LOCATION SHELLBLUFF SC+GA NCEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, active, thermic Oxyaquic Dystrudepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Shellbluff silt loam--cultivated. (Colors are for moist soil.)
Ap--0 to 5 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) silty clay loam; moderate medium granular structure; friable; many fine roots; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
Bw1--5 to 12 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) silty clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; thin patchy faint coatings on faces of some peds; few fine roots; common fine pores; few fine flakes of mica; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary.
Bw2--12 to 24 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) silty clay loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; thin patchy faint coatings on faces of some peds; few fine pores; few fine flakes of mica; common fine prominent dark red (10R 3/6) masses of iron accumulations; moderately acid; gradual smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bw horizon is 14 to more than 40 inches thick)
BC--24 to 34 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) silty clay loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine flakes of mica; many medium prominent pale brown (10YR 6/3) iron depletions; strongly acid; diffuse smooth boundary. (0 to 15 inches thick)
C--34 to 80 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) silty clay loam; massive; friable; common fine flakes of mica; few medium distinct very dark gray (10YR 3/1) iron depletions and common medium prominent brown (7.5YR 5/4) masses of iron accumulation; strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Aiken County, South Carolina; about 30 miles southwest of Aiken on Cowden Plantation. From Jackson go about 0.5 mile south on State Highway 5; go southwest on county road for about 2.2 miles to Seaboard Coastline Railroad and entrance to Cowden Plantation; continue of farm road for about 4.5 miles taking two consecutive left forks to Bent Lake; proceed east for about 500 feet; take farm road north for about 1650 feet; go north on another farm road for about 75 feet. Site is in a cleared area about 35 feet south of center of road.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 20 to more than 40 inches. Depth to bedrock is more than 60 inches. The soil is very strongly acid to slightly acid throughout the profile. In most pedons, flakes of mica range from none to common in the upper part of the profile, and from few to common in the lower part.
The A or Ap horizon has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 2 to 8. The A horizon is silty clay loam, clay loam, silt loam, loam, very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or sandy loam.
The Bw horizon has hue of 5YR to 2.5Y, value of 4 to 5, and chroma of 4 to 8. Masses of iron accumulation in shades of red, brown, or yellow are in most pedons. At depths of 24 inches or more, iron depletions having chroma of 2 or less range from none to common. The Bw horizon is silty clay loam, clay loam, silt loam, or loam.
Some pedons have buried A and/or B horizons, below a depth of 25 inches, that have the same color and texture range as the A and B horizons.
The C or Cg horizon has hue of 5YR to 2.5Y, value of 3 to 8, and chroma of 1 to 8. Redoximorphic features in shades of red, brown, yellow, or gray are in most pedons. Texture of the horizon commonly is silty clay loam, clay loam, silt loam, or loam; or it is stratified silty clay loam, silt loam, sandy clay loam, loam, fine sandy loam, sandy loam, loamy fine sand, or loamy sand.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series with the same classification. Soils in closely related families include Cascilla, Cartecay, Chenneby, Chewacla, Congaree, Riverview, and Toccoa series. Cascilla soils do not have iron depletions in the upper 40 inches of the solum. Somewhat poorly drained Cartecay soils have a coarse-loamy particle size control section. Somewhat poorly drained Chenneby soils have iron depletions that have chroma of 2 or less within 24 inches of the surface. Somewhat poorly drained Chewacla, well drained Congaree, and well drained Riverview soils have a fine-loamy particle size control section. Toccoa soils have a coarse-loamy particle size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Shellbluff soils formed in fluvial sediments on flood plains along streams that drain from the Piedmont. Slopes are 0 to 3 percent. The mean annual temperature ranges from 60 to 67 degrees F.; the mean annual precipitation ranges from 44 to 48 inches; and the frost-free season ranges from 220 to 240 days. These soils flood for brief periods, mostly in winter and early spring.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include the competing Cartecay, Chewacla, Congaree, Riverview, and Toccoa series, plus Chastain, Toccoa and Wehadkee series. Poorly drained Chastain soils have a fine particle size control section. Poorly drained Wehadkee soils have a fine-loamy particle size class control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained or moderately well drained; slow runoff; moderate permeability. An apparent water table is at depths of 3 to 5 feet during the months of December to April in most years.
USE AND VEGETATION: Chiefly in woodland. Native vegetation is sweetgum, yellow poplar, oak, and some pine.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South Carolina and Georgia. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Raleigh, North Carolina
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Aiken County, South Carolina; 1982.
REMARKS: These soils were correlated as a taxadjunct to the Riverview series in the Edgefield County, South Carolina Soil Survey.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon--the zone from the surface of the soil to 5 inches (Ap horizon)
Cambic horizon--the zone from the 5 to 34 inches (Bw1, Bw2 and BC horizons)
MLRA = 136, 133A
ADDITIONAL DATA:
TABULAR SERIES DATA:
SOI-5 Soil Name Slope Airtemp FrFr/Seas Precip Elevation SC0095 SHELLBLUFF 0-3 57-70 220-240 44-48 100-1000SOI-5 FloodL FloodH Watertable Kind Months Bedrock Hardness SC0095 COMMON 3.0-5.0 APPARENT DEC-APR >60 -
SOI-5 Depth Texture 3-Inch No-10 Clay% -CEC- SC0095 0-5 SICL CL 0-0 95-100 27-35 6-20 SC0095 0-5 SIL L 0-0 95-100 10-27 6-15 SC0095 0-5 SL FSL VFSL 0-0 95-100 5-15 5-13 SC0095 5-80 SICL SIL L 0-0 95-100 18-35 5-21
SOI-5 Depth -pH- O.M. Salin Permeab Shnk-Swll SC0095 0-5 4.5-6.5 0.5-3.0 0-0 0.6-2.0 LOW SC0095 0-5 4.5-6.5 0.5-3.0 0-0 0.6-2.0 LOW SC0095 0-5 4.5-6.5 0.5-3.0 0-0 0.6-2.0 LOW SC0095 5-80 4.5-6.5 1.0-2.0 0-0 0.6-2.0 LOW