LOCATION BUSSY LAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, siliceous, semiactive, thermic Typic Fragiudalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Bussy silt loam, on nearly level convex
ridge on 3 percent slope under mixed pine and hardwood.
(Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 4 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) silt loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine and medium roots; few fine black concretions; strongly acid; clear
smooth boundary. (3 to 7 inches thick)
BE--4 to 9 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silt loam;
common medium faint dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) mottles; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine and
medium roots; few fine black concretions; very strongly acid;
gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
Bt1--9 to 15 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) silt loam;
weak medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; common fine and medium roots; thin patchy clay films on faces of peds; few
fine black concretions; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary.
Bt2--15 to 22 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) silt loam;
few fine distinct strong brown mottles; weak medium subangular
blocky structure; friable; common fine and medium roots; common
thick discontinuous clay films on faces of peds; few fine medium black concretions; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary.
Bt3--22 to 35 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silt loam; common medium faint light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) and few fine prominent yellowish red mottles; light yellowish brown silt coats surround most peds; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine and medium roots between peds; common very
fine pores; thin patchy clay films on faces of peds; few fine
black concretions; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (Combine thickness of the Bt is 20 to 30 inches)
Btx1--35 to 45 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) silt loam; common medium faint yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) mottles; very
coarse prisms that part to weak medium subangular blocky
structure; firm and brittle; common very fine and fine roots
between peds; common very fine pores; thin patchy clay films on
faces of peds; cracks between prisms are filled with light
brownish gray (10YR 6/2) silt loam; common fine and medium black concretions; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Btx2--45 to 56 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) silt loam; very coarse prisms that part to weak medium subangular blocky structure; firm and brittle; common very fine pores; thin discontinuous clay films on faces of peds; light brownish gray
(10YR 6/2) silt loam 1/2 inch to 2 inches wide between the prisms; common fine and medium black concretions; strongly acid; clear
smooth boundary.
Btx3--56 to 65 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) silty clay loam; common medium faint light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) mottles; very coarse prisms parting to weak medium subangular blocky structure; firm and slightly brittle; few thin patchy clay films; medium acid. (Combine thickness of Btx is 20 to more than 40 inches)
TYPE LOCATION: Morehouse Parish, Louisiana; 13 miles northeast
of Bastrop; 90 feet east of Georgia-Pacific gravel road; 21 feet north of woods road; NW1/4SE1/4, sec. 15, T. 23 N., R. 6 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from about 60 to over 100 inches. Depth to the fragipan ranges from 24 to 40
inches. Reaction, except for surface layers that have been limed,
is strongly acid or very strongly acid throughout the solum. Sand content averages 10 to 20 percent throughout the solum. The effective Cation Exchange Capacity is 50 percent or more saturated with exchangeable aluminum in some part of the control section within a depth of 30 inches from the surface.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 2 to
4. Texture is silt loam.
The B1 horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of
4 or 5, and chroma of 4 through 8.
The B1 and B2t horizons have hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or
5, and chroma of 4 to 8. Mottles are in shades of red, brown, and yellow. Texture is silt loam or silty clay loam.
The Bx horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5, and
chroma of 3 to 6 mottled with various shades of gray, yellow, or brown. It is silt loam or silty clay loam.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Byler and
Libuse series in the
same family and the
Byram,
Calloway,
Gigger,
Grenada,
Loring,
Necessity,
Providence, and
Shatta series. Byler and Byram soils
are underlain by alkaline clays. Calloway, Grenada, and Loring
soils have mixed mineralogy and less than 10 percent sand
throughout the solum. Gigger and Providence soils have mixed mineralogy. Libuse soils have more than 20 percent sand in the
lower horizons. Necessity soils have 1 or 2 chroma mottles in the upper part of the argillic horizon. Shatta soils have less than
35 percent base saturation at 30 inches below the top of the
fragipan argillic horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Bussy soils are on nearly level to sloping terrace for mid-Pleistocene age. Slope gradients range from 1 to about 8 percent. The soil formed in a thick silty mantle of loess over loamy Southern Coastal Plain sediments. The climate is warm
and humid. The mean annual precipitation is about 50 inches and
the mean annual temperature is about 66 degrees F. near the type location.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing
Providence series and the
Frizzell,
Guyton, and
Wrightsville
series. Frizzell, Guyton, and Wrightsville soils are at lower elevations on the landscape and are more poorly drained and lack fragipans.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Bussy soils are moderately well
drained; slow to medium runoff; moderate permeability in the upper part of the solum and slow in the fragipan. A perched water table occurs at a depth of 2 to 3 feet below the surface for short
periods during December to March.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most of the Bussy soils are in pine woodland.
A few acres are in pasture, cultivated crops, and homesites.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Louisiana and possibly Arkansas. The series is moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Morehouse Parish, Louisiana; 1981.
REMARKS: Bussy soils were formerly included with the Loring
series in mapping. In addition to having siliceous rather than
mixed mineralogy and by having more than 10 percent sand
throughout the solum they have lower yields for commonly grown
crops. This is due primarily to high levels of exchangeable
aluminum through the control section.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface to a depth of 9 inches, (the A and BE horizons)
Argillic horizon - the zone from a depth of 9 inches to a depth of 65 inches, (the Bt1, Bt2, Bt3, Btx1, Btx2 and Btx3 horizons.)
Fragipan - the zone from a depth of 35 inches to a depth of 65 inches, (the Btx1, Btx2 and Btx3 horizons.)