LOCATION TIDEWATER FLEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, siliceous, superactive, nonacid, thermic Typic Sulfaquents
TYPICAL PEDON: Tidewater mucky clay in an area of tidal marsh. (Colors are for moist soil)
A1--0 to 10 inches; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) mucky clay; massive; slightly sticky; slightly plastic; many medium roots; 3.31 percent total sulfur content; neutral; gradual smooth boundary.
A2--10 to 24 inches; black (10YR 2/1) silty clay; sticky; plastic; massive; many fine roots; 2.94 percent total sulfur content; neutral; gradual smooth boundary.
A3--24 to 40 inches; black (10YR 2/1) sandy clay loam; massive; sticky; plastic; few fine roots; 1.98 percent total sulfur content; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (Total thickness of the A horizon ranges from 24 to greater than 50 inches).
2C--40 to 76 inches; black (5Y 2/1) and very dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) mottled loamy fine sand; massive; slightly sticky; nonplastic; 0.69 percent total sulfur content; neutral; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 60 inches thick)
3R--76 inches; hard limestone bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Levy County, Florida; in the northern 1/2 of sec. 12, T. 17 S., R. 15 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Average clay content ranges from 18 to 35 percent in the 10 to 40 inch control section. Average silt content is less than 15 percent in the control section. Total sulfur content is 0.75 percent or greater within 20 inches of the upper boundary of the A horizon. Reaction before drying ranges from slightly acid to neutral throughout the soil.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 2 or less. Texture is clay, silty clay, clay loam, sandy clay, sandy clay loam, or fine sandy loam, as well as the mucky analogues of these textures. Silty or clayey textures occur in the upper parts of the A horizon only. A Oa horizon is at the surface or buried at a shallow depth in many pedons. Where present, it has hue of 10YR, value of 2, and chroma of 2 or less. Texture is muck. Thickness of the Oa horizon ranges from 0 to 15 inches.
The C horizon has hue of 10YR to 5BG, value of 2 to 5, and chroma of 2 or less. Texture is dominantly sandy clay loam or fine sandy loam, however textures of sand, fine sand or loamy fine sand are below a depth of 40 inches in many pedons. Lenses of sandy or organic soil materials are buried within the A or C horizons of many pedons. Limestone bedrock is at depths of 40 to 80 inches in many pedons.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in the same family. Closely related series are the Bohicket, Capers, Pellicer, and Turnbull soils. All of these soils have greater than 35 percent clay in the control section. In addition, Turnbull soils do not have sulfidic material within 20 inches of the mineral soil surface.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Tidewater soils occur in tidal marshes along the Gulf Coast of northern Florida. Slopes are less than 1 percent. These soils formed in thick loamy, and clayey marine sediments over limestone. The mean annual temperature near the type location is 69 degrees F., and the average annual precipitation is about 55 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Demory, Durbin, Cracker, Capers and Tisonia series. Demory and Cracker soils have limestone bedrock within a depth of 20 inches. In addition, Demory soils are on slightly higher landscape positions. Durbin and Tisonia soils have an organic surface layer that is greater than 16 inches thick. Capers soils have greater than 35 percent clay in the control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Very poorly drained. Permeability is moderately slow. These soils are flooded by high tides.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas remain in natural vegetation of black needlerush, marshhay cordgrass, sawgrass, and saltwort, and serve as wildlife habitat.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Tidal marshes along the Gulf Coast of northern Florida. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Auburn, Alabama
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Levy County, Florida; 1990.
REMARKS: The typifying pedon was described and sampled by C. L. Coltus, 4/10/74. Source of the series name is a small community in Levy County, Florida.