LOCATION SPARR FLEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, siliceous, subactive, hyperthermic Grossarenic Paleudults
TYPICAL PEDON: Sparr fine sand--cultivated. (Colors are for moist soil.)
Ap1--0 to 5 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) fine sand; moderate medium and coarse crumb structure; very friable; many fine and few medium roots; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Ap2--5 to 8 inches; 33 percent dark gray (10YR 4/1), 33 percent grayish brown (10YR 5/2), and 34 percent pale brown (10YR 6/3) fine sand; weak medium crumb structure; very friable; many fine and few medium roots; the areas of grayish brown and pale brown are clean sand grains; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizon ranges from 3 to 10 inches.)
E--8 to 39 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/4) fine sand; single grained; loose; common fine roots; many uncoated sand grains; few medium and coarse grayish brown (10YR 5/2) krotovina; common fine distinct light gray (10YR 7/1) clean sand grains; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (29 to 68 inches thick)
EB--39 to 48 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) fine sand; single grained; loose; few fine roots; common fine distinct light gray (10YR 7/1) areas of iron depletions; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 20 inches thick)
Bt--48 to 56 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) fine sandy loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; very few fine roots; few fine pores; common distinct clay bridging between sand grains; about 3 percent, by volume, plinthite; common medium prominent yellowish red (5YR 5/8) masses of iron accumulation and few fine distinct gray (10YR 6/1) iron depletions; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
Btg--56 to 72 inches; gray (N 5/0) sandy clay; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; very few roots; few fine pores; clay films on faces of peds; about 2 percent, by volume, plinthite; common fine and medium prominent yellowish red (5YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulations; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (12 to 30 inches thick)
BCg--72 to 100 inches; gray (N 5/0) sandy clay loam with lenses of sandy loam material; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common medium distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) and few fine distinct pale brown (10YR 6/3) masses of iron accumulation; very strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Marion County, Florida; about 4.1 miles south of Ocala and 0.25 mile west of U.S. Highway 441. NW1/4, SE1/4, Sec. 4, T. 16 S., R. 22 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness is 60 or more inches. Soil reaction ranges from extremely acid to slightly acid throughout, except where the surface has been limed. Some pedons have up to 2 percent cobble or stone-size chert fragments at the soil surface or within the solum.
The A or Ap horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 2 to 5, and chroma of 1 or 2. Some pedons have mixed horizons and are multicolored in shades of gray and brown. Texture is sand or fine sand.
The E horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 4 to 8, and chroma of 1 to 4. Where chroma of 1 or 2 is in the upper part, it is due to clean sand grains and not to wetness. Redoximorphic features in shades of brown, or yellow and below 18 inches, gray, range from none to common. Texture is sand or fine sand.
The EB horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 4 to 8. Redoximorphic depletions in shades of gray range from few to many. Texture is sand or fine sand.
Some pedons have a BE horizon. Where present, it has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 to 7, and chroma of 3 to 8. Redoximorphic features in shades of brown, yellow, and gray range from few to many. Texture ranges from loamy sand to fine sandy loam.
The Bt horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 5 to 7, and chroma of 3 to 8. Redoximorphic features in shades of brown, yellow, gray, and red range from few to many. Texture is sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or sandy clay loam.
The Btg horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 5 to 7, and chroma of 1 or 2; or it is neutral with value of 5 to 7. Redoximorphic features in shades of gray, yellow, brown, and red range from few to many. Texture ranges from sandy loam to sandy clay.
The BCg horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 5 to 7, and chroma of 1 or 2; or it is neutral with value of 5 to 7. Redoximorphic features in shades of gray, yellow, brown, or red range from few to many. Texture is sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or sandy clay loam.
The C horizon, where present, has the same range of colors as the Btg horizon. Texture is sand, fine sand, loamy sand, or loamy fine sand.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Apopka and Masaryk series and the Arredondo, and Millhopper series in closely related families. Apopka and Arredondo soils are well drained and are on higher positions. In addition, Arredondo soils have a higher activity class. Masaryk and Millopper soils are moderately well drained and are on higher positions. In addition, Millhopper soils have a higher activity class.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Sparr soils are on uplands in the Coastal Plain. Slopes range from 0 to 8 percent. They formed in thick beds of sandy and loamy marine sediments. The climate is humid subtropical. The average annual rainfall ranges from 50 to 60 inches and average annual air temperature ranges from 70 to 74 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include the competing Apopka, Arredondo, Masaryk, and Millhopper series and the Blichton, Jumper, Kanapaha, Kendrick, and Lochloosa series. The very poorly drained Blichton soils are on lower positions and have sandy surface and subsurface layers 20 to 40 inches thick. The poorly drained Kanapaha soils are on lower positions. Jumper and Lochloosa soils are on similar positions and have sandy surface and subsurface layers 20 to 40 inches thick. In addition, Jumper soils have more than 5 percent plinthite in the subsoil. The well drained Kendrick soils are on higher positions and have sandy surface and subsurface layers 20 to 40 inches thick.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained; slow to moderately slow permeability in the subsoil.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of Sparr soils are used for corn, citrus, peanuts, watermelons, truck crops, and tame pasture. Native vegetation consists of longleaf pine, slash pine, loblolly pine, magnolia, dogwood, hickory, and live oak, laurel oak, and water oak.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Peninsular Florida. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Auburn, Alabama.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Marion County, Florida; l974.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 48 inches (Ap1, Ap2, E, and EB horizons).
Argillic horizon - the zone from 48 to 72 inches (Bt and Btg horizons).
The water table is at depths of 20 to 40 inches for periods of 1 to 4 months. The water table is usually perched on the surface of the loamy layers but the loamy layers can also be saturated.