LOCATION YEMASSEE SC+AL FL VAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, siliceous, semiactive, thermic Aeric Endoaquults
TYPICAL PEDON: Yemassee loamy fine sand--forested. (Colors are for moist soil.)
A--0 to 7 inches; black (10YR 2/1) loamy fine sand; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; many medium roots; many medium holes; few uncoated sand grains; very strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
E--7 to 12 inches; pale brown (10YR 5/3) loamy fine sand; weak fine granular structure; friable; many fine and medium roots; few fine holes; some A material moved down into root channels; common medium faint light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) iron depletions; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 11 inches thick)
Bt--12 to 20 inches; pale brown (2.5Y 6/3) sandy clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine roots; few fine holes; thin patchy faint clay films in old root channels and on faces of some peds; many medium distinct light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) iron depletions, and many medium prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary.
Btg1--20 to 34 inches; gray (10YR 6/1) sandy clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine roots; thin patchy faint clay films on faces of some peds; common medium faint grayish brown (10YR 5/2) iron depletions, and common prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) masses of iron accumulation; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary.
Btg2--34 to 50 inches; gray (10YR 6/1) sandy clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine roots; thin patchy clay films on faces of some peds; few uncoated sand grains; many coarse prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) masses of iron accumulation; very strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizon is 15 to more than 40 inches.)
BCg--50 to 75 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) sandy loam; weak fine granular structure; very friable; common medium prominent yellowish red (5YR 5/8) masses of iron accumulation; strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 30 inches thick)
Cg--75 to 90 inches; gray (10YR 6/1) sand; single grained; loose; strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Georgetown County, South Carolina; south on U.S. Highway 17 to Penny Royal Road (State Highway 42); west for 3.3 miles to Mouresina Road; north 1.0 mile to unmarked road; west for 0.4 mile. Site is 150 feet south of the centerline of the road.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness is 40 to more than 70 inches. The soil is extremely acid to slightly acid in the A horizon and extremely acid to strongly acid in the B and C horizons. Few to common fine flakes of mica and fine black minerals are in the lower part of the B and C horizons of many pedons. Some pedons have few to common concretions.
The A or Ap horizon has hue of 10YR to 5Y, or it is neutral, value of 2 to 5, and chroma of 0 to 2. Where the value is less than 3.5, the A or Ap horizon is less than 10 inches thick. The E horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 to 7, and chroma of 2 to 4. Iron depletions in shades of gray, and masses of iron accumulation in shades of yellow, brown, or red are in the E horizon of some pedons. The A and E horizons are fine sandy loam, sandy loam, loamy fine sand, or loamy sand.
The Bt horizon has hue of 7.5YR, 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 3 to 8, commonly with iron depletions in shades of gray, and masses of iron accumulation in shades of yellow, brown, or red. The Btg horizon has hue of 7.5YR to 5Y, or is neutral, value of 5 to 7, and chroma of 0 to or 2, commonly with masses of iron accumulation in shades of yellow, brown, or red. The Bt and Btg horizons commonly are sandy clay loam but range to clay loam or sandy loam in some pedons. Some pedons have subhorizons less than 6 inches thick of sandy clay. Silt content in the control section is less than 30 percent.
The BCg horizon, present in most pedons, has hue of 10YR to 5Y, or is neutral, value of 5 to 7, and chroma of 0 to 2, commonly with iron depletions in shades of olive, and masses of iron accumulation in shades of yellow, brown, or red. It dominantly is sandy loam or sandy clay loam but ranges to clay loam or sandy clay. Some pedons have strata or pockets of contrasting materials.
