LOCATION HIGGINSVILLE       MO
Established Series
Rev. GTS-KDV
02/2003

HIGGINSVILLE SERIES


The Higginsville series consists of deep, somewhat poorly drained soils formed in loess more than 5 feet thick overlying limestone, shale or sandstone bedrock. These upland soils have thin deposits of till overlying the bedrock in some places. Permeability is moderate and slopes range from 2 to 14 percent. Mean annual temperature is 55 degrees F, and mean annual precipitation is 37 inches.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Aquic Argiudolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Higginsville silt loam - on a 6 percent east-facing slope in a cultivated field. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)

Ap--0 to 7 inches; black (10YR 2/1) silt loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry; moderate fine granular structure; very friable; many fine roots; slightly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick)

A1--7 to 10 inches; black (10YR 2/1) silt loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry; moderate fine granular structure; friable; many fine roots; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary.

A2--10 to 14 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) silty clay loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry; moderate medium granular structure; friable; many fine roots; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) organic coatings on faces of peds; medium acid; clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the A1 and A2 horizons is 0 to 12 inches.)

Bt1--14 to 19 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) silty clay loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry; common fine faint grayish brown (10YR 5/2) mottles; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm; many fine roots; few faint dark grayish brown clay films on faces of peds; common fine black concretions (oxides); very dark gray (10YR 3/1) organic coatings on faces of peds; medium acid; clear smooth boundary.

Bt2--19 to 32 inches; mottled dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) and grayish brown (10YR 5/2) silty clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm; many fine roots; common faint dark grayish brown clay films on faces of most peds; many fine black concretions (oxides); very dark gray (10YR 3/1) organic coatings on faces of peds; strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary.

Btg--32 to 41 inches; mottled gray (10YR 5/1) and yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silty clay loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; firm; few faint grayish brown clay films on faces of peds; many fine black concretions (oxides); dark gray (10YR 4/1) coatings in old root channels; medium acid; gradual smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizon is 27 to 60 inches.)

Cg--41 to 87 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) silty clay loam; common medium faint yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) mottles; massive; firm; common fine black (10YR 2/1) concretions (oxides); medium acid.

TYPE LOCATION: Lafayette County, Missouri; 4 miles west and 1 mile north of Higginsville; 800 feet south and 1440 feet east of the northwest corner, sec. 33, T. 50 N., R. 26 W.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The thickness of the solum ranges from 38 to 60 or more inches. Depth to bedrock is greater than 60 inches. The mollic epipedon averages about 20 inches in thickness, but ranges from 10 to more than 24 inches. Free carbonates are absent in the solum. Sand content is less than 5 percent throughout the solum.

The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 1 or 2. It is silt loam or silty clay loam and ranges from medium acid to neutral.

The upper part of the Bt horizon has dominant hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 3 to 5, chroma of 2 or 3, and is commonly mottled. Some pedons have coatings on faces of peds with chroma of 1. The lower part of the Bt horizon is mottled and has dominant hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 1 to 4. Redder mottles of higher value and chroma are present in some places. It is silty clay loam with clay percentages averaging 27 to 35 percent. Reaction ranges from strongly acid to slightly acid.

The Cg horizon has hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 1 or 2. Mottles have hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 3 to 8. It is silty clay loam or silt loam.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Brenton, Elburn, Harco, Keller, Lafayette, Lawndale, Lisbon, Loran, Mundelein, Nevin, Raub, and Rowley series in the same family. Brenton, Elburn, Lawndale, Lafayette, Lisbon, Mundelein, Raub, and Rowley soils have more sand in the lower part of their sola. Harco, Lisbon, and Mundelein have free carbonates at depths of less than 40 inches. Keller soils have 2Bt horizons that average 6 percent or more quartz sand. Loran soils have more clay in the lower part of the sola. Nevin soils have more sand throughout and formed in alluvium.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Higginsville soils are on gently sloping to strongly sloping upland side slopes, ridgetops, and to a very limited extent, high stream terraces. These soils formed in loess deposits more than 5 feet thick overlying limestone, shale, or sandstone. Thin deposits of till cover the bedrock in some places. Slope shapes range from concave to convex but the dominant configuration is plane or concave. The slope gradient ranges from 2 to 14 percent. The mean annual temperature ranges from 53 to 57 degrees F, and the mean annual precipitation ranges from 36 to 40 inches.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Macksburg, Marshall, Minden, Sampsel, Sharpsburg and Sibley soils. Macksburg, Sampsel and Sharpsburg soils have more clay in the argillic horizon. Marshall and Minden soils do not have an argillic horizon. Sibley soils are well drained. Macksburg, Marshall, Minden, Sharpsburg and Sibley soils are located on ridgetops above the Higginsville soils. Sampsel soils are on lower slopes adjacent to drainageways.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained. Surface runoff medium. Permeability is moderate.

USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of Higginsville soils are cultivated. Corn and soybeans are the principal row crops. Small grains, hay and pasture are also major crops. Native vegetation was tall prairie grasses.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: West-central and northwest Missouri. The series is extensive.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Indianapolis, Indiana

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lafayette County, Missouri, 1970.

REMARKS: Higginsville soils were formerly included with the Grundy series. The particle-size distribution of the Bt horizon of the typifying pedon is 34 percent clay, 62 percent silt, and 4 percent sand. (Iron and manganese nodules comprise more than half of the sand size fraction.)

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this series are: mollic epipedon - the zone from the surface to a depth of 19 inches (Ap, A1, A2, Bt1 horizons); argillic horizon - the zone from approximately 14 to 41 inches (Bt1, Bt2, Bt3 horizons); udic moisture regime.


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.