LOCATION WADMALAW SCEstablished Series
The Wadmalaw series consists of very deep, poorly drained, moderately slowly permeable, loamy soils that formed in marine sediments. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, semiactive, thermic Umbric Endoaqualfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Wadmalaw fine sandy loam--forested. (Colors are for moist soil.)
A1--0 to 5 inches; black (10YR 2/1) fine sandy loam; weak to moderate medium granular structure; very friable; many fine and medium roots; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
A2--5 to 9 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) fine sandy loam; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many fine roots; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
AB--9 to 13 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) fine sandy loam; few fine distinct light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) mottles; weak medium granular structure; very friable; many fine roots; moderately acid; gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick)
BA--13 to 17 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) fine sandy loam; common fine distinct light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) and brown (10YR 5/3) mottles; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; many fine roots and root holes; few fine pores; moderately acid; gradual smooth boundary. (2 to 8 inches thick)
Btg1--17 to 27 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) sandy clay loam; common fine and medium distinct dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) and few fine distinct olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) and strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) mottles; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; thin patchy clay films on faces of most peds; many fine roots and root holes; few fine pores; neutral; gradual smooth boundary. (5 to 12 inches thick)
Btg2--27 to 33 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) sandy clay loam; common medium distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) and a few fine distinct light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) and strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) mottles; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; thin patchy clay films on faces of most peds; many fine roots and root holes; few fine pores; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
Btg3--33 to 51 inches; gray (5Y 6/1) sandy clay loam; many medium and coarse distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) mottles; strong medium prismatic structure which parts to angular blocky; firm; slightly plastic; prominent clay films on vertical faces of
peds; many fine root holes filled with sandier material; few medium dark reddish brown to black ferromagnesian concretions; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (10 to 24 inches thick)
Btg4--51 to 65 inches; gray (5Y 5/1) sandy clay loam; many medium distinct olive yellow (2.5Y 6/6) and yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) mottles; moderate to strong medium subangular blocky structure; friable; prominent clay films on vertical faces of peds; many fine roots; common fine root holes filled with darker colored and sandier material; few medium black ferromagnesian concretions; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (8 to 18 inches thick)
Btg5--65 to 83 inches; gray (5Y 6/1) sandy clay loam; common medium distinct dark brown (7.5YR 3/2), yellowish brown (10YR 5/6), and greenish gray (5G 6/1) mottles; massive; firm; slightly sticky; plastic; few fine roots; few fine black ferromagnesian concretions; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Charleston County, South Carolina; 1/8 mile south of Meggett Station on Seaboard railroad, 50 feet south of South Carolina Highway 165, 1,000 feet southeast of intersection of Seaboard railroad and South Carolina 165.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The soil ranges from very strongly acid to slightly acid in the A horizon and moderately acid to moderately alkaline throughout the rest of the profile. In some pedons there are a few ferromagnesian concretions in one or more horizons.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y, or neutral, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 0 to 1. The E horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y, or neutral, value of 5 to 7, and chroma of 0 to 2. The AB or BA horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y, or neutral, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 0 to 2. Some pedons have mottles in shades of brown. The A and E horizons are fine sandy loam, sandy loam, loamy fine sand, or loamy sand.
The B horizon has hue of 10YR to 5Y or it is neutral, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 0 to 2. Mottles in shades of brown are in most pedons. The B horizon commonly is sandy clay loam or fine sandy loam, but some pedons are sandy clay or clay loam below a depth of about 40 inches.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other known series in this family. Similar soils in other families are the Argent, Bladen, Clodine, Deloss, Hyde, Meggett, Myatt, Pantego, Paxville, Portsmouth, Rains, Santee, Stono, Tuckerman, Waller, Yonges, and Zachary series. Argent, Bladen, Clodine, Meggett, Myatt, Rains, Tuckerman, Waller, Yonges, and Zachary soils have a surface layer with value of 4 or more, or they have less than 6 inches with value less than 3.5. Bladen, Hyde, Myatt, Portsmouth, and Rains soils have a base saturation of less than 35 percent. Argent, Bladen, Meggett, and Santee soils have more than 35 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Deloss, Hyde, Pantego, Paxville, Portsmouth, Santee, and Stono soils have a surface layer more than 10 inches thick with value of less than 3.5.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: These soils are on nearly level broad flats and drainageways of the lower Atlantic Coastal Plain. The soil formed in marine deposits of loamy to clayey sediments. The mean annual rainfall is about 49 inches, and the frost-free growing season is 280 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include the similar Santee, Stono, and Yonges series plus the Dawhoo, Edisto, and Kiawah series. Dawhoo soils are sandy throughout. Edisto soils have a fragipan and a fine sandy loam texture in most of the B horizon. Kiawah soils have loamy fine sand texture in the B horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained; slow runoff; moderately slow permeability. The water table is above or near the surface for as much as 6 months in most years.
USE AND VEGETATION: This soil is largely in forests of sweetgum, water and southern red oaks, maple, and tupelo gum. A few areas are used for pasture and truck crops
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Lower Coastal Plain of South Carolina and possibly Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. The series is of moderate extent with about 30,000 acres in Charleston County, South Carolina.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Raleigh, North Carolina
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Charleston County, South Carolina; 1969.
TABULAR SERIES DATA:
SOI-5 Soil Name Slope Airtemp FrFr/Seas Precip Elevation SC0067 WADMALAW 0- 2 60- 66 240-260 40- 58 0- 50 SC0099 WADMALAW 0- 2 - - - -SOI-5 FloodL FloodH Watertable Kind Months Bedrock Hardness SC0067 NONE RARE - APPARENT - 60-60 SC0099 RARE 0-1.0 APPARENT DEC-MAR 60-60
SOI-5 Depth Texture 3-Inch No-10 Clay% -CEC- SC0067 0-13 LS LFS 0- 0 98-100 2-10 1- 5 SC0067 0-13 SL FSL 0- 0 98-100 5-20 2- 6 SC0067 13-33 SCL FSL 0- 0 98-100 18-35 5- 15 SC0067 33-83 SCL CL SC 0- 0 98-100 20-45 8- 20 SC0099 0- 9 LFS FSL LS 0- 0 90- 95 5-10 - SC0099 9-31 SL FSL 0- 0 80- 98 10-18 - SC0099 31-42 CB-SCL CB-SC 47- 47 55- 65 22-40 - SC0099 42-80 SCL SC 0- 0 80- 90 22-40 -
SOI-5 Depth -pH- O.M. Salin Permeab Shnk-Swll SC0067 0-13 4.5- 6.5 3.-10 0- 0 2.0- 6.0 LOW SC0067 0-13 4.5- 6.5 3.-10 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 LOW SC0067 13-33 5.6- 8.4 - 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 LOW SC0067 33-83 5.6- 8.4 - 0- 0 0.2- 0.6 LOW SC0099 0- 9 4.5- 6.5 3.-10 0- 0 2.0- 6.0 LOW SC0099 9-31 5.1- 6.5 - 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 LOW SC0099 31-42 5.1- 7.0 - 0- 0 0.2- 0.6 LOW SC0099 42-80 5.6- 7.5 - 0- 0 0.2- 0.6 LOW