LOCATION NEWELLTON LA+AR MS OK

Established Series
DFS:TAW; Rev. JDS
10/2018

NEWELLTON SERIES

The Newellton series consists of very deep, somewhat poorly drained, slowly permeable soils that formed in clayey over loamy alluvium. These soils are on nearly level to gently sloping natural levee positions on the alluvial plain of the Mississippi River and its distributaries. Slopes range from 0 to 5 percent.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey over loamy, smectitic over mixed, superactive, nonacid, thermic Fluvaquentic Epiaquepts

TYPICAL PEDON: Newellton clay--cultivated field. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)

Ap--0 to 7 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) clay; weak medium subangular blocky structure; firm, very sticky, very plastic; common fine and medium roots throughout; 2 percent medium faint spherical very weakly cemented brown (10YR 4/3) masses of oxidized iron; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)

Bg--7 to 16 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) clay; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm, very sticky, very plastic; common fine roots throughout; 4 percent medium distinct spherical weakly cemented yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) masses of oxidized iron; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 14 inches thick)

2BC--16 to 26 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) very fine sandy loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; common fine roots throughout; common fine low continuity tubular pores; 4 percent medium distinct spherical weakly cemented yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) masses of oxidized iron; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 18 inches thick)

2C1--26 to 34 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) stratified silt loam to very fine sandy loam; structureless; massive; very friable, nonsticky, nonplastic; 4 percent medium distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) masses of oxidized iron; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary.

2C2--34 to 80 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) stratified very fine sandy loam to fine sand; structureless; massive; loose, nonsticky, nonplastic; 4 percent medium distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) masses of oxidized iron; moderately alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Tensas Parish, Louisiana; located from Newellton, La, 1,450 feet north of the intersection of Hgy. 605 and Hgy. 4 on Hgy. 605, then 0.95 mile east on Hgy. 887, then 1.2 miles northeast on Hgy. 808, then 450 feet due west of road into field; NE1/4, SW1/4 Sec. 45 T. 13 N. R. 12 E.; Latitude 32 degrees, 5 minutes, 25.45 seconds N., Longitude 91 degrees, 12 minutes, 58.86 seconds W., Newellton, Louisiana USGS 7.5 Minute Quadrangles, NAD-83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 14 to 32 inches. Thickness of the clayey A and Bg horizons is 14 to 20 inches.

The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 1 or 2. Where value is 3, thickness is less than 7 inches. Texture is clay, silty clay, or less commonly silty clay loam. Reaction ranges from moderately acid through neutral.

The Bg horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 1 or 2. Iron accumulations in shades of brown are few to common. Texture is clay or silty clay. Reaction ranges from moderately acid through slightly alkaline.

The 2BC or 2B horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 2 to 3. Texture is silt loam, loam, very fine sandy loam, or silty clay loam. Clay content averages 10 to 28 percent. Reaction ranges from strongly acid through moderately alkaline.

The 2C or 2Cg horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 1 to 3, or hue of 2.5Y, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 1 or 2. The 2C horizon commonly is stratified with layers or lenses of silt loam, loam, very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loamy fine sand, fine sand, or silty clay loam. Clay content averages 10 to 28 percent in the 2C parts within a depth of 40 inches. Reaction ranges from strongly acid through moderately alkaline.

COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in the same family. The Bowdre, Commerce, Mhoon, and Tunica series are in closely related families. Bowdre soils have a mollic epipedon. Commerce and Mhoon soils do not have a clayey epipedon. In addition, Mhoon soils have dominant chroma of 1 to a depth of 30 inches or more. Tunica soils have a clayey epipedon and upper subsoil 20 to 36 inches thick.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Newellton soils are on nearly level to gently sloping natural levee positions on the alluvial plain of the Mississippi River and its distributaries. They are typically on slopes of 0 to 3 percent but slopes may range up to 5 percent on some areas. Most areas are protected from flooding by levees. These soils formed in recent Mississippi River alluvium or in recent clayey alluvium overlying somewhat older loamy alluvium. Mean annual precipitation is 52 inches, and mean annual temperature is about 66 degrees F. Average January temperature is 49 degrees F., and average July temperature is 82 degrees F.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the closely related Commerce, Mhoon, and Tunica series on similar landscape positions, and the Bruin, Convent, Dundee, Goldman, and Sharkey series. Bruin and Convent soils are on higher positions on the natural levee do not have a clayey epipedon. Dundee and Goldman soils are on older natural levees. They are loamy throughout and have an argillic horizon. Sharkey soils are on lower backswamp or swale positions. They have a clayey epipedon and subsoil that extends to more than 40 inches deep.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained; medium rate of runoff on slopes less than 1 percent, and high rate of runoff on slopes of 1 percent or more; permeability is slow in the upper horizons and moderate or moderately slow in the lower horizons. The soils are wet in the surface layer, and wet in the loamy layers below a depth of 1 to 3 feet during December through April in normal years. The clayey subsoil is not saturated for significant periods of time.

USE AND VEGETATION: Mostly cleared and used for growing soybeans, cotton, small grain, pasture, and some corn. A few areas remain in woodland.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. The series is of moderate extent.

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: AUBURN, ALABAMA

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Tensas Parish, Louisiana; 1965

REMARKS: The series type location was moved to a new site in Tensas Parish in 2002 and the series was reclassified from an Aeric Fluvaquent to a Fluvaquentic Epiaquept. The series ranges were expanded somewhat to allow chroma 1 color in the clayey B horizon, and sandy texture in the lower part of the substratum. The series was updated in 2004 to allow value 6 in the substratum, and value 3 in the surface layer, where it is less than 7 inches thick. Also the thickness range for the 2BC horizon was expanded from 14 to 18 inches. It was also clarified that the soils are wet in the surface layer, but not in the clayey subsoil. Newellton soils formerly were included in the Bowdre series.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in the type location pedon include:
Ochric Epipedon----------0 to 7 inches (Ap horizon)
Cambic Horizon-----------7 to 26 inches (Bg and BC horizons)
Lithologic Discontinuity-at 16 inches (top of 2BC horizon)
Abrupt textural change---at 16 inches (top of 2BC horizon)
Aquic conditions---------saturation, reduction, and redoximorphic features, including chroma 1 or 2 matrix with redoximorphic concentrations at 7 to 16 inches deep.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.