LOCATION STEEKEE TN+GAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, parasesquic, thermic, shallow Ruptic-Ultic Dystrudepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Steekee fine sandy loam - forested. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
A1--0 to 1 inch; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/2) fine sandy loam; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many fine roots; strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 5 inches thick)
A2--1 to 5 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) loam; weak medium granular structure; very friable; many fine and medium roots and pores; 5 percent by volume medium fragments of sandstone; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick)
Bw/Bt1--5 to 10 inches; (Bw part) reddish brown (5YR 4/4) loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine roots; (Bt part) reddish brown (5YR 4/4) clay loam; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine roots; few faint clay films on faces of peds; 5 percent decalcified sandstone channers; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
Bw/Bt2--10 to 18 inches; (Bw part) reddish brown (5YR 4/4) channery loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine and medium roots; (Bt part) reddish brown (5YR 4/4) channery clay loam; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few faint clay films on faces of peds; 15 percent decalcified sandstone channers; strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
Cr--18 to 24 inches; rippable decalcified reddish quartzose limestone, calcareous sandstone, and sandy shale; thin seams of reddish brown loam soil material in cracks and coating rock fragments.
R--24 inches; hard, decalcified, reddish calcareous sandstone and sandy shale bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Monroe County, Tennessee; 1.1 mile east of Old Federal Road at Caltharp School; 125 yards south of railroad track and 75 yards east of road.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to rippable reddish sandstone and reddish sandy shale rock ranges from 12 to 20 inches. Depth to hard rock ranges from 20 to more than 60 inches. Most of the soil has soft fragments of decalcified reddish quartzose limestone and calcareous sandstone and shale throughout. Channers and gravel range from 5 to 15 percent in the A horizon, from 10 to 25 percent in the Bw/Bt horizon, and from 5 to more than 50 percent in the C horizon where present. The soil is very strongly acid to moderately acid throughout.
The A horizon has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 2 to 4, and chroma of 3 to 6. Texture of the fine-earth fraction is loam, sandy loam, or fine sandy loam.
The Bw/Bt horizon has hue of 2.5YR to 7.5YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 3 to 6. Texture of the fine-earth fraction is loam, sandy loam, fine sandy loam, clay loam or sandy clay loam.
Some pedons have a C horizon with colors and textures similar to the Bw horizon. Texture of the fine-earth fraction also includes clay, and sandy clay.
COMPETING SERIES: There are currently no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Steekee soils are on dominantly narrow sloping to steep ridge tops and steep and very steep side slopes. The soil formed in materials weathered from calcareous sandstone or quartzose limestone interbedded with sandy shale. Near the type location, mean annual temperature is 59.5 degrees F., and mean annual precipitation is 50 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Alcoa, Neubert, Red Hills and Tellico series. Alcoa soils are on foot slopes and stream terraces and are very deep. Neubert soils are on adjacent narrow floodplains and are very deep. Red Hills soils are on adjacent side slopes and are moderately deep. Tellico soils are on adjacent gently sloping to very steep ridge tops and side slopes and are deep or very deep.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well or somewhat excessively drained; moderate or moderately rapid permeability; rapid runoff.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are in forest consisting of mixed hardwoods and pines. Some harvested areas are usually replanted in pines for pulpwood production. A few cleared areas are used for unimproved pasture or abandoned.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Southern Appalachian Ridges and Valleys in Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Loudon County, Tennessee; 1953.
REMARKS: The Steekee series was formerly classified in the Red-Yellow Podzolic great soil group intergrading to Lithosols.
Diagnostic horizons recognized in this profile are:
Ochric epipedon--0 to 5 inches
Cambic horizon--5 to 18 inches
Ruptic feature--The zone from 5 to 18 inches
Paralithic contact--18 inches
SIR Number: TN0012