LOCATION SUGGSVILLE AL+MSEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Very-fine, smectitic, thermic Chromic Dystruderts
TYPICAL PEDON: Suggsville clay in a mature, mixed stand of pine and hardwood. (Colors are for moist soil.)
A--0 to 1 inch; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) clay; weak fine subangular blocky structure; firm; many very fine and fine roots and few medium and coarse roots; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 4 inches thick)
BA--1 to 4 inches; 60 percent brown (7.5YR 4/3) and 40 percent reddish brown (5YR 4/4) clay; coarse clods parting to moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very firm; common very fine, fine, medium, and coarse roots; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
Bt--4 to 11 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) clay; moderate coarse angular blocky parting to strong fine angular blocky structure; very firm; common very fine, fine, medium, and coarse roots; distinct pressure faces on peds; few faint clay films on faces of peds; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 15 inches thick)
Btss1--11 to 21 inches; red (2.5YR 4/6) clay; moderate coarse angular blocky parting to strong fine angular blocky structure; very firm; common very fine roots and few fine, medium, and coarse roots; few faint clay films on faces of peds; common large intersecting slickensides that have distinct polished and slightly grooved surfaces; few fine rounded quartzite pebbles; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Btss2--21 to 26 inches; 60 percent strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) and 40 percent yellowish red (5YR 5/6) clay; moderate coarse angular blocky parting to strong fine angular blocky structure; very firm; few very fine and fine roots; common large intersecting slickensides that have distinct polished and slightly grooved surfaces; few faint clay films on faces of peds; few fine and medium black (10YR 2/1) stains and soft masses of iron and manganese oxides; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Btss3--26 to 35 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) clay; moderate coarse angular blocky parting to strong fine angular blocky structure; very firm; few fine roots; common large intersecting slickensides that have distinct polished and slightly grooved surfaces; few faint clay films on faces of peds; many fine and medium black (10YR 2/1) stains and soft masses of iron and manganese oxides; few fine distinct yellowish red (5YR 4/6) masses of iron accumulation; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Btss4--35 to 42 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) clay; weak coarse angular blocky parting to strong fine angular blocky structure; very firm; few fine roots; common large intersecting slickensides that have distinct polished and slightly grooved surfaces; few faint clay films on faces of peds; many fine and medium dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) stains and soft masses of iron and manganese oxides; few fine distinct yellowish red (5YR 4/6) masses of iron accumulation; strongly acid; abrupt irregular boundary. (Combined thickness of the Btss horizon is 15 to 50 inches.)
2Cr--42 to 60 inches; light gray (5Y 7/2) limestone bedrock; massive; extremely hard; can be excavated with light-weight mechanical equipment and can be cut with hand tools with difficulty; distinct clay flows on vertical faces; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Clarke County, Alabama; about 3.0 miles southwest of Suggsville; about 2,000 feet north and 900 feet west of the southeast corner of sec. 30, T.7 N., R.4 E.; USGS Suggsville, AL topographic quad; Lat. 31 degrees 32 minutes 42 seconds N. and Long. 87 degrees 42 minutes 14 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to a paralithic contact ranges from 40 to 60 inches. Depth to horizons with secondary carbonates ranges from 30 to 50 inches. Content of rounded quartzite pebbles ranges from 0 to 10 percent throughout the profile.
The A horizon, if present, has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 1 to 3. Texture is commonly clay loam, silty clay loam, clay, or silty clay, but ranges to loam, fine sandy loam, or silt loam. Reaction is very strongly acid or strongly acid. It ranges from 0 to 4 inches thick.
The Ap horizon, if present, has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 3 or 4, and chroma of 2 to 4. Texture is clay loam, silty clay loam, clay, or silty clay. Reaction is commonly very strongly acid or strongly acid, but ranges to neutral in areas that have been limed. It ranges from 0 to 8 inches thick.
The BA or AB horizon, if it occurs, has hue of 2.5YR to 7.5YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 3 to 8. It is commonly multicolored in shades of red and brown. Texture is clay loam, silty clay loam, clay, or silty clay. Reaction is commonly very strongly acid or strongly acid, but ranges to neutral where lime has been added.
