LOCATION ST. LUCIE               FL

Established Series
Rev. JAD-CAP-AMS
12/2016

ST. LUCIE SERIES


The St. Lucie series consists of very deep, excessively drained soils that formed in sandy marine and/or eolian deposits. St. Lucie soils are on dunes, ridges and knolls on marine terraces. Slopes range from linear to convex and range from 0 to 20 percent. Near the type location, the mean annual temperature is about 22 degrees C. (72 degrees F.), and the mean annual precipitation is about 1524 millimeters (60 inches).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Hyperthermic, uncoated Typic Quartzipsamments

TYPICAL PEDON: St. Lucie sand, in a linear to convex native scrub land at elevation of about 40 meters (130 feet) above mean sea level. (Colors are for moist soil.)

A--0 to 5 centimeters (0 to 2 inches); gray (10YR 5/1) sand; single grain; loose; few fine and very fine roots; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. [3 to 15 centimeters (1 to 6 inches) thick]

C--5 to 203 centimeters (2 to 80 inches); white (10YR 8/1) sand; single grain; loose; extremely acid.

TYPE LOCATION: Highlands County, Florida; approximately 1.1 kilometers (0.65 miles) south of State Road 70 and about 0.6 kilometers (0.4 miles) west of the Seaboard Coast Line rail line, Archbold Experiment Station; about 567 meters (1,870 feet) west and 708 meters (2,325 feet north of the southeast corner of Sec 6, T. 38 S., R. 30 E.; Latitude and Longitude; 27 degrees 12 minutes 1.01 seconds, north and 81 degrees 21 minutes 16.72 seconds, west; WSG84.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture control section: 30 to 90 centimeters (12 to 36 inches)
Solum thickness range: 3 to 15 centimeters (1 to 6 inches)
Ochric epipedon: 3 to 15 centimeters (1 to 6 inches)
Uncoated sand grains: not an indication of gleying or water table
Depth to endosaturation: 183 to 203 centimeters (72 to 80 inches) or more
Reaction: extremely acid to neutral, (pH 3.5 to 7.3) throughout

Particle-size control section (weighted averages):
Clay content: 0 to 5 percent
Fine sand content: 30 to 75 percent
Silt content: 0 to 5 percent
Clay plus silt content is less than 5 percent.

A or Ap horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 4 to 8
Chroma: 1 or 2
Texture: fine sand or sand
Clay content: 0 to 5 percent
Rock fragments: 0
EC (mmhos/cm): 0 to 2

C horizon:
Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y, or Neutral
Value: 6 to 8
Chroma: 1 or 2
Texture: fine sand or sand
Clay content: 0 to 5 percent
Rock fragments: 0
EC (mmhos/cm): 0 to 2

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Archbold (FL), Astatula (FL), Palm Beach (FL), and Tavares (FL) series.
Archbold soils have seasonal high water tables at depths of 107 to 183 centimeters (42 to 72 inches)
Astatula soils formed in marine sediments that have matrix colors of chroma of 3 or more.
Palm Beach soils formed in dune-like ridges that parallel the coast and contain multicolored shells and shell fragments ranging from 5 to 80 percent by volume.
Tavares soils have seasonal high water tables within 102 to 152 centimeters (40 to 60 inches).

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: sandy marine or eolian sediments.
Landscape: Lower Coastal Plain
Landform: dunes, ridges, and knolls on marine terraces
Slopes: 0 to 20 percent
Elevation: 0 to 35 meters (0 to 115 feet)
Mean annual temperature: 21 to 25 degrees C (70 to 77 degrees F)
Mean annual precipitation: 1270 to 1778 millimeters (50 to 70 inches)
Frost-free period: 345 to 365 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Basinger, Immokalee, and Myakka soils have seasonal high water tables within 0 to 30 centimeters (0 to 12 inches), have spodic horizons, and are in lower landform positions.
Satellite soils have seasonal high water tables within 30 to 61 centimeters (12 to 24 inches) and are in lower landform positions.
Placid soils have umbric epipedons and have seasonal high water tables within 0 to 15 centimeters (0 to 6 inches) and are in lower landform positions.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class: excessively drained
Saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat): very high
Permeability: very rapid permeability
Runoff: negligible to very low
Depth to seasonal high water table: Greater than 183 centimeters (72 inches)

USE AND VEGETATION:
Under natural conditions St. Lucie soils are used for forestry and wildlife habitat, some areas are used for building sites and as a source of sand for concrete.
Potential native vegetation consists of sand live oak, sand pine, dwarf willow, sawpalmetto, rosemary, pricklypear cactus, and lichens.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Major Land Resource Area (MLRA): Southern Florida Flatwoods (MLRA 155) and South Central Florida Ridge (MLRA 154)
Extent: Moderate

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Auburn, Alabama.

SERIES ESTABLISHED:
Indian River area, Florida; 1913.

REMARKS:
Particle sized control section: 25 to 100 centimeters (10 to 40 inches)

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Ochric epipedon - 0 to 5 centimeters (0 to 2 inches) (A horizon)

Uncoated feature - The silt plus clay content is less than 5 percent in the control section.

Endosaturation - 183 to 203 centimeters (72 to 80 inches) or more

Genesis of the St. Lucie soils is not clearly understood.

No subsurface diagnostic horizons are within depths of 7 feet, but the uncoated sand grains suggest an albic horizon.

Soil classified according to the 12th Edition of the Keys to Soil Taxonomy.

Additional Data:
Laboratory data is available on the National Soil Survey website at: http://ncsslabdatamart.sc.egov.usda.gov/querypage.aspx

OSD User Site ID: S1982-FL055-S28_007

OSD Pedon Site ID: S1982FL055007

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.