LOCATION MCAFEE             KY

Established Series
Rev. JHN
04/2001

MCAFEE SERIES

The McAfee series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils formed in residuum of limestone on upland ridgetops and
sideslopes. Permeability is moderately slow. The average annual precipitation is about 45 inches, and the average annual
temperature is about 54 degrees F. Slopes range from 2 to 50 percent.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, mesic Mollic Hapludalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: McAfee silt loam--on a smooth 8 percent sideslope
in cultivation.
(Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise
stated.)
Ap--0 to 7 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) silty clay loam,
brown (10YR 5/3) dry; moderate fine granular structure; friable;
many fine roots; slightly aicd; clear smooth boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)
B21t--7 to 15 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) silty clay loam;
moderate fine subangular blocky structure; firm; many fine roots; common clay films on faces of peds; few 1/2 to 2 mm black concretions; slightly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 20
inches thick)
B22t--15 to 25 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) silty clay;
moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very firm; common
fine roots; many clay films on faces of peds; few 1/2 to 2 mm
black concretions; 2 percent small white fragments of chert;
medium acid; gradual smooth boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)
C--25 to 30 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) clay;
massive; extremely firm; few 1/2 to 2 mm black concretions; 5
percent small white fragments of chert; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
R--30 inches; limestone bedrock, hard and level-bedded.
TYPE LOCATION: Jessamine County, Kentucky; 200 yards east of the road to Jessamine Children's Home, 3/4 mile south of intersection with East Maple Street, Nicholasville, Kentucky.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness and depth to limestone bedrock ranges from 20 to 40 inches. The soil ranges from medium acid to neutral in the solum, and from slightly acid or mildly alkaline in the C horizon. Fragments of chert from 2 mm to 3
inches across, or fragments of limestone, from 1 to 6 inches
across, range from 0 to 15 percent in the solum, and from 0 to 25 percent in the C horizon.
The Ap horizon has hue of 10YR to 5YR, value less than 4, and
chroma 2 to 4. It is silt loam or silty clay loam. It has weak
or moderate, very fine to medium, granular or subangular blocky structure and very friable or friable consistence.
The B21t horizon has hue of 7.5YR to 2.5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 3 to 6. The B22t horizon has the same color range as
the B21t except the range also includes 10YR hue and value of 3.
A subhorizon of the B2 horizon is required to have hue of 5YR.
Some pedons have mottles in shades of brown or red. The B2
horizon is silty clay loam, silty clay, or clay. It has moderate, very fine through medium angular or subangular blocky structure
and firm or very firm consistence. Some pedons have a B1 horizon
up to 8 inches thick with colors like that of the B21t horizon.
The B1 horizon is silt loam, silty clay loam, or silty clay. A B3 horizon, up to 10 inches thick with colors like that of the B22t horizon is in some pedons. It is silty clay or clay.
The C horizon has colors like that of the B22t horizons. It is mottled in shades of gray, brown, or red in some pedons. It is
silty clay or clay.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Basco, Brooke, Caleast, Fleming,
and Salvisa series in the same family. Basco soils have a
lithologic discontinuity between depths of 10 and 20 inches.
Brooke soils are 7.5YR or yellower throughout. Caleast soils have bedrock at depths of more than 40 inches. Fleming soils lack a lithic contact within a depth of 40 inches. Salvisa soils have
hues of 10YR or 2.5Y in the B2 horizon. The Bland, Bratton, Caneyville, Donahue, and Fredonia series are similar soils in a related family which have surface layers, after mixing the upper 7 inches, with moist value of 4 or more.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: McAfee soils are gently sloping to steep
soils in upland areas with gradients of 2 to 50 percent. In some areas there is karst topography and others, limestone outcrops.
The soils formed in residuum of limestones. These soils are in
areas of 44 to 48 inches average annual precipitation, and 54
degrees to 57 degrees F., average annual temperature.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Cynthiana,
Fairmount, Faywood, Lowell, and Maury series. Cynthiana and Fairmount soils have bedrock at a depth less than 20 inches.
Faywood soils have B horizons with 7.5YR hue or browner and lack
dark colored Ap horizons. Lowell and Maury soils have bedrock at depths greater than 40 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Runoff generally is
rapid and permeabilty is moderately slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are used for growing corn, small grains, burley tobacco, hay, and pasture. Original vegetation was hardwoods with grassy glades. Forests were of elm, maple, oak species, ash, hickory, hackberry, redbud, black and honey locust, Kentucky coffee tree, black walnut, Yaupon (Ilex vomitoria), and
red cedar.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Bluegrass region of Kentucky.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Lexington, Kentucky

Extent is large.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Mercer County, Kentucky; 1930.
REMARKS: The McAfee series was classified as Reddish Brown
Lateritic soils intergrading to the Lithosols in the 1938 system. National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.