LOCATION BEARTHICKET        MO
Established Series
Rev. JDP-RLT
09/2004

BEARTHICKET SERIES


The Bearthicket series consists of very deep, well drained soils formed in silty alluvium. These soils are on nearly level flood plains and low stream terraces in MLRAs 116A and 116B. Slopes range from 0 to 3 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 42 inches and mean annual temperature is about 56 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, active, mesic Ultic Hapludalfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Bearthicket silt loam - on 1 percent slope in a fescue pasture at an elevation of 958 feet. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated)

Ap--0 to 10 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) silt loam; pale brown 10YR 6/3 dry; weak fine granular structure; very friable; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine irregular and tubular pores; moderately acid (pH 5.6); clear smooth boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick)

Bt1--10 to 20 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) silt loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; common distinct discontinuous clay films on faces of peds and in pores; moderately acid (pH 5.7); clear smooth boundary.

Bt2--20 to 29 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) silt loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; common distinct discontinuous clay films on faces of peds and in pores; moderately acid (pH 5.6); clear smooth boundary.

Bt3--29 to 43 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/3) silt loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; firm; few very fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; common distinct discontinuous clay films on faces of peds and in pores; moderately acid (pH 5.6); clear smooth boundary.

Bt4--43 to 48 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/3) silt loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; firm; few very fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; common distinct discontinuous clay films on faces of peds and in pores; few faint discontinuous silt coats on faces of peds; moderately acid (pH 5.6); clear smooth boundary.

Bt5--48 to 80 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) silt loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; firm; few very fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; few distinct discontinuous clay films on faces of peds and in pores; few faint discontinuous silt coats on faces of peds; moderately acid (pH 5.6). (Combined thickness of the Bt horizons is 35 inches or more)

TYPE LOCATION: Laclede County, Missouri; about 4 miles north of Nebo; 400 feet north of the SW corner of section 35, T. 34 N., R. 13 W.; Winnipeg USGS quadrangle; latitude 37 degrees 36 minutes 18 seconds N. and longitude 92 degrees 20 minutes 29 seconds W..

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Solum Thickness: 40 to 80 inches or more

A or Ap horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 3 or 4
Chroma: 2 to 4
Fine earth: silt loam
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent gravel
Reaction: strongly acid to neutral

BA or AB horizon (where present)
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 3 or 4
Chroma: 2 to 6
Fine earth: silt loam
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent
Reaction: strongly acid to neutral
Thickness: 3 to 10 inches

Upper Bt horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 3 to 5
Chroma: 3 to 6
Fine earth: silt loam, silty clay loam
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent
Sand content: 8 to 15 percent fine and coarser
Clay content: 18 to 35 percent
Reaction: strongly acid to neutral

Lower Bt or 2Bt horizon
Hue: 10YR to 2.5YR
Value: 3 to 6
Chroma: 3 to 6
Fine earth: silt loam, silty clay loam, loam, clay loam
Sand content: 10 to 45 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 30 percent (may range up to 80 percent below 40 inches
Reaction: strongly acid to neutral

BC or C horizon (where present)
Hue: 10YR to 5YR
Value: 4 to 6
Chroma: 4 or 6
Fine earth: silt loam, silty clay loam, loam, clay loam, sandy clay loam
Rock fragments: 0 to 80 percent
Reaction: very strongly to slightly acid
Thickness: 0 to 35 inches

2BC or 2C (where present)
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 4 or 5
Chroma: 4 to 6
Fine earth: coarse sandy loam, sandy loam, fine sandy loam,(may be loamy sand below 60 inches)
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent
Reaction: moderately acid to neutral

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Elk, Elkinsville, Olephant, Parke, Pike, Rickert, Tobinsport, Wellrock, and Wellston series. Elk soils have few to common mottles in shades of brown in the upper part of the Bt horizon and in shades of brown or gray in the lower part of the Bt horizon. Elkinsville soils have more than 35 percent sand in the lower part of the series control section. Olephant and Pike soils average 3 to 10 percent sand in the upper part of the series control section and have a 2Bt horizon. Parke soils have a 3Bt horizon that averages from 50 to 70 percent sand. Rickert soils average from 1 to 5 percent fine and coarser sand in the particle size control section. Tobinsport soils have a 3C/Bt horizon below 40 inches that averages from 65 to 85 percent sand. Wellrock soils have a paralithic contact from 40 to 60 inches. Wellston soils have bedrock at 40 to 72 inches.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Bearthicket soils are on flood plains and low stream terraces. Slopes range from 0 to 3 percent. These soils formed in silty alluvium. Elevations are 400 to 1250 feet. Mean annual temperature ranges from 54 to 58 degrees F, and mean annual precipitation ranges from 40 to 45 inches.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Britwater, Cedargap, Razort, Racket, Secesh, Sensabaugh series. All of these soils except Cedargap are fine-loamy. Britwater soils are on stream terraces and have redder colors in the argillic horizon. Cedargap soils are loamy-skeletal, have a mollic epipedon, have a higher base saturation, and are on flood plains. Razort, Racket, Secesh and Sensabaugh series are on similar positions. Razort soils have higher base saturation and have a dark colored surface horizon. Secesh soils have siliceous mineralogy. Sensabaugh and Racket series lack an argillic horizon.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Runoff is negligible to low. Permeability is moderate. The saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high. Some areas are subject to rare or occasional flooding.

USE AND VEGETATION: Hay and pasture. A few areas are used for cultivated crops. Native forest is mixed oaks.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Ozarks region (MLRAs 116A and 116B) of southern Missouri and possibly northern Arkansas. The series is of moderate extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Laclede County, Missouri; 1997.

REMARKS: These soils were formerly mapped in the Elk series in Missouri.
Diagnostic horizons recognized in this pedon are:
1) Ochric epipedon: 0 to 10 inches (Ap)
2) Argillic horizon: 10 to 80 inches (Bt horizons)

ADDITIONAL DATA: University of Missouri soil characterization laboratory sample number M92-105-92

The lab data shows this pedon is slightly under the 0.40 break for the active CEC class, but a summary of additional laboratory data shows the active family to be typical for this series.


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.