LOCATION OKEELANTA FLEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy or sandy-skeletal, siliceous, euic, hyperthermic Terric Haplosaprists
TYPICAL PEDON: Okeelanta muck - range. (Colors are for moist soil.)
Oap--0 to 8 inches, black (N 2/ ) rubbed and unrubbed sapric material muck; about 5 percent fiber unrubbed; weak fine and medium granular structure; very friable; many fine roots and pores; estimated mineral content 10 percent; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary.
0a--8 to 31 inches, dark reddish brown (5YR 2/2) rubbed and unrubbed sapric material muck; about 30 percent fiber unrubbed, about 10 percent rubbed; massive; friable; many fine roots and pores; sodium pyrophosphate extract very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2); estimated mineral content 10 percent; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (Total thickness of the Oa horizons ranges from 16 to 40 inches)
C1--31 to 55 inches, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) fine sand; single grained; loose; slightly alkaline; clear wavy boundary.
C2--55 to 65 inches, light gray (10YR 7/2) fine sand; single grained; loose; many fine fragments of shell; calcareous, moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Palm Beach County, Florida. Approximately 2.75 miles east of U.S. 441 and 4.75 miles north of U.S. 98; NE1/4, SW1/4, SE1/4 of sec. 19, T. 41 S., R. 38 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Reaction ranges from moderately acid to moderately alkaline by Hellige-Troug test or 4.5 or more in 0.01M calcium chloride in the organic materials. Reaction ranges from slightly acid to moderately alkaline in the underlying mineral horizons. Thickness of the organic materials ranges from 16 to 50 inches.
The Oap or 0a horizon has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 2 through 4, chroma of 1 to 3; or it is neutral with value of 2. Sodium pyrophosphate extract colors have hue 10YR, value of 2 through 4, and chroma of 2 or 3, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 3; or hue of 7.5YR, value of 3, chroma of 2; or value of 5, and chroma of 4. Fiber content is commonly 5 to 33 percent unrubbed. It ranges to about 50 percent unrubbed and from 3 to 16 percent rubbed. In some pedons, the surface layer consists of hemic materials.
The C horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 2 through 7, and chroma of 1 or 2; or it is neutral with value of 2 through 7. Texture is sand, fine sand, or loamy sand. Sand-size shell fragments range from none to many.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Okeelanta soils are in small depressional areas, and large fresh water marshes. These soils formed in hydrophytic non-woody plant remains mixed with a small amount of mineral material. The climate is humid and warm. The average annual temperature ranges from 74 to 76 degrees F., and the average annual precipitation ranges from 58 to 60 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Lauderhill, Pahokee, Plantation, Sanibel, Terra Ceia, and Tomoka series. Lauderhill soils have 20 to 40 inches of organic material over hard rock. Pahokee soils have organic materials 36 to 51 inches over hard rock. Plantation and Sanibel soils are of mineral origin. Terra Ceia soils have organic horizons thicker than 51 inches. Tomoka soils are underlain by a loamy substratum.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Very poorly drained; rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Many areas of Okeelanta soils are cleared and are used for truck crops, sod, sugarcane, and improved pasture grasses. Some areas are not developed and are used for water storage and as a wildlife habitat. Native vegetation consists of sawgrass, lilies, sedges, and other water tolerant plants. Willow, southern bayberry, and melaleuca are common tree species.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern Florida in the Everglades area. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Auburn, Alabama.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Everglades Project Area; 1945.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Histic epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 31 inches (Oap and Oa horizons).
In undrained areas the water table is at depths of less than 10 inches below the surface or the soil is covered by water 6 to 12 months during most years.