LOCATION STARKE FLEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, siliceous, subactive, thermic Grossarenic Paleaquults
TYPICAL PEDON: Starke mucky fine sand in a depression.
A1--0 to 7 inches; black (10YR 2/1) mucky fine sand; weak fine granular structure; very friable; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
A2--7 to 18 inches; black (10YR 2/1) fine sand; single grained; loose; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizon is 10 to 24 inches)
E1--18 to 26 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) fine sand; single grained; loose; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
E2--26 to 46 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) fine sand; single grained; loose; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the A and E horizons is 41 to 74 inches thick)
Btg1--46 to 59 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) sandy loam; common medium distinct dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) mottles; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; friable; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Btg2--59 to 80 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) sandy clay loam; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; friable; very strongly acid. (Combined thickness of the Btg horizons is 6 to 39 inches)
TYPE LOCATION: Bradford County, Florida; about 0.1 mile north of County Road 231 and 1.0 mile west of County Road 18; SW 1/4 SW 1/4; sec. 24; T. 7S., R. 20E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The solum thickness is greater than 60 inches. Soil reaction ranges from extremely acid to moderately acid throughout.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 2 or less. Texture is sand, fine sand, or loamy sand, or mucky analogs of these textures. Some pedons have an Oa horizon of muck and thickness is less than 8 inches.
The E horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 3 or less; or hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 5 to 7, and chroma of 2 or less; with or without mottles in shades of gray, yellow, or brown. Texture is sand, fine sand, loamy sand, or loamy fine sand.
The Btg horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y, or 5Y, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 2 or less; with or without mottles in shades of gray, yellow, brown, or red. Texture is sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or sandy clay loam.
The Cg horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y, or 5Y, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 2 or less. Textures range from sand to sandy clay.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Henco and Plummer series in the same family. Henco and Plummer soils lack an umbric epipedon. Other similar series include Bayboro, Ellabelle, Kanapha, Palmetto, Pantego, and Surrency. Kanapha and Palmetto soils have a mean annual soil temperature of more than 72 degrees F, and in addition Palmetto soils have a Bh horizon. Bayboro and Pantego soils have an argillic horizon at a depth of less than 20 inches of the surface, and in addition Bayboro soils have B horizons containing more than 35 percent clay. Ellabelle and Surrency soils have an argillic horizon at a depth of 20 to 40 inches of the surface. In addition, Ellabelle soils have greater than 18 percent clay in the control section and Surrency soils have 10 to 18 percent clay in the control section. Pantego soils have 18 to 34 percent clay in the control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Starke soils occur in depressions, poorly defined drainageways, and on flood plains. They formed in thick beds of sandy and loamy marine sediments. The mean annual temperature is about 68 degrees F., and the mean annual precipitation is about 54 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Plummer soils and similar competing Pantego and Surrency soils; and in addition, the Croatan, Leon, Mascotte, Osier, Pamlico, Pelham, Pottsburg, and Sapelo soils. Croatan and Pamlico soils have a histic epipedon. Leon, Mascotte, Pottsburg, and Sapelo soils have a spodic horizon. In addition, Leon and Pottsburg soils lack an argillic horizon. Osier soils lack an umbric epipedon and are sandy throughout.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Very poorly drained. Runoff is slow or ponded. Permeability is moderately rapid in the A horizon, rapid in the E horizons, and moderate to moderately slow in the Btg horizons. The water table is at or above the surface for 4 to 8 months or more most years.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of this soil are in natural vegetation which includes cypress, red maple, sweetgum, sweet bay, scattered slash and pond pine, swamp tupelo, and water tupelo. The understory consists of waxmyrtle, inkberry, fetterbush lyonia, swamp cyrilla, greenbriar, maidencane, brackenfern, sedges, and other water tolerant plants. Areas of this soil provide cover for deer and are excellent habitat for wading birds and other wetland wildlife.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mainly in the Atlantic and Gulf Coast Flatwoods, and to a limited extent in the Southern Coastal Plain. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Raleigh, North Carolina
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Bradford County, Florida, 1988.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: Umbric epipedon - the zone from the soil surface to a depth of about 18 inches (A1 and A2 horizons).
Argillic horizon - the zone from about 46 to 80 inches or more (Btg1 and Btg2 horizon). These soils would classify as Grossarenic Umbric Paleaquults if the subgroup were allowed in Soil Taxonomy and if chroma of 3 (due to color of sand grains) is waived as relates to aeric properties.
TABULAR SERIES DATA:
SOI-5 Soil Name Slope Airtemp FrFr/Seas Precip Elevation FL0497 STARKE 0- 2 - - - -SOI-5 FloodL FloodH Watertable Kind Months Bedrock Hardness FL0497 NONE COMMON - APPARENT - 60-60
SOI-5 Depth Texture 3-Inch No-10 Clay% -CEC- FL0497 0- 7 MUCK 0- 0 - 0- 0 - FL0497 0- 7 MK-S MK-FS MK-LS 0- 0 92-100 2-10 - FL0497 0- 7 S FS 0- 0 92-100 2-10 - FL0497 7-46 S FS 0- 0 92-100 2-10 - FL0497 46-80 SL FSL SCL 0- 0 92-100 13-30 -
SOI-5 Depth -pH- O.M. Salin Permeab Shnk-Swll FL0497 0- 7 3.6- 6.0 20-40 0- 0 2.0- 6.0 LOW FL0497 0- 7 3.6- 6.0 9.-20 0- 0 2.0- 6.0 LOW FL0497 0- 7 3.6- 6.0 3.-9. 0- 0 2.0- 6.0 LOW FL0497 7-46 3.6- 6.0 - 0- 0 6.0- 20 LOW FL0497 46-80 3.6- 6.0 - 0- 0 0.2- 2.0 LOW