268 FLORIDA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY-SEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT 
The soils of the Norfolk series cover 19 per cent of the area of 
the county. These soils are not widely distributed, being- confined to * 
those parts of the county having- the strongest relief and best drain¬ 
age, where oxidation has been able to extend into the subsoil. The 
larg'er bodies occupy the rolling country adjoining the larger streams 
or lakes. The soils are also found in small, elevated areas within the 
low-lying flatwoods section. 
The Leon series is similar to the Norfolk in derivation, differing 
mainly in the presence of a hardpan stratum within the 3-foot pro¬ 
file. A relatively small area of one type is found in the county. It 
occupies the slightly elevated divides between streams in the flat- 
woods country. This soil is apparently about as well drained as the 
Norfolk soils. 
The soil of the Scranton series is intermediate between the well- 
drained Norfolk soils and the poorly drained Portsmouth soils. It 
is represented by the fine sandy loam type, which is not extensively 
developed. 
The soil of the Coxville series is represented by one type confined 
almost wholly to the north-central part of the county and occupying 
the long; slightly elevated ridge on the west side of New River, 
where it enters the county. Smaller, isolated areas occur in other 
sections of the county, always at a slightly higher elevation than 
the surrounding country. Insufficient drainage seems to have pre¬ 
vented complete oxidation of the subsuil material, as indicated by 
the mottled yellow, gray, and red color. 
The Portsmouth series occupies the poorest drained part of the 
upland, comprising the low, flat country known as the “flatwoods.” 
The soils are more widely distributed than those of any other series, 
and their total area is 59.6 per cent of the area of the county. 
A conspicuous feature of the Portsmouth fine sand, Leon fine 
sand, and Portsmouth sand is the reddish-brown or dark-brown, 
somewhat compact layer of material, commonly called “hardpan,” 
encountered at depths varying from a few inches to about 24 inches 
beneath the surface. This layer usually averages about 6 inches in 
thickness, although the underlying material is often discolored from 
leaching to a considerable depth. The position in the soil section 
that the hardpan layer occupies is at or near the place where the 
ground water stands the greater part of the year. The manner of 
formation of the layer is not definitely known, though the fact that it 
contains a large amount of organic matter would seem to indicate 
