LOCATION DELIGHT AREstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, thermic Aquic Hapluderts
TYPICAL PEDON: Delight silty clay loam on a north-facing, 4 percent slope under eastern red cedars and native grasses. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted. )
A--0 to 10 cm (0 to 4 in), dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) silty clay loam; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure parting to moderate fine granular structure; friable; common medium and many fine and many very fine roots; few fine soft masses of calcium carbonate; less than 5 percent subrounded sandstone gravel and fossiliferous shells; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary.
BA--10 to 20 cm (4 to 8 in), light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) silty clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky; firm; many fine, many very fine and common medium roots; few fine prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of oxicized iron; few fine soft masses of calcium carbonate; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary.
Btkss--20 to 30 cm (8 to 12 in), light olive brown (2.5Y 5/6) silty clay; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; firm; common medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of oxidized iron, common medium and few coarse prominent gray (10YR 6/1) iron depletions; many medium distinct continuous clay films on faces of peds; common medium and few fine soft masses of calcium carbonate; common slickensides on vertical and horizontal faces of peds; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary.
Bkss1--30 to 50 cm (12 to 20 in), light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) silty clay; moderate medium and coarse angular blocky structure; firm; common fine, common very fine and few medium roots; many medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) masses of oxidized iron, common medium prominent gray (5Y 5/1) iron depletions; common medium and few coarse soft masses of calcium carbonate; many slickensides on vertical and horizontal faces of peds; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary.
Bkss2--50 to 74 cm (20 to 29 in), gray (10YR 5/1) and strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) clay; moderate coarse columnar parting to strong coarse angular blocky structure; very firm; few fine and few medium roots; many fine and few medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) masses of oxidized iron; many medium, many coarse, and few fine soft masses of calcium carbonate, few medium and few coarse nodules of calcium carbonate; many slickensides on vertical and horizontal faces of peds, few distinct discontinuous pressure faces on vertical faces of peds; 5 percent weakly consolidated calcareous claystone; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary.
Bkss3--74 to 104 cm (29 to 41 in), yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) and light gray (10YR 7/1) clay; strong medium platy parting to strong coarse angular blocky structure; very firm; few fine and few very fine roots; common medium and common coarse red (2.5YR 4/8) iron concretions; few medium black (10YR 2/1) manganese masses; common medium, few fine, and few coarse soft masses of calcium carbonate, common medium, few fine, and few coarse nodules of calcium carbonate; few slickensides on vertical faces of peds; common discontinuous prominent pressure faces on vertical faces of peds; 5 percent of weakly consolidated calcareous claystone; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary.
Bkss4--104 to 178 cm (41 to 70 in), gray (10YR 6/1), yellowish brown (10YR 5/8), and brown (10YR 5/3) clay; strong coarse columnar parting to strong coarse angular blocky structure; very firm; common medium and few fine soft masses of calcium carbonate, common medium and few fine nodules of calcium carbonate; few slickensides on vertical faces of peds; many discontinuous prominent pressure faces on vertical faces of peds; 10 percent of weakly consolidated calcareous claystone; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary.
B/C--178 to 213 cm (70 to 84 in), 50-65 percent very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2), brownish yellow (10YR 6/6), and gray (10YR 6/1) clay; strong coarse prismatic parting to strong coarse angular blocky structure; very firm; common medium and few coarse red (2.5YR 4/8) masses of oxidized iron, many medium and few coarse black (10YR 2/1) manganese masses; many discontinuous prominent pressure faces of vertical faces of peds; less than 5% fossilized shell fragments, 2-15 mm in size; 35-50 percent weakly consolidated calcareous claystone, moderately alkaline (pH 8.0).
TYPE LOCATION: Pike County, Arkansas; SE1/4, NE1/4, SW1/4, Section 36, T.8S, R.24W; DELIGHT USGS topographic quadrangle, Latitude: 34 degrees, 0 minutes, 21.00 seconds N., Longitude: 93 degrees, 31 minutes, 2.00 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Solum thickness and depth to calcareous claystone and/or marl is typically more than 152 cm (60 in).