The Cg horizon has the same colors given for the BCg horizon, or it is a combination of iron depletions and accumulations in shades of gray, yellow, brown, or red. Texture is variable, ranging from sandy to clayey materials. Some pedons are stratified and some pedons have pockets of contrasting materials.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other known series in this family. Abell, Altavista, Augusta, Bertie, Eunola, Goldsboro, Lynchburg, Ogeechee, Rains, Summerfield, Tetotum, and Yauhannah series are similar soils in other families. Abell, Altavista, Augusta, Bertie, Summerfield, and Tetotum soils have mixed mineralogy. Eunola, Goldsboro, and Yauhannah soils are better drained and have a matrix of higher chroma in the control section. Lynchburg soils do not have a clay decrease of as much as 20 percent of the maximum within a depth of 60 inches from the soil surface. Ogeechee and Rains soils are gray in 60 percent or more of the matrix between the A or Ap horizon and a depth of 30 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Yemassee soils are on nearly level terraces and broad flats of the lower Coastal Plain. Near the type location the mean annual air temperature is about 65 degrees F.; the mean annual precipitation is about 51 inches; and the freeze-free season is about 243 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the similar Ogeechee, and Yauhannah series, plus Bladen, Chisolm, Coosaw, Craven, Eulonia, Hobcaw, and Wahee series. Bladen, Craven, Eulonia, and Wahee soils have a clayey particle-size control section. Chisolm and Coosaw soils have an arenic epipedon. Hobcaw soils have an umbric epipedon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained; slow runoff; moderate permeability. The water table is about 1.0 to 1.5 feet below the soil surface for as much as 4 months during winter and early spring in most years.
USE AND VEGETATION: Forested areas are dominantly loblolly pine, slash pine, longleaf pine, sweetgum, blackgum, water oak, dogwood, and hickory. Cultivated areas are primarily used for corn, soybeans, small grain, truck crops, and pasture grasses.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Lower Coastal Plain of South Carolina and possibly North Carolina and Virginia. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Raleigh, North Carolina
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Beaufort County, South Carolina; 1975.
REMARKS: The concept of these soils is having a dominant chroma of 2 in all layers, except a subsurface or upper subsoil layer with a dominant chroma of 3.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 12 inches (A and E horizons)
Argillic horizon - the zone from a depth of 12 to 50 inches (Bt, Btg1, and Btg2 horizons)
Endosaturation - saturation in all layers to a depth of 90 inches
MLRA: 133A, 153A, 153B
ADDITIONAL DATA: Particle-size and petrographic data are on file for this pedon.
TABULAR SERIES DATA:
SOI-5 Soil Name Slope Airtemp FrFr/Seas Precip Elevation SC0053 YEMASSEE 0- 2 60- 66 240-260 50- 68 0- 40 SC0117 YEMASSEE 0- 2 60- 66 240-260 50- 58 0- 40SOI-5 FloodL FloodH Watertable Kind Months Bedrock Hardness SC0053 NONE RARE 1.0-1.5 APPARENT DEC-MAR 60-60 SC0117 COMMON 1.0-1.5 APPARENT DEC-MAR 60-60
SOI-5 Depth Texture 3-Inch No-10 Clay% -CEC- SC0053 0-12 LS LFS 0- 0 100-100 5-15 1- 8 SC0053 0-12 SL FSL 0- 0 100-100 10-20 2- 4 SC0053 12-50 SCL CL FSL 0- 0 100-100 18-35 3- 8 SC0053 50-75 SCL FSL SC 0- 0 100-100 12-40 3- 8 SC0053 75-90 VAR - - - - SC0117 0-12 LS LFS 0- 0 100-100 5-15 1- 3 SC0117 0-12 SL FSL 0- 0 100-100 10-20 2- 4 SC0117 12-50 SCL CL FSL 0- 0 100-100 18-35 3- 8 SC0117 50-75 SCL FSL SC 0- 0 100-100 12-40 3- 8 SC0117 75-90 VAR - - - -
SOI-5 Depth -pH- O.M. Salin Permeab Shnk-Swll SC0053 0-12 3.6- 6.0 .5-4. 0- 0 6.0- 20 LOW SC0053 0-12 3.6- 6.0 .5-4. 0- 0 2.0- 6.0 LOW SC0053 12-50 3.6- 5.5 - 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 LOW SC0053 50-75 3.6- 5.5 - 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 LOW SC0053 75-90 - - - - SC0117 0-12 3.6- 6.0 .5-4. 0- 0 6.0- 20 LOW SC0117 0-12 3.6- 6.0 .5-4. 0- 0 2.0- 6.0 LOW SC0117 12-50 3.6- 5.5 - 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 LOW SC0117 50-75 3.6- 5.5 - 0- 0 0.6- 2.0 LOW SC0117 75-90 - - - -