LOCATION EUTAW MS+AL AR GA
Established Series
Rev. WMK: RBH; GRB
11/2014
EUTAW SERIES
The Eutaw series consists of very deep, poorly drained, very slowly permeable, nearly level soils on uplands of the Southern Coastal Plain (MLRA 133A) and the Alabama and Mississippi Blackland Prairie (MLRA 135A) Major Land Resource Areas. They formed in thick beds of acid marine clay that is underlain by alkaline clay. Near the type location, the mean annual temperature is about 60 degrees F., and the mean annual precipitation is about 50 inches. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Very-fine, smectitic, thermic Chromic Dystraquerts
TYPICAL PEDON: Eutaw silty clay, in a pasture (Colors are for moist soil).
Ap1--0 to 1 inch; dark gray (10YR 4/1) silty clay; weak fine granular structure; friable; plastic, sticky; many fine roots; very strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary.
Ap2--1 to 5 inches; gray (5Y 6/1) silty clay, weak and moderate fine subangular blocky structure; friable; plastic; sticky; many fine roots; many old root and worm channels filled with material from layer above; few fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) and brownish yellow (10YR 6/8) masses of iron accumulations; extremely acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizons range from 4 to 10 inches)
AB--5 to 9 inches; 25 percent gray (5Y 6/1), 25 percent light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4), 25 percent olive yellow (2.5Y 6/6) and 25 percent brownish yellow (10YR 6/8) silty clay; moderate very fine and fine subangular blocky and blocky structure; firm; very plastic; very sticky; many fine roots; extremely acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
Bgss1--9 to 21 inches; gray (5Y 6/1) clay; moderate and strong very fine and fine subangular blocky and angular blocky structure; firm; very plastic; very sticky; common fine roots; few slickensides that do not intersect; many fine distinct brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) masses of iron accumulation; extremely acid; gradual wavy boundary. (9 to 20 inches thick)
Bgss2--21 to 41 inches; light gray (5Y 7/1) clay; intersecting slickensides that form wedge-shaped aggregates, which part into angular blocks; firm; very plastic; very sticky; common fine roots; many fine distinct brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) masses of iron accumulation; extremely acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Bgss3--41 to 58 inches; 50 percent gray (5Y 6/1) and 50 percent light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) clay; intersecting slickensides that form wedge-shaped aggregates, which part into angular blocks; firm; very plastic; very sticky; few fine roots; extremely acid; gradual irregular boundary.
Bss1--58 to 72 inches; brownish yellow (10YR 6/8) clay; intersecting slickensides that form wedge-shaped aggregates, which part into angular blocks; firm; very plastic; very sticky; few fine roots; few manganese oxide coatings on faces of peds; many fine and medium distinct gray (5Y 6/1) areas of iron depletions; very strongly acid; gradual irregular boundary.
Bss2--72 to 82 inches; 50 percent gray (5Y 6/1) and 50 percent yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) clay; intersecting slickensides that form wedge-shaped aggregates, which part into angular blocks; firm; very plastic; very sticky; few fine roots; few calcium carbonate nodules; neutral.
TYPE LOCATION: Monroe County, Mississippi. Approximately 3.5 miles east of the crossroads at Prairie, Mississippi, on State Highway 382. About 465 feet south and 165 feet east of northwest corner of NW1/4, NE1/4, Sec. 7, T. 15 S., R. 7 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness is more than 60 inches. Reaction ranges from extremely acid to moderately acid in the A and Bgss horizons, except where the surface has been limed. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid to slightly alkaline in the Bss and C horizons. In some pedons, marl or chalk is below a depth of 60 inches.
The A or Ap horizon has hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 3 to 6, and chroma of 1; or it is neutral with value of 3 to 6. Redoximorphic features in shades of brown, yellow, or gray range from none to common. Texture is silty clay loam, silty clay or clay.