A horizon:
Hue: 2.5Y to10YR
Value: 3 to 5
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: silty clay.
Calcium Carbonate: Concentrations-masses and nodules of calcium carbonate range from none to common.
Rock Fragments: sandstone gravel and/or fossiliferous shells range from 0 to 10 percent by volume
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline.
BA horizon:
Hue: 2.5Y to10YR
Value: 3 to 5
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: silty clay loam or silty clay.
Redoximorphic features: shades of brown are none to common.
Calcium Carbonate: Concentrations-masses of calcium carbonate range from none to many.
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline.
Btkss horizon:
Hue: 2.5Y
Value: 4 to 6
Chroma: 3 to 6
Texture: silty clay or clay.
Redoximorphic features: shades of brown and gray range from none to common.
Calcium Carbonate: Concentrations-masses and nodules of calcium carbonate range from few to many.
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline.
Upper Bkss horizon(s):
Hue: 2.5Y to 10YR
Value: 5 to 6
Chroma: 4 to 8
Texture: silty clay or clay.
Redoximorphic features: shades of brown and gray, are few to many.
Calcium Carbonte: Concentrations of masses and nodules of calcium carbonate range from few to many.
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline.
Lower Bkss horizon(s):
Hue: 10YR
Value: 6
Chroma: 8
or Hue: 2.5Y
Value: 3 to 6
Chroma: 1 to 6
Some pedons do not have a dominant matrix color and are variegated in shades of gray, brown , and olive.
Texture: silty clay, clay, or silty clay loam.
Redoximorphic features: shades of brown and gray are few to many.
Calcium Carbonate: Concentrations-masses and nodules of calcium carbonate range from few to many.
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline.
B/C horizon:
Silty clay loam, silty clay, clay and calcareous claystone with or without minor amounts of chalk. The matrix color is variegated in shades of gray, brown , and olive. Texture is silty clay, clay, or silty clay loam. Redoximorphic features in shades of brown, black and gray are few to common. Concentrations of calcium carbonate range from few to many.
C horizon (where present):
Consists of unconsolidated calcareous claystone. Most of these horizons contain seams and pockets of silty clay or clay soil material. In some pedons, this horizon may contain marl either as a primary or secondary member.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Apperson,
Brooksville,
Faunsdale,
Griffith and
Hornbeck soils
Apperson soils are slowly permeable and formend in calcareous residuum weathered from limestone of Pennsylvanian age.
Brooksville and Faunsdale soils are somewhat poorly drained.
Griffith soils are on flood plains.
Hornbeck soils developed in Tertiary aged material.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Delight soils are on concave side slopes and toeslopes of the Cretaceous Western Coastal Plain. Slopes are commonly 3 to 8 percent, but range from 1 to 15 percent. These soils formed primarily in calcareous claystone and to a lesser degree in marl. The average annual air temperature 16 degrees C (60 degrees F)., and the average annual precipitation ranges from 1219 to 1600 mm (48 to 63 in).
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Billstown, and
Japany.
Billstown soils occur on adjacent sidelsopes of interfluves.
Japany soils occur on slightly lower landscapes and are somewhat poorly drained.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained. Surface runoff is high to very high. Permeability is very slow. These soils are saturated within a depth of 1.5 to 2 feet of the surface for significant periods during winter and spring of most years.
USE AND VEGETATION: Some areas are used for pasture. Typical vegetation in uncultivated areas is mostly native grasses and eastern red cedar.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Cretaceous Western Gulf Coastal Plain of Arkansas and possibly Oklahoma.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Pike County, Arkansas; 2006.
REMARKS: These soils were formerly included in the Sumter series.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon the zone from the 0 to 10 cm (0 to 4 in).
Cambic horizon - the zone from about 15 to 213 cm (6 to 84 in).
Argillic horizon the zone from about 20 to 30 cm (8 to 12 in).
ADDITIONAL DATA:
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