LOCATION ASHFORD LA+TX,AREstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Very-fine, smectitic, thermic Chromic Dystraquerts
TYPICAL PEDON: Ashford clay, on a nearly level area in woodland. Elevation is 240 feet. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated).
A--0 to 4 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) silty clay; strong coarse granular structure; firm, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; many fine roots and few medium roots; few fine pores; 15 percent fine yellowish red (5YR 5/6) masses of oxidized iron; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (2 to 9 inches thick)
Bg--4 to 15 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) clay; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common fine roots; few fine pores; 6 percent distinct very dark gray (10YR 3/1) organic stains on faces of peds; 15 percent medium yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) masses of oxidized iron; 1 percent fine strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of oxidized iron; very strongly acid; diffuse wavy boundary. (0 to 20 inches thick)
Bssg1--15 to 25 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) clay; moderate medium angular blocky structure; firm, slightly sticky, slightly plastic; common fine roots; few fine pores; 10 percent prominent pressure faces; 30 percent medium yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) masses of oxidized iron throughout; 15 percent fine strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of oxidized iron throughout; very strongly acid; diffuse wavy boundary.
Bssg2--25 to 34 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) clay; moderate coarse wedge parting to moderate medium angular blocky structure; firm, very sticky, very plastic; common fine roots; few fine pores; 60 percent prominent pressure faces and 60 percent prominent slickensides (pedogenic); 30 percent medium yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) masses of oxidized iron throughout; 1 percent fine strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of oxidized iron throughout; very strongly acid; diffuse wavy boundary.
Bssg3--34 to 45 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) clay; moderate coarse wedge parting to moderate medium angular blocky structure; firm, very sticky, very plastic; common fine roots; few fine pores; 60 percent prominent pressure faces and 60 percent prominent slickensides (pedogenic); 30 percent fine yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) masses of oxidized iron throughout; 1 percent fine yellowish red (5YR 4/6) masses of oxidized iron throughout; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bssg4--45 to 58 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) clay; moderate coarse wedge parting to moderate medium angular blocky structure; firm, very sticky, very plastic; common fine roots; few fine pores; 60 percent prominent pressure faces and 60 percent prominent slickensides (pedogenic); 30 percent medium yellowish red (5YR 5/8) masses of oxidized iron throughout; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bssg5--58 to 70 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) clay; moderate coarse wedge parting to moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm, very sticky, very plastic; few fine roots; few fine pores; 55 percent prominent pressure faces and 55 percent prominent slickensides (pedogenic); 25 percent medium red (2.5YR 4/6) masses of oxidized iron throughout; 15 percent fine dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) masses of oxidized iron throughout; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bssg6--70 to 83 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) clay; moderate coarse wedge parting to moderate medium angular blocky structure; firm, very sticky, very plastic; few fine roots; few fine pores; 55 percent prominent pressure faces and 55 percent prominent slickensides (pedogenic); 15 percent medium yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) masses of oxidized iron throughout; 15 percent fine yellowish red (5YR 4/6) masses of oxidized iron throughout; very strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Bossier Parish, Louisiana; located about 2 miles north of the intersection of La. Highway 3 and La. Highway 162 in Benton, La. on La. Highway 3, and 170 feet east of highway; NE 1/4 of NW 1/4 Sec. 17, T. 20 N., R. 13 W.; Latitude 32 degrees, 43 minutes, 49.30 seconds N., and Longitude 93 degrees, 43 minutes, 59.70 seconds W., Benton, Louisiana USGS 7.5 Minute Quadrangle, NAD-83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Solum thickness: More than 80 inches
Clay content in the Control Section: 60 to 75 percent
Redoximorphic features: Depleted matrix with iron concentrations in shades of red, yellow or brown throughout the solum
Other distinctive soil features: Cracks 1/2 inch to 2 inches wide extend from the surface to a depth greater than 20 inches when the soil is dry.
Concentrated minerals: Some pedons have fine or medium masses of barite in the lower part of the solum.
Ag horizon:
Color=Hue of 10YR, 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 3 to 6, and chroma of 1 or 2. If the value is less than 4, the horizon is less than 10 inches thick.
