LOCATION BLUELICK MOEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Paleudalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Bluelick silt loam - on a 16 percent convex slope with mixed hardwoods at an elevation of 700 feet. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 5 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) silt loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) crushed, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry; weak fine granular structure; friable; many medium roots; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (1 to 6 inches thick)
E--5 to 13 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) silt loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; many medium roots; common distinct very dark grayish brown organic stains; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
Bt1--13 to 19 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) silty clay loam; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; firm; common fine roots; many prominent brown clay films on faces of peds; few distinct silt coats in root channels; strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary.
Bt2--19 to 28 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) silty clay; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; firm; common medium roots; many prominent brown clay films on faces of peds; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizon is 12 to 32 inches.)
2Bt3--28 to 38 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) extremely gravelly silty clay; strong fine subangular blocky structure; very firm; few fine roots; common faint clay films on faces of peds; 70 percent chert gravel; very strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary.
2Bt4--38 to 60 inches; red (2.5YR 4/6) very gravelly clay; strong fine subangular blocky structure; very firm; few fine roots; common distinct clay films on faces of peds; 50 percent chert gravel; very strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Saline County, Missouri; about 2 miles west and 1 mile south of Marshall Junction; 950 feet north and 1,850 feet east of the southwest corner of sec. 8, T. 48 N., R. 21 W.; USGS Longwood quadrangle, UTM coordinates 4311275 meters north and 478415 meters east; lat. 38 degrees 57 minutes 08 seconds N. and long. 93 degrees 14 minutes 50 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness is 60 or more inches. Depth to the horizon that has more than 10 percent gravel is 20 to 40 inches. The upper one-third of the control section averages less than 4 percent gravel. The lower two-thirds of the control section averages 35 to 80 percent rock fragments.
The A or Ap horizon has color value of 3 or 4, and chroma of 2 or 3. It is silt loam or silty clay loam. Reaction is strongly acid to neutral.
The E horizon has color value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 3 to 6. It is very strongly acid to neutral.
The Bt horizon has hue of 10YR to 5YR, value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 4 to 6. It is silty clay loam or silty clay. The lower Bt horizon contains 0 to 10 percent gravel as angular chert fragments. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid to neutral.
The 2Bt horizon has hue of 7.5YR to 2.5YR, value of 3 to 5 and chroma of 4 to 6. It is very gravelly, extremely gravelly, very cobbly or extremely cobbly analogues of silty clay or clay. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid to slightly acid.
COMPETING SERIES: These are Baxter, Courtois, Maury, Shenval, and Vertrees series. Baxter and Vertrees soils average more than four percent gravel in the upper third of the control section. Courtois soils have less than 35 percent cherty gravel in the lower one-third of the control section. Maury and Shenval series have less than 35 percent cherty gravel in the middle third of the control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: These gently sloping to very steep soils are on upland side slopes and secondary ridges. Slopes are dominantly 9 to 20 percent but range from 2 to 35 percent. These soils formed in 20 to 40 inches of loess and residuum from cherty limestone. Mean annual temperature ranges from 52 to 57 degrees F., and mean annual precipitation ranges from 34 to 42 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Goss, Menfro, Ladoga, Winfield, and Weller soils. Goss soils are at lower elevations. Menfro, Ladoga, Winfield, and Weller soils formed in deep loess commonly at higher elevations.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Runoff is medium or high. Permeability is moderately slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: About half of the acreage is cleared and used for pasture and hay crops. The remainder on steeper slopes remains in hardwood forest. Native vegetation is mixed hardwoods.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern Ozark Border region (MLRA 116B) of Missouri. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Saline County, Missouri, 1988.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 13 inches (A and E horizons):
argillic horizon - the zone from approximately 13 inches to 60 inches or more (Bt1, Bt2, 2Bt3, and 2Bt4 horizons).
ADDITIONAL DATA: University of Missouri Soil Characterization Laboratory data number M86-195-02