume (strong brown areas); 30 percent chert fragments; few roots in the light gray material; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
B't1--46 to 55 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) cherty clay loam; many medium distinct light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) and few medium distinct gray (5Y 6/1) mottles; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm; 15 percent chert fragments; few fine pores; very strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (5 to 21 inches thick)
B't2--55 to 67 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) cherty clay, many medium prominent red (2.5YR 4/6) and common medium prominent gray (5Y 6/1) and light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) mottles; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm; 20 percent by volume chert fragments; few pores; very strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Floyd County, Georgia; 3.9 miles east of traffic light in Cave Spring, Georgia, along paved county road to Big Cedar Creek bridge, then south on dirt road l/4 mile to Chubtown and Jim Shack Roads intersection, 100 feet north of intersection and 10 feet east of Jim Shack Road.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 60 to more than 80 inches. Depth to hard bedrock is more than 8 feet. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid to strongly acid, except surface horizons which have been limed. Clay content of the control section ranges from 20 to 35 percent and silt ranges from 30 to 55 percent. Chert content ranges from 15 to 35 percent in all horizons. Depth to horizons with 40 to 60 percent brittle properties ranges from 20 to 40 inches.
The A horizon has hue of 5Y, 2.5Y, or 10YR; value of 3 to 6; and chroma of 1, 2, 3, or 4. It is cherty silt loam, cherty loam or cherty sandy loam.
The E horizon has hue of 5Y, 2.5Y, or 10YR; value of 5 or 6; and chroma of 2, 3, 4, or 6. It is cherty silt loam, cherty loam, or cherty sandy loam.
The Bt1 and Bt2 horizons have hue of 2.5Y, 10YR, or 7.5YR; value of 5 or 6; and chroma of 4, 6, or 8. The Bt1 horizon is cherty clay loam, cherty silty clay loam, or cherty silt loam. The Bt2 horizon is cherty clay loam, cherty silty clay loam, or cherty loam.
The Btx horizons are mottled with shades of red, brown, yellow, and gray. Gray colors are more than 30 inches below the surface. The Btx1 has as much as 10 to 50 percent brittle properties and the Btx2 has 40 to 60 percent brittle properties. They are cherty clay loam, cherty silty clay loam, or cherty loam.
The B't horizons have hue of 2.5YR, 5YR, 7.5YR, or 10YR; value of 4, 5, or 6; and chroma of 4, 6, or 8 with few to many mottles in shades of red, gray, brown, or yellow or are mottled in these shades. Texture is cherty clay or cherty clay loam.
COMPETING SERIES: The
Tasso series in the same family and the
Allen,
Ardilla,
Bodine,
Bowie,
Carnegie,
Cedarbluff,
Cowarts,
Etowah,
Holston,
Leesburg,
Minvale, and
Smithdale series in other families. Tasso soils have less than 15 percent coarse fragments above the fragipan. Allen, Minvale, and Smithdale soils have reddish upper Bt horizons and lack fragic properties. Ardilla, Bowie, Carnegie, and Cowarts soils have more than 5 percent plinthite. Bodine soils contain from 35 to 90 percent by
volume of chert. Cedarbluff soils are somewhat poorly drained. Etowah and Holston soils have less than 15 percent coarse fragments. Leesburg soils lack horizons that are compact and brittle in parts of some horizons.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Shack soils are on side slopes and ridgetops in the Southern Appalachian Ridges and Valleys. Slopes range from 2 to 25 percent. The soil formed in residuum from cherty limestone, interbedded with small amounts of sandstone, siltstone, and shale. The mean annual temperature is about 60 to 65 degrees F, and the mean annual precipitation is about 45 to 55 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Bodine and Minvale series and the Ennis, Euharlee, Fullerton, and Lobelville series. Ennis and Lobelville soils on adjacent flood plains lack argillic horizons. Euharlee soils have less than 15 percent coarse fragments. Fullerton soils are more clayey.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained; medium runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most of the soil is in forest of pine or mixed pine and hardwood. Cleared areas are used for cotton, corn, soybeans, or pasture.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Southern Appalachian Ridges and Valleys (MLRA 128) of Georgia, 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: The 8/01 revision assigns a semiactive CEC activity class to the series.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 10 inches (A and E horizons).
Argillic horizon - the zone from approximately 10 to 67 inches (Bt1, Bt2, Btx1, Btx2, B't1, B't2 horizons).
Fragic feature - the occurrence of 40 to 60 percent brittleness in the 38 to 46 inches zone (Btx2).