LOCATION GASSVILLE AREstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Very-fine, mixed, active, mesic Typic Hapludults
TYPICAL PEDON: Gassville very gravelly silt loam--woodland.
(Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 1 inch; dark brown (10YR 3/3) very gravelly silt loam; weak fine granular structure; friable; many fine and medium roots; about 50 percent by volume angular chert fragments 1/4 to 10 inches in diameter; strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 3 inches thick)
E--1 to 6 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very gravelly silt loam; weak medium granular structure; friable; many fine and medium roots; about 50 percent by volume angular chert fragments 1/2 to 8 inches in diameter; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 7 inches thick)
BE--6 to 10 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) very gravelly silt loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine and medium roots; few fine pores; about 50 percent by volume angular chert fragments 1/2 to 6 inches in diameter; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick)
Bt1--10 to 19 inches; yellowish red (5.YR 5/8) gravelly clay; moderate fine angular blocky stucture; firm; few fine roots; many fine pores; many faint clay films on faces of peds; about 20 percent by volume angular chert fragments 1/2 to 5 inches in diameter; few fine distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) iron depletions; very strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (5 to 13 inches thick)
Bt2--19 to 28 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/8) clay; moderate fine angular blocky structure; firm; plastic; few fine roots; common fine pores; many faint clay films on faces of peds; about 10 percent by volume angular chert fragments 1/4 to 5 inches in diameter; common medium prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) iron depletions; very strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (8 to 18 inches thick)
Bt3--28 to 38 inches; variegated red (2.5YR 4/6) and yellowish brown (10YR 4/8) clay; moderate medium angular blocky structure; firm; plastic; few fine roots; few fine pores; many faint clay films on faces of peds; very strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (8 to 18 inches thick)
Cr--38 to 55 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) weathered dolomite bedrock with red (2.5YR 4/6) clay in cracks and crevices; hardness gradually increasing with depth. (0 to 18 inches thick).
R--55+ inches; level bedded dolomite bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Baxter County, Arkansas; 110 feet west of paved county road, 0.2 mile south of Highway 62; 2 miles west of Norfolk lake. NE1/4SE1/4SW1/4 sec. 28, T. 20 N., R. 12 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 30 to 50 inches and depth to hard bedrock ranges from 40 to 60 inches. Most pedons have a Cr horizon. The A horizon ranges from strongly acid to slightly acid and the B horizon is very strongly acid or strongly acid.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 3, and chroma of 2 or 3. In cultivated areas, the Ap horizon with hue of 10YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 2, 3 or 4. Texture is gravelly silt loam or its very gravelly, cobbly or very cobbly analog. Coarse fragments of chert and dolomite range from 15 to 60 percent by volume.
The E horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 2, 3 or 4. Texture is gravelly silt loam or its very gravelly, cobbly or very cobbly analog. Coarse fragments of chert and dolomite range from 15 to 60 percent by volume.
The BE horizon has hue of 7.5YR, value of 5, and chroma of 4 or 6. Texture is very gravelly silt loam, very gravelly silty clay loam, or their very cobbly analogues. Coarse fragment content ranges from 35 to 60 percent by volume.
The Bt1 horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 5, and chroma of 4, 6 or 8. Texture is gravelly clay or gravelly silty clay. Iron accumulation and depletions are in shades of brown or yellow. Coarse fragment content ranges from 5 to 35 percent by volume. The average clay content in the Bt horizon ranges from 60 to 85 percent.
The Bt2, and Bt3 horizons have hue of 2.5YR or 5YR, value of 5, and chroma of 4, 6, or 8, or with value of 4 and chroma of 4 or 6, or hue of 7.5YR, value of 5 and chroma of 6. Iron accumulations and depletions are in shades of brown or yellow. Coarse fragments range from 5 to 35 percent by volume. Texture is clay, silty clay or their gravelly analogues.
The Cr horizon is weathered dolomite bedrock that can be cut with a spade.
The R horizon is typically hard, level-bedded, dolomite bedrock with seams and pocket of nodular chert fragments of the Cotter Formation.
COMPETING SERIES: Agnos series is in this family. Agnos soils typically have soft bedrock at 40 to 60 inches and hues of 7.5YR or browner in the B horizons.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Gassville soils are on nearly level to steep ridgetops and sideslopes of the Salem Plateau in the Ozarks Highlands of northern Arkansas and southern Missouri; MLRA 116A. The mean annual temperature ranges from 54 degrees to 57 degrees F., mean annual precipitation ranges from 42 to 46 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include the Agnos, Arkana, Gepp and Moko series. All these series are on similar landscapes. Agnos soils have soft bedrock at 40 to 60 inches. Arkana soils have hard bedrock at 20 to 40 inches. Gepp soils have sola deeper than 60 inches and higher base saturation. Moko soils have hard bedrock at 10 to 20 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to rapid runoff; very slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Some acreage is used for pasture, hay, or range, but most is in forests of blackjack oak, post oak, and hickory species. Acreage around lakes and recreational facilities are being developed for home and special use sites.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Ozark Highlands of Arkansas and Missouri; MLRA 116A. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Morgantown, West Virginia
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Boone County, Arkansas; 1977.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon-surface to a depth of 10 inches
Argillic horizon-10-38 inches
Paralithic contact-38-55 inches
Lithic contact-55 inches
The Gassville series were formerly mapped in the Talbott series, which is classified in a thermic family.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Characterization data-3 pedons by University of Arkansas. Engineering test data-2 pedons by Arkansas Highway Department.