LOCATION SHARON IL+MOEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-silty, mixed, active, acid, mesic Oxyaquic Udifluvents
TYPICAL PEDON: Sharon silt loam - with a slope of less than one percent in a cultivated field. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 7 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) silt loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) dry; weak and moderate fine granular structure; friable; many fine roots; about 30 percent sand; very strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary.
A2--7 to 10 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) silt loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) dry; weak medium platy structure parting to weak fine granular; friable; many fine roots; slightly compact as a weak plow sole; about 10 percent sand; strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary.
A3--10 to 25 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) silt loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) dry; weak medium granular structure; friable; common fine roots; few worm casts; about 10 percent sand; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizon is 15 to 32 inches.)
C1--25 to 33 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) silt loam; common medium faint pale brown (10YR 6/3) mottles; massive; friable; few fine roots; few worm casts; about 15 percent sand; few fine dark concretions (iron and manganese oxides); very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (6 inches to several feet thick)
C2--33 to 40 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) silt loam; common medium distinct light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) and few fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) mottles; massive; friable; few fine roots; few fine dark concretions (iron and manganese oxides); about 20 percent sand; very strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
C3--40 to 50 inches; mixed brown (10YR 5/3), light brownish gray (10YR 6/2), light gray (10YR 7/2), and yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) silt loam; massive; friable; few fine roots; common fine dark concretions (iron and manganese oxides); about 15 percent sand; very strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 15 inches thick)
C4--50 to 61 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) silt loam; common medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) mottles; massive; friable; common fine dark concretions (iron and manganese oxides); about 15 percent sand; very strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Williamson County, Illinois; about 3 miles northeast of Crab Orchard; 265 feet south and 275 feet east of the NW corner of sec. 15, T. 9 S., R. 4 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The 10 to 40 inch control section is strongly acid or very strongly acid. It averages less than 18 percent clay and less than 15 percent fine or coarser sand.
The A horizon has value typically of 4 or 5 (5 or 6 dry), and chroma of 3 or 4. Some pedons have a thin A horizon at the soil surface with chroma of 3 and value of 2 or 3.
The C horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, except some pedons have hue of 2.5Y below a depth of 30 inches; value of 4 through 7; and chroma of 2 through 6. Mottles commonly do not occur at depths shallower than about 20 inches. Mottles have hue of 10YR, 7.5YR, or 2.5Y; value of 4 through 6; and chroma 2 through 8. Pedons without mottles have other evidence of wetness below 20 inches. Hue of 2.5Y and chroma of 2, if present, are at depths greater than 30 inches. The C horizon in many pedons contains thin strata of loam, sandy loam, loamy sand or sand. It typically is massive, but has weak fine granular structure in some pedons. Some pedons contain a buried A horizon below a depth of 40 inches. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid through neutral below a depth of 40 inches.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series. Soils in closely associated families are the Arenzville, Belknap, Cuba, Haymond, and Wilbur series. Arenzville, Haymond, and Wilbur soils are nonacid. In addition, Arenzville soils have a buried soil within a depth of 40 inches below the soil surface. Belknap soils are dominated by chroma of 2 or less in the upper part of the profile. Cuba soils have a B horizon and average more than 18 percent clay in the control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Sharon soils are on nearly level to gently undulating flood plains. Slope gradients commonly are less than 2 percent but range from 0 to 4 percent. Sharon soils formed in silty, acid alluvium. Mean annual temperature varies from 54 to 57 degrees F, and mean annual precipitation varies from 40 to 48 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the closely associated Belknap, Banlic, Bonnie, and Burnside soils. Belknap, Banlic, and Bonnie soils are more poorly drained and are dominated by lower chroma in the control section. Belknap and Bonnie soils are on lower lying parts of the flood plain. Banlic soils are on very low stream terraces. Burnside soils contain more sand and coarse fragments in the control section and are on similar nearby flood plains.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained. Surface runoff is slow. Permeability is moderate.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are cropped. Corn and soybeans are the principal crops. Some areas are in woodland and pastureland. Native vegetation was hardwood forest.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern Illinois and eastern Missouri. The extent is moderate.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Indianapolis, Indiana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Washington County, Illinois, 1927.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Data for the typical pedon, sample numbers U. of Il. 19477-19483, is on file at the Illinois state office.
REMARKS: Classification was adjusted to agree with ST Issue #17 on 25 Aug 94 by CLG. Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of approximately 25 inches; acid family - the pH in the 10 to 40 inch zone is less than 5.5.