LOCATION FELICIANA LA+TN
Established Series
DRM: JPE; Rev.JDS; JPE; GRB
10/2018
FELICIANA SERIES
The Feliciana series consists of very deep, well drained, moderately permeable soil in the Southern Mississippi Valley Loess Major Land Resource Area (MLRA 134). They formed in Peoria loess deposits more than 48 inches in thickness that overly terraces and uplands of the Southern Coastal Plain. Slopes range from 0 to 40 percent.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, active, thermic Ultic Hapludalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Feliciana silt loam on a 0 to 1 percent slope in pasture. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 5 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) silt loam; weak fine granular structure; friable; many fine roots; few dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) root stains; extremely acid; clear smooth boundary. (2 to 12 inches thick)
Bt1--5 to 15 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) silt loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine roots; few faint clay films on faces of peds; few black (10YR 2/1) coatings on surfaces of peds; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bt2--15 to 29 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) silty clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine roots; common distinct clay films on faces of peds; few black (10YR 2/1) coatings on surfaces of peds; common light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) silt coatings on peds; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Bt3--29 to 46 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) silt loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine roots; common distinct clay films on faces of peds; few black (10YR 2/1) coatings on surfaces of peds; common light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) silt coatings on peds; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Bt4--46 to 65 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silt loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine roots; thin discontinuous clay films on faces of peds; common light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) silt coatings on peds; moderately acid (Combined thickness of the Bt horizons range from 22 to 57 inches in thickness).
TYPE LOCATION: East Feliciana Parish, Louisiana; approximately 1.7 miles north of Delombre, 3300 feet east of Thompson Creek and 150 feet south of LA Hwy 964, Spanish Land Grant; Sec. 74, T.3S, R.2W. Latitude 30 degrees, 44 minutes 45 seconds north; Longitude 91 degrees 16 minutes 31 seconds west. USGS Port Hudson, Louisiana 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle. NAD 1983.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the solum ranges from 48 to 80 inches. The calcium-magnesium ratio is 1 or more. Clay content in the upper 20 inches of the Bt horizon typically contains 25 to 30 percent clay and ranges from 20 to 35. To a depth of 40 inches or more, the soil contains less than 5 percent sand. Some pedons have up to 15 percent sand below a depth of 40 inches. This is generally a "mixing zone" that is transitional to a discontinuity to sandier coastal plain deposits. Reaction ranges from extremely acid to moderately acid in the A and E horizons except where the surface has been limed. and from very strongly acid to moderately in the Bt, BC and C horizons.
The A or Ap horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value 3 to 5, and chroma 1 to 4. Texture is silt or silt loam.
The E horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 1 to 4. Texture is silt or silt loam.
The Bt horizon has hue 7.5YR or 10YR, value 4 or 5, and chroma 4 or 6. Black coats and stains on faces of peds range from few to many. Silt coatings in shades of brown, yellow and gray along cracks and faces of peds range from none to common. Texture is silt loam or silty clay loam.
The BC and C horizons have hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value 4 or 5, and chroma 4 through 6. Some pedons have hue of 5YR and contain up to 15 percent sand in the lower parts of BC or C horizons that are transitions to a discontinuity to coastal plains deposits. Texture is silt loam.
In some pedons, a 2Bt horizon is present below a depth of 48 inches. Where present, it has hue of 2.5YR to 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 4 to 8. Pockets of sand or loamy sand in shades of brown and yellow range from none to common. Texture is sandy loam, silt loam, loam, sandy clay loam or clay loam.
COMPETING SERIES: Competing series are
Armour,
Dexter,
Dossman,
Goodwill, and
Lexington series in the same family and the
Barnsdall,
Cascilla,
Center,
Lytle,
Dubbs,
Gallion,
Rilla,
Loring,
Memphis and
Siwell series in closely related families. Armour soils have silty clay loam to clay BC horizons that contain chert fragments. Barnsdall, Dubbs and Goodwill soils formed in alluvium or mixed loess and alluvium and have more than 5 percent sand within 40 inches of the surface. Gallion and Rilla soils formed in alluvium, have redder hue, and have more than 5 percent sand within 40 inches of the surface. Cascilla soils formed in alluvium, and do not have an Argillic horizon. Dossman soils have hue of 5YR or redder throughout the subsoil and formed in Pre-
Peoria loess. Dexter and Lexington soils have a discontinuity to loamy coastal plains sediments within a depth of 4 feet. Loring soils have a fragipan. Siwell soils have a discontinuity to clayey materials in the lower part of the solum. Center soils have aquic conditions and iron depletions of chroma of 2 or less in the upper 10 inches of the Bt horizon. Memphis soils have higher base saturation in the lower part of the solum. Lytle soils have a discontinuity to loamy coastal plains sediments within a depth of 4 feet and have base saturation below 35 percent in the lower part of the solum.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Feliciana soils are on nearly level to very steep uplands and terraces having slopes ranging from 0 to 40 percent. The soils formed in loess more than 4 feet thick. The climate is warm and humid. Near the type location, the annual precipitation is about 61.6 inches and the annual temperature is 65.7 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: Besides the competing
Lexington,
Loring and
Memphis soils. These include the
Bigbee,
Calhoun,
Natchez,
Morganfield, and
Olivier soils. Bigbee and Morganfield soils are on floodplains of drainageways. Calhoun, Loring, and Olivier soils occupy broader ridge tops, depressions, and heads of drainageways. Lexington soils are on shoulder or side slope positions and have a thinner loess cap. Memphis soils are on similar positions. Natchez soils are on steeper more dissected side slopes.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; moderate permeability; medium to rapid runoff.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most of the Feliciana soils are used for woodland of mixed hardwoods and pines. Cleared areas are used for soybeans, small grains, hay, and pasture.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Louisiana, Mississippi, and possibly West Tennessee. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Auburn, Alabama.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: East Feliciana Parish, La. 1992. The name comes from Feliciana Parish.
REMARKS: The series was updated in 2003 and was assigned to an active activity class. Also, the nature of the material below the loess cap was added to the range in characteristics, and slightly redder colors and higher sand content were added for the transition zone in the lower part of the loess cap. Further updates in 2014 include grammatical changes and the addition of GPS coordinates.
Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in this pedon:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 5 inches (Ap horizon).
Argillic horizon - the zone from 5 to 65 inches, or more (Bt1, Bt2, Bt3 and Bt4 horizons).
ADDITIONAL DATA: Laboratory data on typifying pedon were obtained from the soils laboratory of the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station, sample S89LA37-46. Other laboratory data provided by the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station includes S89LA-037-66 and S89LA-037-62.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.