The AB horizon, where present, has the same range of color as the A horizon, or there is no dominant color and it is multicolored in shades of gray, brown or yellow. Redoximorphic features in shades of yellow, brown or gray range from few to common. Texture is silty clay or clay.
The Bgss horizon has hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 1; or it is neutral with value of 5 to 7. Redoximorphic features in shades of brown, yellow, gray or red range from few to many. Texture is silty clay or clay.
The Bss horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 5 to 7, and chroma of 3 to 8; or it is neutral with value of 5 to 7. Redoximorphic features in shades of brown, yellow or gray range from few to many. In some pedons, there is no dominant color and it is multicolored in shades of brown, yellow and gray. Texture is silty clay or clay.
The C horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 5 to 7, and chroma of 3 to 8; or it is neutral with value of 5 to 7. Redoximorphic features in shades of brown, yellow or gray range from few to many. In some pedons, there is no dominant color and it is multicolored in shades of brown, yellow and gray. Texture is silty clay loam, silty clay or clay.
The Cg horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 5 to 7, and chroma of 1 or 2. Redoximorphic features in shades of brown, yellow or gray range from few to many. Texture is silty clay loam, silty clay or clay.
COMPETING SERIES: The
Alligator,
Ashford and
Consul series are in the same family. Alligator soils are in MLRA 121. Ashford soils are in MLRA 133B. The poorly drained Consul soils are deep to underlying shale.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Eutaw soils are on uplands in the Alabama and Mississippi Blackland Prairie and Southern Coastal Plain Major Land Resource Areas. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent. They formed in thick beds of acid marine clays. The climate is humid subtropical. Near the type location, the mean annual rainfall is about 50 inches and the mean annual temperature is more than 59 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Binnsville,
Demopolis,
Kipling,
Mayhew,
Oktibbeha,
Sumter and
Vaiden soils. The well-drained Binnsville and Demopolis soil are on narrow ridge tops and hill sides and are shallow to limestone. In addition, Binnsville soils have a mollic epipedon and Demopolis soils are in a loamy-skeletal carbonatic family. The somewhat poorly drained Kipling and poorly drained Mayhew soils are on similar to lower, more rolling positions and have less clay in the control section. In addition, Mayhew soils are underlain by acid clays. The moderately well drained Oktibbeha soils are on similar to slightly higher positions and have redder upper subsoils. The well-drained Sumter soils are on adjacent hill sides and ridge tops, have fine-silty control sections and are moderately deep to limestone. The somewhat poorly drained Vaiden soils are on slightly higher positions and have yellower upper subsoils.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained; slow runoff; very slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of Eutaw soils are in forests. Some areas have been cleared and are used for pasture and hay land. The vegetation consists mainly of post oak and other oaks, sweetgum and some pines.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Blackland Prairie areas of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi and possibly Louisiana. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Auburn, Alabama.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Greene County, Alabama; 1923.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface to a depth of about 5 inches (A1, A2 horizons).
Chromic Dystraquerts features - (1) Dystraquerts feature - slickensides that intersect at a depth between 10 and 40 inches (Bgss1 and Bgss2 horizons); (2) Extremely acid to strongly acid in the upper 20 inches (Ap1, Ap2, AB and BGss1 horizons); (3) Chromic feature - value of 4 or more for the matrix in the upper 12 inches of more than half of each pedon (Ap1, Ap2, AB and Bg horizons).
During wet seasons late in winter and early in spring, the water table is at a depth of 1.0 to 2.5 feet.
Eutaw soils are in MLRAs 133A and 135A.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Laboratory data is available on the National Soil Survey website at: http;://ncsslabdatamart.sc.egov.usda.gov/querypage.aspx
Laboratory data was provided by Auburn University, Soil Characterization laboratory, Auburn AL., and the National Soil Survey laboratory, Lincoln, NE.
Characterization data for the typical pedon are published in Soil Survey of Monroe County Mississippi (Issued Nov. 1966) pp. 105-111.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.