LOCATION SYLACAUGA AL+NCEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, semiactive, thermic Aeric Endoaquults
TYPICAL PEDON: Sylacauga silt loam--pasture. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 5 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) silt loam; moderate fine granular structure; friable; many fine roots; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
Bt--5 to 14 inches; brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) silty clay loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine roots; few thin patchy clay films on faces of peds; 5 percent black concretions; few faces of peds coated with black stains; common medium prominent light olive gray (5Y 6/2) and light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) iron depletions; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)
Btg--14 to 39 inches; light gray (5Y 7/2) silty clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine roots; common thin patchy clay films on faces of peds; few quartz pebbles; few black concretions; common fine yellowish red to reddish brown concretions; common, medium distinct light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) and common medium prominent brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) masses of iron accumulations; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (15 to 30 inches thick)
BCg--39 to 50 inches; gray (N 5/0) loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; few thin patchy clay films on faces of peds; common quartz pebbles; common fine black concretions; common medium distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6), light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2), and light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) masses of iron accumulation; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 15 inches thick)
2C--50 to 60 inches; stratified sand and gravel; massive: very firm; gravel 1-1/2 inches and less in diameter; extremely difficult to dig with hand tools; very strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Talladega County, Alabama; 1-1/2 miles north of Fayetteville, 150 feet west of farm to market road, and 150 feet south of private gravel road, NE1/4NW1/4 sec. 35, T. 21 S., R. 2 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 40 to 60 inches. Some pedons lack the 2C horizon. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid to medium acid except for limed surface layers.
The Ap or A horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 1 through 4. Mottles in shades of yellow or brown are in some pedons. The A horizon is loam, silt loam, or very fine sandy loam.
The E horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 through 6, and chroma of 1 through 4. It is loam, silt loam, or very fine sandy loam.
The BA or BE horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 3 through 8, with few to common iron depletions in shades of gray and few to common iron accumulations in shades of brown. It is silt loam or silty clay loam.
The Bt horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 3 to 8, with few to many iron depletions of chroma 2 or less. In some pedons there are few to common iron accumulations in shades of yellow and brown. Texture is silt loam, silty clay loam, or clay loam. Clay content of the upper 20 inches of the Bt horizon ranges from 18 to 35 percent and silt plus clay exceeds 50 percent.
The Btg horizon occurs at depths of 20 inches and below. It has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, or neutral, value of 4 through 6, and chroma of 1 or 2. They are common to many iron accumulations. Texture is silt loam, silty clay loam, or clay loam.
The BCg horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, or neutral, value of 4 through 6, and chroma of 1 or 2. It is silt loam, silty clay loam, clay loam, or loam.
The 2C horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, or neutral, value of 4 through 6, and chroma of 1 or 2. It is stratified sand, gravel, loamy sand, sandy loam, or loam.
The Cg horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, or neutral, value of 4 through 6, and chroma of 1 or 2. It is silt loam, loam, or very fine sandy loam.
COMPETING SERIES: Chapanoke soils that formed in alluvial sediments derived from coastal plain sediments. Competing series in related families include the Amy, Augusta, Lynchburg, Nahunta, Summerfield, and Yemassee series. Amy soils are dominated by gray colors just beneath the A or Ap horizon. Augusta, Lynchburg, Summerfield, and Yemassee soils have more than 15 percent fine sand and coarser in the upper 20 inches of the Bt horizon. In addition, Summerfield soils have clayey lower B horizons. Nahunta soils have solum thickness of greater than 60 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Sylacauga soils occur on nearly level, low stream terraces. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent. The regolith is stratified silty and loamy fluvial sediments derived dominantly from weathered Talladega slate but also consisting of sediments from limestone, cherty limestone, quartzite, shale, sandstone, and mudstone and argillite from the Carolina Slate Belt. Near the type location, average annual rainfall is 53 inches and average annual air temperature is 62 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include the Chenneby, Chewacla, Choccolocco, Masada, McQueen, Moncure, Shellbluff, and Wickham series. Chenneby and Chewacla soils lack argillic horizons. Chocolocco, Masada, McQueen, Shellbluff, and Wickham soils are well drained. Moncure soils are poorly drained and intermingled in some areas in depressions and lower positions of the terrace.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained. Runoff and permeability are slow. These soils are saturated with water usually in late winter and early spring. Water stands at the surface for brief periods.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most of the acreage is in woodland of mixed southern hardwood and pine. Cleared areas are used mainly for pasture. Some areas are used for growing corn, soybeans, cotton, and small grains.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Alabama and North Carolina and possibly Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Raleigh, North Carolina
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Talladega County, Alabama; 1969.
REMARKS: These soils were included in the Augusta series.
Revised: 9/97 RLV 02/00 DTA
ADDITIONAL DATA:
TABULAR SERIES DATA:
SOI-5 Soil Name Slope Airtemp FrFr/Seas Precip Elevation A10018 SYLACAUGA 0- 2 - - - -SOI-5 FloodL FloodH Watertable Kind Months Bedrock Hardness A10018 OCCAS 0.5-1.5 APPARENT NOV-FEB 60-60
SOI-5 Depth Texture 3-Inch No-10 Clay% -CEC- A10018 0- 5 SIL L VFSL 0- 2 95-100 7-20 - A10018 5-50 SIL SICL CL 0- 2 95-100 18-35 - A10018 50-60 SR S GR-L 0- 5 50- 60 2-20 -
SOI-5 Depth -pH- O.M. Salin Permeab Shnk-Swll A10018 0- 5 4.5- 6.0 .5-2. 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 LOW A10018 5-50 4.5- 6.0 - 0- 0 0.06- 0.2 MODERATE A10018 50-60 4.5- 6.0 - 0- 0 2.0- 6.0 LOW