The Troup-Benndale-Smithton soil association (11) is common in the 

 northern parts of Mobile County, which is the portion of greatest relief. 

 Troup soils are found in the areas of greatest slope, Benndale soils in 

 broader areas and gentler side slopes, and Smithton soils in the lower, more 

 poorly drained areas. Benndale and Smithton soils have loamy surface layers, 

 while the Troup soils are thick sandy soils. All three are underlain by 

 loamy subsoils and were formed in loamy marine and fluvial sediments on 

 uplands. Smithton and Benndale and Troup soils have already been discussed. 

 Areas in this association are best utilized as woodland and wildlife habitat, 

 as the slope and wetness limit urban and cropland uses. 



The Shubuta-Troup-Benndale association soils are found on rolling, 

 undulating ridge tops and side slopes, as well as the lower areas along 

 several streams in northern Mobile County. They are well drained soils with 

 clayey and loamy subsoils and were formed in clayey and loamy marine 

 sediments on uplands. Troup soils are on lower side slopes and have surfaces 

 of thick loamy sand. Shubuta and Benndale soils are on upper side slopes and 

 ridgetops and have loamy surface layers. Shubuta soils have a dark-brown 

 fine sandy loam surface layer, and a yellowish-red to red clay or clay loam 

 subsoil. Benndale and Troup soils have been described already. These areas 

 are used mostly for woodland because of the short, choppy nature of the 

 slopes and the low water capacity of the Troup soils limiting cropland use 

 (Hickman and Owens 1980). 



The percentage of area each soil series occupies within a county and the 

 percentage of area each soil series occupies within each association are 

 presented in Table 18. 



The Soil Conservation Service's description of the potential uses of the 

 various soil associations in Mobile County is given in Table 19. Limitations 

 that each association may have for a particular use are also listed. Culti- 

 vated crops are those crops extensively grown in the area (e.g., corn, pota- 

 toes, soybeans), whereas specialty crops are those that require intensive 

 management (e.g., watermelons, grapes, pecans, green beans). Woodland may 

 refer to either introduced trees (e.g., pecans, other fruit trees, and orna- 

 mentals) or those that occur naturally in the area (e.g., longleaf, slash, 

 and loblolly pines, water oaks). Urban includes any residential, commercial, 

 or industrial development. Intensive recreation areas are subject to heavy 

 foot traffic in a concentrated area, such as campsites, ball fields, or 

 picnic areas. Extensive recreation areas are subject to lighter foot traffic 

 over a wider area, such as hiking, nature study, or wilderness. 



EROSION AND ACCRETION 



The processes that influence the erosion and accretion of Alabama's 

 shoreline are complex and include both natural and human actions. Man has 

 changed the shoreline through dredging and disposal activities, while the 

 natural processes of wind, wave action, tides, currents, severe weather dis- 

 turbances, sediment budget variations, and sea level changes act daily upon 

 those same shores. 



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