LOCATION SUNSWEET GA+AL FL SC
Established Series
Rev. GLB:JWC:RLW
11/2018
SUNSWEET SERIES
The Sunsweet series consists of well drained, moderately slowly permeable soils on uplands. These soils have a dark brown sandy loam Ap horizon with many rounded ironstone nodules and yellowish red sandy clay upper Bt horizons; the lower Bt is coarsely mottled sandy clay. Plinthite occurs in all horizons beginning at depth of about 8 inches. Slopes range from 2 to 25 percent. Near the type location the mean annual air temperature is 67 degrees F. and mean annual precipitation is 46 inches.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, kaolinitic, thermic Plinthic Paleudults
TYPICAL PEDON: Sunsweet sandy loam - cultivated. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)
Apc--0 to 4 inches; dark brown (10YR 4/3) sandy loam; weak fine granular structure; very friable; 20 percent rounded ironstone nodules 1/8 to 1 inch in diameter; strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
Btc--4 to 8 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/8) sandy clay; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm; 12 percent rounded ironstone nodules 1/10 to 1 inch in diameter; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
Btv1--8 to 11 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/8) sandy clay; common medium distinct mottles of red (10R 4/8) and yellowish brown (10YR 5/8); moderate medium angular blocky and subangular blocky structure; firm; 2 percent rounded ironstone nodules 1/10 to 1/2 inch in diameter; 10 percent plinthite; common distinct clay films on faces of peds; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 5 inches thick)
Btv2--11 to 17 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) sandy clay; many medium prominent mottles of red (2.5YR 4/8) and light gray (10YR 7/2); moderate medium angular blocky and subangular blocky structure; firm; 15 percent plinthite; common prominent clay films on faces of peds; strongly acid; diffuse irregular boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
Btv3--17 to 60 inches; coarsely mottled white (10YR 8/2), dusky red (10R 3/4), strong brown (7.5YR 5/8), and yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) sandy clay; moderate medium and coarse angular and subangular blocky structure; firm; 15 percent plinthite; common distinct clay films on faces of peds; strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Irwin County, Georgia; west side of roadbank along Georgia Highway 125, 0.9 mile north of Waterloo, Georgia.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 60 to more than 120 inches. Depth to horizons containing 5 percent or more plinthite ranges from 5 to 15 inches. Content of rounded ironstone nodules ranges from 5 to 35 percent in the A and Btc horizon, from 0 to 15 percent in the Btv1 and Btv2 horizons and 0 to 5 percent in the lower Bt horizon. Reaction is very strongly acid or strongly acid except where the A horizon has been limed.
The A horizon has hue of 2.5Y, 10YR, 7.5YR, or 5YR, value of 3, 4 or 5, and chroma of 2, 3, 4, 6 or 8. It is sandy loam, loamy sand or their gravelly analogues.
The Btc horizon has hue of 10YR, 7.5YR, 5YR or 2.5YR, value of 4, 5 or 6, and chroma of 6 or 8. It is sandy clay loam, sandy clay, clay or their gravelly analogues. Plinthite is 0 to 10 percent.
The Btv1 and Btv2 horizons have the same matrix color as the Btc horizon but have few to many red, brown, yellow and gray mottles. Texture is sandy clay or clay but ranges to sandy clay loam in the Btv1 horizon. Plinthite is 5 to 35 percent.
The Btv3 horizon is medium to coarsely mottled in shades of red, brown, yellow, gray and white, or it has the same matrix color range as the Btc horizon with common to many mottles in shades of red, brown, yellow, gray and white. Plinthite is 5 to 35 percent. It is sandy clay or clay. Clay content of the upper 20 inches of the Bt horizon ranges from 40 to 60 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Carnegie,
Freemanville and
Varina of the same family and the
Baxterville,
Cowarts,
Dothan,
Esto,
Malbis, and
Tifton series. Baxterville, Dothan, Malbis, and Tifton soils have 18 to 35 percent clay in the control section and plinthite deeper than 15 inches below the surface. Carnegie soils have more than .5 percent plinthite deeper than 15 inches below the surface. Cowarts soils have less than 35 percent clay in the control section and very firm lower Bt horizons. Esto soils lack plinthite. Freemanville soils have plinthite beginning at a depth of 26 inches. Varina soils have less than 5 percent ironstone nodules in the A horizon and plinthite beginning at depth of about 38 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Sunsweet soils are on the steeper parts of fairly smooth upland landscapes to the Coastal Plain. These soils occur predominantly on short sideslopes adjacent to streams and other steep parts of the landscape. Slopes are dominantly 5 to 17 percent but range from 2 to 25 percent. These soils formed in clayey Coastal Plain deposits. Mean annual air temperature is about 63 to 70 degrees F., and mean annual precipitation is about 43 to 55 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include the
Carnegie,
Cowarts,
Dothan,
Esto,
Faceville,
Marlboro,
Tifton, and
Varina of the competing series and the
Benndale and
Orangeburg series. The Benndale and Orangeburg soils lack plinthite and have less than 35 percent clay in the control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; rapid runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Nearly all of the acreage is forested by mixed stands of pine and hardwood. A small amount is in pasture or idle.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Middle and Upper Coastal Plain of Georgia, Alabama, northwestern Florida, and possibly South Carolina. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Auburn, Alabama
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Tift County, Georgia; 1955.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface to approximately 4 inches (Apc horizon).
Argillic horizon - the zone from approximately 4 to 60 inches (Btc, Btv1, Btv2, Btv3 horizons).
Plinthic feature - the occurrence of 5 percent or more plinthite in the zone from approximately 8 to 60 inches (Btv1, Btv2, Btv3 horizons).
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.