The Bt or Btss horizon has hue of 2.5YR to 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 4 to 8. Subhorizons in some pedons are multicolored in shades of red and brown. Texture is clay in the upper part and clay or silty clay in the lower part. Soft, black masses or stains of iron and manganese oxides range from none to common. Redoximorphic accumulations in shades of brown or red range from none to common. Some pedons have few or common redox depletions in shades of brown or gray below a depth of 30 inches. Reaction is very strongly acid in the upper part and ranges from very strongly acid to slightly alkaline in the lower part.
The BC or CB horizon, if it occurs, has hue of 5YR to 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 3 to 8, or it has no dominant matrix color and is multicolored in shades of red, olive, and brown. Texture is clay loam, silty clay loam, or clay. Soft, black masses or stains of iron and manganese oxides range from none to common. Redoximorphic features in shades of brown, red, or gray range from none to common. Reaction ranges from moderately acid to slightly alkaline.
The 2C horizon, if it occurs, is soft, highly weathered limestone or chalk with crushed texture of loam, clay loam, silty clay loam, silty clay, or clay. It has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 6 to 8, and chroma of 2 to 8. It is massive or has platy rock structure. Some pedons have a thin C horizon with hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 5 to 8, and chroma of 2 to 8. Texture is clay, silty clay, silty clay loam, or clay loam. Reaction is moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
The 2Cr horizon is limestone or chalk bedrock. It is massive or has platy rock structure. It can be cut with hand tools and is rippable by light machinery. Strata of marl and indurated limestone occur in many pedons. Reaction is moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Lacerda, Oktibbeha, Redco, and Wilcox series. Lacerda soils are moderately well drained, do not have an argillic horizon, and developed in materials derived from shale. Oktibbeha soils are very deep to chalk bedrock and are moderately well drained. Redco soils are very deep and are moderately well drained. Wilcox soils are somewhat poorly drained and are deep to acid shale.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Suggsville soils are on ridges, benches, and side slopes on uplands of the Alabama and Mississippi Blackland Prairie (MLRA 135A) and the Southern Coastal Plain (MLRA 133A) Major Land Resource Areas. Slopes are generally 2 to 10 percent, but may be as steep as 35 percent in some places. These soils formed in clayey sediments and the underlying limestone, chalk, and marl of Eocene and Oligocene age. The average annual air temperature ranges from 60 to 65 degrees F., and the average annual precipitation ranges from 52 to 64 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Brantley, Lorman, Okeelala, Prim, Sumter, and Watsonia soils. Brantley, Lorman, and Okeelala soils are commonly in slightly higher or slightly lower positions. Brantley and Lorman are fine-textured, have mixed mineralogy, and are very deep. Okeelala soils are fine-loamy and are very deep. Prim soils are commonly in slightly higher positions and are shallow to bedrock and calcareous to the surface. The moderately deep Sumter soils are commonly in slightly higher or slightly lower positions and are calcareous to the surface. Watsonia soils are in positions similar to those of the Suggsville series and are shallow to bedrock.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to rapid runoff; very slowly permeable.
USE AND VEGETATION: Principal use is woodland and wildlife habitat. Some areas are in pasture or hayland. Common trees in wooded areas include longleaf pine, loblolly pine, shortleaf pine, spruce pine, southern red oak, post oak, yellow poplar, yellow chestnut oak, sweetgum, and hickory.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRAs 135A and 133A in southwest Alabama and in southeast Mississippi. It is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Auburn, Alabama
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Clarke County, Alabama; May 2004. The series name is that of a small community in Clarke County, Alabama.
REMARKS: This soil has been included with the Oktibbeha series.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - 0 to 1 inch (A horizon)
Argillic horizon - 1 to 42 inches (BA, Bt, and Btss horizons)
Vertic features - intersecting slickensides beginning at about 11 inches and continuing to a depth of 42 inches.
Characterization data developed by the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station is available for 1 pedon in Clarke County, AL. Sample number S02AL-025-1 (1-7).