LOCATION SUCARNOOCHEE       AL

SUCARNOOCHEE SERIES

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, thermic Chromic Epiaquerts

TYPICAL PEDON: Sucarnoochee silty clay--on a nearly level flood plain in a pasture.
(Colors are for moist soil.)

Ap--0 to 9 inches; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) silty clay; moderate fine and medium granular structure; firm; very sticky,
very plastic; many fine roots; few old cracks filled with gray
silty clay loam material; mildly alkaline; clear wavy boundary.
(6 to 14 inches thick)

AB--9 to 22 inches; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) silty clay; common fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) mottles; moderate medium granular structure; firm; very sticky and plastic; common
fine roots; few large intersecting slickensides; moderately
alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (7 to 24 inches thick)

Bwl--22 to 32 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) clay; common medium
distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6), and strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) mottles; wedge-shaped aggregates formed by intersecting
slickensides, parts to moderate fine angular blocky structure; extremely firm; very sticky, very plastic; few fine roots; few
fine Mn concretions; mildly alkaline; gradual wavy boundary.

Bw2--32 to 65 inches; very dark gray (5Y 3/1) clay, common
medium distinct gray (2.5Y 5/0), yellowish brown (10YR 5/6), and strong brown (7.5YR 5.6) mottles; wedge-shaped aggregates formed
by intersecting slickensides, parts to moderate fine angular
blocky structure; extremely firm; very sticky, very plastic; few
fine roots; few calcium carbonate nodules; few fine Mn
concretions; neutral. (Combined thickness of the Bw horizon is
40 to more than 60 inches.)

TYPE LOCATION: Sumter County, Alabama; 2 miles south of
Gainesville; 1600 feet south and 600 feet west of the NE corner
of sec. 27, T. 21 N., R. 2 W.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Reaction ranges from neutral to
moderately alkaline throughout the soil. Depth to intersecting slickensides ranges from 9 to 27 inches. Clay content of the
control section ranges from 40 to 60 percent and silt content is
more than 30 percent. Surface configuration in undisturbed areas consist of microknolls 2 to 8 inches above microbasins at 4 to 10 feet intervals.

The A horizon has hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 3 or 4, and chroma
of 2 or 3. It is silty clay loam, silty clay, or clay. The AB horizon has a hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 3 or 4, and chroma of 1
to 3. It is silty clay loam, silty clay, or clay. Epipedons
with a value of 3 are less than 12 inches thick. AB horizons
with a chroma of 1 are at depths of more than 12 inches from the surface. Depth to distinct or prominent mottles is less than 20 inches.

The Bw horizon has common to many intersecting slickensides which form wedge- shaped fragments that part to moderate or strong subangular blocky or angular blocky structure. The Bw horizon is neutral or it has hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 3 to 6, and chroma
of 1 or 2; with common to many mottles in shades of brown or
yellow. Many pedons are mottled in shades of gray, yellow, and brown. Texture is silty clay or clay. Most pedons have few to common calcium carbonate nodules and few Mn concretions in the Bw horizon.

COMPETING SERIES: These are Louin, Naclina, and Vamont series.
All competing soils do not flood and have, in the horizon beneath
the A horizon, either a value and chroma of 4 or more or a value
of 5.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Sucarnoochee soils are on nearly level flood plains of the Blackland Prairie. Slopes range from 0 to 2
percent. The soils formed in calcareous clayey alluvium. The climate is warm and humid. Average annual temperature is 65
degrees F. and average annual percipitation is 50 inches near the type location.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are Catalpa, Demopolis, Griffith, Houlka, Houston, Kipling, Leeper, Okolona, Sumter,
Trinity, Tuscumbia, and Vaiden series. Catalpa, Houlka, Leeper,
and Trinity soils are on similar landforms. Catalpa soils do not have vertic properties. Demopolis, Houston, Kipling, Okolona, Sumter, and Vaiden soils are on adjacent uplands, do not flood,
and are either better drained, or have a higher value or chroma. Griffith, Houlka, Leeper, and Tuscumbia soils do not have intersecting slickensides within 40 inches of the surface,
gilgai, or cracks which extend below 20 inches. Trinity soils
have an epipedon with moist chroma of 1.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained; slow or very slow runoff; very slowly permeable.

USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas have been cleared, present use is pasture and about 30 percent of the soils are planted to oilseed
or grain crops. About 5 percent of the soils are in undisturbed mixed hardwood forest.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Flood plains of the Blackland Prairies
of Alabama and possibly Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and
eastern Texas. The series is of moderate extent.

Series Proposed: Sumter and Marengo Counties, Alabama, 1982.
The series is named for a small river in Sumter County.

REMARKS: Sucarnoochee series were formerly included in Catalpa
and Trinity series and, in more recent surveys, Leeper series.

ADDITIONAL DATA: Particle-size, chemical, and minerology data
are available for the typical pedon and two additional pedons. Engineering Test Data are available for two pedons.