LOCATION TOOLES FL
Established Series
Rev. GRB
11/2018
TOOLES SERIES
The Tooles series consists of deep, poorly drained and very poorly drained, slowly permeable soils on flatwoods, flood plains, and in depressions along the Gulf Coast. They formed in sandy and loamy marine deposits overlying limestone bedrock. Near the type location, the mean annual temperature is about 68 degrees F., and the mean annual rainfall is about 55 inches. Slopes range from 0 to 1 percent.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, siliceous, superactive, thermic Arenic Albaqualfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Tooles fine sand - in forested flatwoods. (Colors are for moist conditions.)
Ap--0 to 5 inches; black (5Y 2.5/1) fine sand; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many fine, medium, and coarse roots; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (2 to 8 inches thick)
A/E--5 to 9 inches; mixed very dark gray (10YR 3/1) and gray (10YR 6/1) fine sand; single grained; loose; many medium and coarse roots; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
E--9 to 17 inches; light gray (10YR 7/1) fine sand; single grained; loose; common medium roots; many uncoated sand grains; common medium distinct brown (10YR 5/3) masses of iron accumulation; neutral; clear wavy boundary.
Bw--17 to 32 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) fine sand; single grained; loose; few medium roots; most sand grains are coated; many medium distinct gray (10YR 6/1) iron depletions; neutral; abrupt irregular boundary. (Combined thickness of the E, Eg, or Bw horizons is 18 to 38 inches.)
Btg--32 to 46 inches; light greenish gray (5GY 7/1) sandy clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; many fine prominent yellowish red (5YR 5/8) masses of iron accumulation; slightly alkaline; abrupt irregular boundary. (5 to 20 inches thick.)
R--46 inches; fractured limestone bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Jefferson County, Florida. Approximately 1.25 miles east of State Road 59 and 2.5 miles north of U.S. Highway 98, 2,050 feet east, and 780 feet south of northwest corner, Sec. 15, T. 3 S., R. 3 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The solum thickness and depth to limestone is 41 to 60 inches. Reaction in the A and E horizons ranges from very strongly acid to neutral and neutral to moderately alkaline in the Btg horizons.
The Oa horizon, where present, has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 1 to 3. Texture is muck. Where present, this horizon is less than 6 inches thick.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 1 or 2. Texture is fine sand or sand.
The E horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 1 to 3. Few to common redoximorphic features in shades of brown and gray are in most pedons. Texture is fine sand or sand.
The Bw horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 3 to 8. It has similar texture and reaction as the E horizon, but sand grains are coated and contain slightly more total silt and clay.
The Btg horizon has hue of 10YR to 5GY, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 1 or 2; or it is neutral with value of 4 to 7. Most pedons have common to many redoximorphic features in shades of gray, yellow, brown, and red. Texture is sandy clay loam or clay loam.
The C horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 to 8, and chroma of 1 to 4. It is composed of soft, highly weathered limestone that is easily penetrated by roots and can be dug without difficulty. It usually contains soft carbonate accumulations along with few to many hard limestone or chert fragments.
The Cr horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 6 or 8, and chroma of 1 to 4. It is composed of soft, weathered, fractured limestone that can be dug with difficulty with a spade, has very firm to extremely firm rupture resistance with low to high excavation difficulty. It usually contains soft carbonate accumulations along with few to many hard limestone or chert fragments. It is highly irregular and interspersed with solution holes that range from 4 to 12 inches in diameter and filled with sandy loam to sandy clay textured soil material. Depth to limestone is variable within short distances.
The R horizon is composed of hard, unweathered limestone that has slightly rigid to very rigid rupture resistance with very high to extremely excavation difficulty. Some areas contain solution holes filled with Btg and/or Cr material.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other known series in the same family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Tooles soils are on flatwood areas and flood plains and in depressions of the Gulf Coastal Lowlands Silver Bluff and Pamlico terraces. Slopes range from 0 to 1 percent. The soils formed in loamy and sandy marine sediments overlying limestone bedrock. The average annual rainfall ranges from 50 to 60 inches, and the average annual temperature ranges from 66 to 70 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Bayvi,
Chaires,
Leon,
Nutall,
Shired,
Surrency,
Tennille, and
Wekiva soils. Bayvi soils do not have an argillic horizon and are on broad flat tidal marsh areas. Chaires and Leon soils have spodic horizons. Also, Leon soils do not have an argillic horizon. Nutall and Wekiva soils have less than 20 inches of sandy epipedon. Shired soils have a mollic epipedon and have an argillic horizon at a depth of more than 40 inches. Surrency soils have low base saturation and have an argillic horizon at a depth of more than 40 inches. Tennille soils are shallow to limestone and do not have an argillic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained and very poorly drained; rapid permeability in the upper horizons and slow in the Bt horizon.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of Tooles soils are used for planted pines. Native vegetation consists of southern sweetbay, sweetgum, red maple, Florida elm, laurel oak, live oak, and cabbage palm. An understory of waxmyrtle, gallberry, and scattered sawpalmetto is typically present.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Tooles soils are of large extent on the Gulf Coastal lowlands of the Big Bend area of Florida.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Auburn, Alabama.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Jefferson County, Florida; 1984.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedons - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of approximately 5 inches (Ap horizon).
Albic horizon - the zone from approximately 9 to 17 inches (E horizon).
Argillic horizon - the zone from approximately 32 inches to 46 inches (Btg horizon). Limestone bedrock at approximately 46 inches (R layer).
Depth to a seasonal high water table ranges between 0 and 12 inches for 6 to 10 months or is ponded.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Characterization pedon - Jefferson County, Florida; S33-38-(1-5). Additional data: S65-3-(1-4) and S15-6-(1-4). Samples by Soil Characterization Lab, IFAS, Univ. of Florida, Gainesville, FL.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.