LOCATION BALIZE                  LA

Established Series
Rev. LT-WLC-CLN
03/2019

BALIZE SERIES


The Balize series consists of very deep, very poorly drained, slowly permeable, fluid mineral soils. These soils formed in loamy alluvium in areas of active deposition by the Mississippi River and its distributaries. The sediments were deposited under water and have never air dried and consolidated. These soils are ponded or flooded most of the time. Slope is less than 1 percent.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, nonacid, hyperthermic Typic Hydraquents

TYPICAL PEDON: Balize silt loam--on broad, level freshwater marsh. (Colors are for wet soils.)

A--0 to 8 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) silt loam; massive; very fluid; flows easily between fingers when squeezed leaving hand empty; few medium and fine roots; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 12 inches thick)

Cg1--8 to 29 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) silty clay loam; massive; very fluid, flows easily through fingers when squeezed leaving hand empty; few thin strata of black (10YR 2/1) muck and mucky silty clay loam; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (6 to 28 inches)

Cg2--29 to 38 inches; gray (5Y 5/1) silty clay loam; massive; very fluid, flows easily through fingers when squeezed leaving hand empty; few thin strata of silt loam; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 28 inches thick)

Cg3--38 to 66 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) silt loam; common thin (one-inch) strata of gray (5Y 5/1) silty clay loam and very fine sandy loam; massive; slightly fluid, flows with difficulty through fingers when squeezed leaving large residue in hand; moderately alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana; 2 miles northeast of Venice; 600 feet south of Baptiste Collette Bayou; 200 feet west of pipeline canal; Spanish Land Grant 25; T. 20 S., R. 18 E.; lat. 29 degrees 17 minutes 41.2 seconds N. and long. 89 degrees 19 minutes and 56.7 seconds W., WGS84.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: All mineral horizons to a depth of 40 inches or more have n-value of 0.7 or more.

The O horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR, value of 2 to 4, and chroma of 1 or 2. The horizon is muck or peat. Reaction ranges from slightly acid to moderately alkaline.

The A horizon has hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 2 to 5, and chroma of 1 or 2. Texture is silt loam, mucky silt loam, or silty clay loam. Reaction ranges from neutral to moderately alkaline.

The C horizon has hue of 10YR to 5BG, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 1 or 2; or is neutral with values of 4 to 6. Texture is silt loam, silty clay loam, mucky silty clay loam, or very fine sandy loam. Pockets of muck or peat range from none to common. In some pedons, a sandy 2C horizon with n-value of less than 0.7 is present below a depth of 40 inches. Reaction ranges from slightly acid to moderately alkaline.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Tatlum series and the similar Arat, Bancker, Barbary, Gentilly, Larose, Levy, and Scatlake series in related families. Tatlum soils are saline with EC ranging from 25 to 90 dS/m. Arat soils have logs and wood throughout the profile. Bancker, Barbary, Larose, and Scatlake soils have a very-fine particle-size control section. Gentilly and Levy soils have a fine particle-size control section.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Balize soils are on low, broad, ponded, freshwater deltaic marshes at elevations of 1 foot or less. They are flooded frequently with freshwater during high water levels from the Mississippi River and also during severe storms by sea water from the Gulf of Mexico. These soils formed in fluid loamy sediments that were deposited under water and have never air-dried and consolidated. Slopes are less than 1 percent. The mean air temperature is 70 degrees F. and the mean annual rainfall is about 60 inches near the type location.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Larose, Bancker, and Scatlake soils and the Allemands, Clovelly, Kenner, and Lafitte soils. Larose soils are in similar positions. Bancker and Scatlake soils are in slightly lower positions. Allemands and Clovelly soils have organic layers 16 to 51 inches thick and are in similar positions. The Kenner and Lafitte soils have organic layers more than 51 inches thick and are in similar positions.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Balize soils are very poorly drained. Permeability is slow. Runoff is negligible. The water level is continuously at depths of 3 feet above to 1 foot below the soil surface.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for wildlife habitat. The vegetation is freshwater herbaceous plants including elephants ear, roseau cane, delta duckpotato, Walter's millet, and delta threesquare.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Mississippi River deltaic marshes of Louisiana and possibly other coastal states. The series is of moderate extent.

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: AUBURN, ALABAMA

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana; 1987. Name is derived from the name of a community near the type location.

REMARKS: Balize soils were formerly included with the Larose series.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are;
Ochric epipedon--0 to 8 inches (A horizon).
n-value more than 0.7--0 to 66 inches

Additional Data: LSU data (S87LA-075-001).


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.