LOCATION WEKIVA FL
Established Series
Rev. GRB
11/2018
WEKIVA SERIES
The Wekiva series consists of shallow to moderately deep, poorly drained and very poorly drained soils on low ridges and flatwoods, and in depressions of coastal lowlands and river flood plains along the Gulf Coast of Northern Florida. They formed in thin layers of sandy and loamy marine sediments over limestone bedrock. Near the type location, the mean annual temperature is about 68 degrees F., and the mean annual precipitation is about 55 inches. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, siliceous, active, thermic, shallow Aeric Endoaqualfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Wekiva fine sand - in an area of planted pine. (Colors are for most conditions.)
A--0 to 4 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) fine sand; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many fine and medium, and few coarse roots; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (2 to 7 inches thick)
E--4 to 9 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) fine sand; single grained; loose; many fine and medium roots; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 17 inches thick)
Bt--9 to 18 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) sandy clay loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine roots; neutral; abrupt irregular boundary. (3 to 23 inches thick)
2R--18 inches; hard limestone bedrock with an irregular surface.
TYPE LOCATION: Levy County, Florida. Approximately 1,200 feet north and 200 feet west of the southeast corner of Sec. 17, T. 16 S., R. 16 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness and depth to limestone or dolomitic bedrock dominantly ranges from 10 to 20 inches but ranges to as much as 30 inches in the deepest part. Many pedons have solution holes extending to depths up to 60 inches. Reaction ranges from slightly acid to neutral throughout the solum. Few pebble to boulder-size rock fragments are within the solum or on the soil surface in many areas.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 2 to 4, and chroma of 2 or less. Texture is fine sand or loamy fine sand.
The E horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 1 to 4. Texture is fine sand or loamy fine sand.
The EB horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 2 to 4. Redoximorphic features in shades of gray, brown, or yellow range from none to common.
The Bt horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 3 to 8.
The Btg horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 2 or less. Redoximorphic features in shades of gray, brown or yellow range from none to many. Texture of the Bt and Btg horizons is fine sandy loam or sandy clay loam.
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 2R 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 series in the same family. The
Bear Creek,
Fork, and
Plaza series are in a similar family. They are not shallow and do not have a lithic contact above 20 inches in part of each pedon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Wekiva soils are on low ridges and flatwoods, and in depressions of coastal lowlands and river flood plains along the Gulf Coast of Northern Florida. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent. They formed in thin sandy and loamy marine sediments over limestone bedrock. The average annual temperature ranges from 65 to 72 degrees F., and the average annual precipitation ranges from 50 to 60 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Aripeka,
Boca,
Felda,
Hallandale,
Matmon,
Tennille,
Tooles, and
Waccasassa series. Aripeka and Matmon soils are somewhat poorly drained. Boca, Felda, and Tooles soils have a sandy epipedon that ranges from 20 to 40 inches in thickness. In addition, Felda soils do not have bedrock within a depth of 40 inches. Hallandale, Tennille, and Waccasassa soils do not have an argillic horizon. Boca, Felda, and Hallandale soils are hyperthermic but are associated because they are in the temperature boundary zone.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: poorly drained and very poorly drained; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of Wekiva soils have been planted to pine. A few areas remain in natural vegetation. Typically, the natural vegetation consists of loblolly pine, laurel oak, live oak, scattered sweetgum, magnolia, and red cedar. The understory is dominated by cabbage palm, sawpalmetto, greenbriar, waxmyrtle, pineland threeawn, various bluestem species, panicums, paspalums and a variety of other annual forbs and grasses. In depressions and wetter areas on flood plains the wooded vegetation includes cabbage palm, cypress, red bay, red maple, sweetbay, and water oak.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern peninsular Florida. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Auburn, Alabama.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Levy County, Florida; 1991.
REMARKS: High chroma matrix colors and absence of gray depletions are common in the EB and Bt horizons of these soils. Observations of soil wetness and high water tables confirm however that these soils are too wet to be classified as Udalfs.
The water table is within a depth of 12 inches for 1 to 4 months during most years and recedes into solution holes and crevices in the bedrock during the drier months. In depressional areas the soil is covered by water up to 6 to 9 months most years.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon include:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to a depth of 9 inches.
Albic horizon - the zone from 4 to 9 inches.
Argillic horizon - The zone from 9 to 18 inches.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Characterization pedon - Levy County, Florida; S38-17-(1-7). Sample by Soil Characterization Laboratory, Univ. of Florida, Gainesville, FL.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.