LOCATION BAYLIS IL+MOEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Paleudalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Baylis silt loam in pasture on back slope. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 7 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) silt loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry; moderate medium granular structure; friable; many fine and medium roots; moderately acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
Bt1--7 to 16 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) silty clay loam; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; firm; many fine and medium roots throughout; many fine and medium continuous tubular pores; many continuous faint dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) clay films on faces of peds; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bt2--16 to 24 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) silty clay loam; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; firm; common medium and coarse roots throughout; common medium and coarse continuous tubular pores; many continuous faint dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) clay films on faces of peds; few fine prominent irregular black (10YR 2/1) masses of iron and manganese oxides lining roots channels and pores; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (The combined thickness of Bt horizons is 10 to 30 inches)
2Bt3--24 to 42 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) silty clay loam; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; firm; few coarse roots throughout; few coarse continuous tubular pores; many continuous distinct reddish brown (5YR 4/4) and dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) clay films on faces of peds; common fine and medium prominent irregular dark red (2.5YR 3/6) and black (5YR 2.5/1) masses of iron and manganese oxides linings and pores; about 10 percent cherty gravel; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
2Bt4--42 to 60 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) gravelly silty clay loam; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; very firm; few coarse roots throughout; few coarse continuous tubular pores; common continuous distinct reddish brown (5YR 4/4) and dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) clay films on faces of peds; common fine and medium distinct irregular dark red (2.5YR 3/6) and black (5YR 2.5/1) masses of iron and manganese oxides throughout; about 20 percent cherty gravel; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary.
2Bt5--60 to 80 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) extremely gravelly clay; massive; very firm; common discontinuous distinct reddish brown (5YR 4/4) and dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) clay films on rock fragments; common fine and medium distinct irregular dark red (2.5YR 3/6) and black (5YR 2.5/1) masses of iron and manganese oxides throughout; about 70 percent medium to very coarse cherty gravel; strongly acid. (Combined thickness of 2Bt horizons is 36 inches to several feet.)
TYPE LOCATION: Pike County, Illinois; Baylis silt loam, 15 to 30 percent slopes, eroded, 100 feet west and 1,750 north of the southeast corner of sec. 17, T. 4 S., R. 6 W; USGS BARRY, IL. topographic quadrangle; lat. 39 degrees 43 minutes 4.1 seconds N. and long. 91 degrees 6 minutes 25.5 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The depth to the base of the argillic horizon is greater than 60 inches (see remarks). Loess thickness ranges from 20 to 40 inches. Depth to lithic or paralithic contact is greater than 60 inches.
The upper part of the series control section (the part formed in loess) averages less than 8 sand percent and gravel content of less than 1 percent. Individual horizons have properties as follows:
The A or Ap horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 3 to 5 and chroma of 2 to 4. Pedons with value of 3 are less than 7 inches thick or have dry value of 6 or more. Texture is silt loam, except some severely eroded pedons are silty clay loam. Clay content ranges from 20 to 35 percent. Reaction is slightly acid or moderately acid.
The E horizon (where present) has value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 2 or 3. It is silt loam.
The Bt horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 3 to 6. It is silty clay loam and averages 27 to 35 percent clay. Reaction ranges from slightly acid to very strongly acid.
The lower part of the series control section (the part formed in residuum) has rock fragment content that ranges from 10 to 90 percent, and averages 15 to 40 percent. Their lithology is dominantly chert. Clay content ranges from 32 to 42 percent. Properties of individual horizons are as follows:
The 2Bt horizon has hue of 2.5YR, 5YR, 7.5YR, or 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 4 to 6. Hue of 10YR is only in upper subhorizons. The fine earth fraction is silty clay loam, clay loam, silty clay, or clay. Rock fragment content ranges from 10 to 70 percent and sand content ranges from 15 to 30 percent. Reaction is very strongly acid to moderately acid.
Some pedons have, within a depth of 80 inches a 2Btb horizon. It has colors as defined for the 2Bt horizon. The fine earth fraction is silty clay or clay. Rock fragment content ranges from 30 to 90 percent. Reaction is strongly acid to neutral.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Crider, Peridge, and Ryker series. Crider soils have mean annual soil temperature greater than 56 degrees F. Peridge soils have, in the upper part of the argillic horizon, hues redder than 7.5YR and average sand content greater than 8 percent. Ryker soils average less than 15 percent rock fragments in the lower part of the control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Baylis soils are on shoulder slopes and back slopes of hill slopes. Slopes range from 8 to 30 percent. They formed in 20 to 40 inches of loess and "cherty" residuum. Mean annual temperature is about 48 to 54 degrees F., mean annual precipitation ranges from 35 to 39 inches, frost free days range from 180 to 190 days, and elevation ranges from 500 to 1020 feet above sea level.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include the Fayette, Lacrescent, Menfro, and Winfield soils. Lacrescent soils formed in colluvium and are on foot slopes below the Baylis soils. Fayette, Menfro and Winfield soils formed entirely in loess and are on summits and shoulder slopes above the Baylis soils.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. The potential for surface water runoff is medium to high. Permeability is moderate. The depth to a seasonal high water table is greater than 6 feet below the surface.
USE AND VEGETATION: On rolling slopes Baylis soils are used to grow corn, soybeans, small grain, and meadow crops. On steeper slopes they are generally used for pasture and woodland. Native vegetation is upland hardwood forest.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: West central and northwestern Illinois. The extent is small in MLRA 115 (less than 2000 acres correlated).
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Indianapolis, Indiana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Pike County, Illinois, 1969.
REMARKS: The depth of influence of the modern soil development on the paleosol is difficult to assess. It is believed to be to depths of greater than 60 inches. Also the thickness of the residuum is variable in the field, even on the same landform and landform position. Buried horizons are described at depth in some pedons.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: ochric epipedon -- the zone from the surface to a depth of 7 inches (Ap horizon); argillic horizon -- the zone from 7 to 80 inches (see remarks above; Bt and 2Bt horizons); paleosol feature -- matrix hue of 5YR with chroma of 5 in lowest argillic subhorizon (2Bt5 horizon).