Redoximorphic features= Iron concentrations in shades of red, yellow or brown range from few to many in most pedons.
Texture=Clay loam, silty clay loam, silty clay or clay.
Other features=Clay content ranges from 30 to 50 percent.
Reaction=Extremely acid to slightly acid
Bg horizon:
Color=Hue of 10YR, 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 1; or value of 6 and chroma of 1 or 2.
Redoximorphic features=Iron concentrations in shades of red, yellow or brown range from few to many.
Texture=Clay
Other features=Clay content ranges from 50 to 70 percent. Pressure faces range from few to many.
Reaction=Extremely acid or very strongly acid
Bssg horizon:
Color=Hue of 10YR, 2.5Y, 5Y or 5GY, value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 1; or value of 6 and chroma of 1 or 2.
Redoximorphic features=Most pedons have few to many iron concentrations in shades of red, yellow or brown. Fine to coarse dark rounded redox concretions range from none to common.
Texture=Clay
Other features=Clay content ranges from 60 to 75 percent. Pressure faces and slickensides range from few to common throughout.
Reaction=Extremely acid or very strongly acid
Bss horizon: (where present)
Color=Hue of 10YR, value of 5 or 6 and chroma of 4 to 8.
Redoximorphic features=Iron depletions in shades of gray range from few to many.
Texture=Clay or silty clay
Other features=Clay content ranges from 40 to 65 percent. Some pedons have fine or medium masses of barite.
Reaction=Extremely acid to strongly acid
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Alligator, Consul, and Eutaw series. The Beaumont, Bevil, Estes and Gladewater series are in closely related families. Alligator soils formed in Mississippi River alluvium. Consul soils formed in clayey sediments overlying alkaline shale. Eutaw soils have a solum that is less than 30 inches thick. Beaumont soils are hyperthermic and Bevil soils are in a fine family. Estes soils have chroma of 3 or more when the value is 6 or more, or chroma of 2 or less when the value is 5 or less.within the upper 30 inches of the soil. Gladewater soils have reaction of 5.0 or more throughout more than half of the upper 20 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Ashford soils are typically on terraces of late Pleistocene age. The soil formed in clayey alluvium. Slopes are less than 1 percent. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 42 to 55 inches. The mean annual temperature ranges from 63 to 67 degrees F. Elevation ranges from 225 to 275 feet. Frost free days range from 235 to 270. Thornthwaite P-E indices exceed 64.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the closely related Gladewater soils, and the Adaton, Annona, Gladewater, Kolin, and Wrightsville series. None of these soils except for Gladewater are vertisols. In addition, Adaton soils are have a fine-silty control section and are on higher positions in the landscape. Annona soils are more sloping, redder, and are better drained. Gladewater soils have reaction of 5.0 or more throughout more than half of the upper 20 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Ashford soils are poorly drained and are ponded for long periods during the rainy season. Permeability is very slow. Rate of runoff is high.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for woodland. Native vegetation includes red oak, water oak, willow oak, post oak, hickory, and green ash. Understory vegetation is mainly longleaf uniola, broomsedge bluestem, rushes, sedges and hawthorn. Some areas are cleared and farmed to soybeans and rice. A few areas are used for pasture.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Louisiana, Eastern Texas, possibly Arkansas, and Oklahoma in MLRA 133B. The series is of moderate extent with less than 50,000 acres.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Bowie County, Texas; 1978.
REMARKS: The Ashford series was included in the Panola series. The classification was changed from Vertic Ochraqualfs to Dystraquerts based on a revision to taxonomy. The type location was moved to Bossier Parish, Louisiana in 2004 at a site that has full NSSL characterization data (NSSL ID: 96LA015024 and 96LA015025). Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in the type location pedon include:
Ochric epipedon - 0 to 4 inches (Ag horizon).
Cambic horizon - 4 to 80 inches (Bg and Bssg horizons).
Slickensides - 15 to more than 80 inches (Bss horizons).
Aquic conditions - 0 to greater than 80 inches (Ag, Bg, Bssg1, Bssg2, Bssg3, Bssg4, and Bssg5 horizons have saturation, reduction, and dominant chromas of 2 or less with redox concentrations)
SOIL INTERPRETATION RECORD NUMBER TX0770.