LOCATION FLOMATON AL+GA KYEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy-skeletal, siliceous, thermic Lamellic Paleudults
TYPICAL PEDON: Flomaton gravelly loamy sand--forested.
(Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise
stated.)
A1--0 to 3 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) gravelly
loamy sand; weak medium granular structure; very friable; about 15 percent by volume pebbles; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0
to 5 inches thick)
A21--3 to 9 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly loamy sand; single grained; loose; about 25 percent by volume pebbles; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (3 to 8 inches
thick)
A22--9 to 40 inches; brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) very gravelly loamy sand; single grained; loose; 20 percent of sand grains and pebbles coated with fines of reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) occur
mostly in lower 10 inches; about 55 percent by volume pebbles; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (10 to 40 inches thick)
A23&Bt--40 to 72 inches; brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) very gravelly loamy sand; single grained; loose; lamellae of yellowish
red (5YR 5/6) gravelly sandy loam, 1/4 to 2 inches thick and 1/2
to 4 inches apart; single grained; massive; very friable; lamellae occupying 35 percent of vertical area are wavy and generally continuous; fine pebbles and sand grains well coated and bridged
with clay; about 60 percent by volume pebbles; strongly acid. (30 inches plus thick)
TYPE LOCATION: Escambia County, Alabama; 0.4 mile south of
Peacock store at Little Rock, 50 feet east of road in the SE1/4SE1/4NW1/4 sec. 29, T. 2 N., R. 7 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The solum is more than 60 inches thick. The combined thickness of the A horizon above the zone of lamellae
is 25 to 50 inches. Pebbles and cobbles range from 20 to 70
percent by volume in the A horizon and from 35 to 70 percent by volume in the A23 and Bt horizons. Reaction ranges from medium
acid to very strongly acid throughout except for the surface layer where limed.
The A1 horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 3 or 4, and chroma of 2
or 3. It is dark brown (10YR 3/3, 4/3), very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2), or dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2). It is gravelly
loamy sand, gravelly sand, very gravelly loamy sand, or very
gravelly sand.
The A2 horizons have hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 6 through 8,
and chroma of 3 through 8. Texture is gravelly loamy sand,
gravelly sand, very gravelly loamy sand, or very gravelly sand. Cobblestones or pebbles range from 20 to 70 percent by volume in
the A2 horizons.
The Bt horizon is composed of lamellae that have hue of 5YR or
7.5YR, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 6 or 8. Texture is gravelly sandy loam, gravelly sandy clay loam, gravelly loamy sand, or
their very gravelly counterparts. The lamellae are thicker in the lower part of some pedons and in places grade into a uniform Bt horizon containing no lamellae.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other known series in the same family. Competing series in related families include the
Bodine,
Eustis,
Lockhart, Paraloma,
Saffell, and
Troup series. All these soils, with the exception of Eustis, lack lamellae in the upper 40 inches of the argillic horizon. Bodine soils have textures finer than loamy fine sand in the upper 20 inches of the argillic
horizon. Eustis soils have less than 35 percent by volume coarser than very coarse sand in the argillic horizon. Lockhart and
Saffell soils have sola less than 60 inches thick and textures
finer than loamy fine sand in all parts of the argillic horizon.
In addition, Lockhart soils have mixed mineralogy. Paraloma soils have fragipans and have textures finer than loamy fine sand in all parts of the argillic horizon. Troup soils have textures finer
than loamy fine sand in all parts of the argillic horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Most of these soils are on gravelly,
dissected areas of the sloping uplands. Slopes range from 2
percent on ridgetops to 40 percent on sideslopes. The soil formed
in marine or stream deposited sands and loams very high in gravel. The climate is warm and humid. Near the type location the average daily temperature for January is 52 degrees F., the average daily temperature for July is 82 degrees F., and the mean annual precipitation is about 62 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing
Saffell,
Eustis, and
Troup series, and the
Bowie,
Lucy,
McLaurin,
Norfolk,
Orangeburg,
Ruston, and
Wagram series. All of these soils have
less than 35 percent by volume coarse fragments and textures finer than loamy fine sand in all parts of the argillic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Excessively drained; rapid
permeability; medium runoff.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most of the soil is in forest of mixed hardwoods, loblolly pines, and shortleaf pines. A few cleared
areas are used for row crops, special crops, and pasture.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Coastal Plains in Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, and possibly Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, and South Carolina. This soil is moderately extensive.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Auburn, Alabama
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Escambia County, Alabama; 1969.
REMARKS: Flomaton soils were formerly mapped as gravelly phases
of the Guin and Alaga series.