2l8 FLORIDA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY-SEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT. 
GAINESVILLE LOAMY SAND. 
The surface soil of the Gainesville loamy sand consists of about 
ip inches of a grayish-brown to brown, medium-textured loamy 
sand, ranging to reddish brown in places. The subsoil is a yellow¬ 
ish-brown or brown to reddish-brown loamy sand, which becomes a 
little more loamy with depth, usually changing within 36 inches to 
a sticky sand or sandy loam, which in turn grades below into a sub¬ 
stratum of friable sandy clay. I11 some places, however, the sandy 
clay is encountered within 24 inches of the surface. It is of a 
brownish-yellow color and quite frequently has a reddish tinge. I11 
many places there is 3 or 4 inches beneath the surface a dark-brown 
to brownish-black, compact layer having something the nature of 
hardpan, although not cemented, the color being caused by the stain¬ 
ing* of the soil grains by organic or ferruginous matter. 
As mapped the type includes some areas of a loose sand, repre¬ 
senting the Gainesville sand, which were not separated, owing to 
their small extent. Some included patches closely resemble the Nor¬ 
folk soils in having a somewhat grayish color in the surface portion 
and yellowish color beneath, and in being rather loose and incoher¬ 
ent in structure from the surface downward. Areas are encountered 
in which the surface is loamy and close structured, while the subsoil 
is not especially loamy and is loose and incoherent in the lower part. 
Limestone .fragments are quite commonly found in the subsoil and 
the bedrock itself may occasionally be reached within the 3-foot sec¬ 
tion. Small areas occur where limestone fragments are scattered 
upon the surface, as well as throughout the soil and subsoil. 
There is some variation in texture in the Gainesville loamy sand 
from place to place. The sand particles of the soil are irregular 
shaped and rather sharp, and generally enough of these are of suf¬ 
ficient size to give a rather coarse feel, making the texture coarse 
medium, but it varies, on the other hand, to a fine medium texture, 
with a small range in the size of soil grains. 
The loamy sand is the most extensive of the Gainesville soils. 
Comparatively large areas occur in the eastern part of the survey in 
Marion' and Sumter Counties. The greatest development is around 
Ocala, and there are large areas around Belleview, Summerfield, and 
Oxford. It forms high hammock land, occupying* the broad, gently 
sloping, arched areas of hammock, mostly between elevations of 90 
and 100 feet above sea level. Some of the areas are quite broad and 
flat, but usually there is some slope. This surface is further modi- 
