LOCATION WETSAW OKEstablished Series
The Wetsaw series consists of very deep, moderately well drained, slowly permeable soils that formed in loamy and gravelly alluvium over clayey residuum of shale of Mississippian age. These soils are on benches and stream terraces in valleys of the Ouachita Mountains. Water runs off the surface at a medium rate. Slope ranges from 0 to 8 percent.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, siliceous, semiactive, thermic Aquic Paleudalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Wetsaw fine sandy loam, on a 2 percent slope in forest. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 6 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) fine sandy loam; weak fine granular structure; hard, friable; many fine and medium roots; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
E--6 to 10 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) fine sandy loam; weak fine granular structure; hard, friable; common fine and medium roots; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
Bt1--10 to 23 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) clay loam, weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable; few fine, common medium, and few coarse roots; patchy clay films on faces of peds; gravel make up 3 percent by volume; very strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (6 to 18 inches thick)
Bt2--23 to 33 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) loam, common fine distinct gray and red mottles; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable; few fine, common medium, and few coarse roots; patchy clay films of faces of peds; gravel make up 5 percent by volume; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (5 to 34 inches thick)
2Bt--33 to 48 inches; mottled gray (10YR 6/1), brownish yellow (10YR 6/8), and red (2.5YR 4/8) very gravelly clay, weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable; common medium, and few coarse roots; patchy clay films on faces of peds; gravel make up 60 percent by volume; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (10 to 40 inches thick)
3Bt--48 to 65 inches; mottled yellowish brown (10YR 5/8), light gray (10YR 7/1), and red (10R 4/6) clay, weak fine blocky structure; very hard, firm; few medium and few coarse roots; patchy clay films on faces of peds; gravel make up 3 percent by volume; very strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: LeFlore County, Oklahoma; about 2.5 miles west of Muse, Oklahoma; 1,330 feet east and 2,350 feet north of the southwest corner of sec. 5, T. 2 N., R. 24 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness is more than 60 inches. Depth to the gravelly 2B2t layer ranges from 26 to 55 inches. Gravel range from 0 to 15 percent by volume in the A, B1, B2t, and 3B2t horizons, and from 20 to 70 percent by volume in the 2B2t horizon. Cobbles range from 0 to 5 percent by volume in the A, B1, B2t, and 3B2t horizons, and from 0 to 20 percent by volume in the 2B2t horizon.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 2 or 3. It is fine sandy loam or loam. Reaction ranges from slightly acid to strongly acid in the A horizon.
The E horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 3 to 6. It is fine sandy loam or loam.
In some pedons there is a BE horizon, 4 to 8 inches thick, with hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 6. It is loam or fine sandy loam. Reaction is strongly acid or very strongly acid.
The Bt horizons have hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 6 to 8, and have few to common fine gray and red mottles. It is loam, clay loam, or sandy clay loam with 20 to 35 percent clay. Reaction is strongly acid or very strongly acid.
The 2Bt horizon is mottled yellow, brown, gray, and red. Some pedons have hue 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 5, and chroma of 6 to 8 with few to common mottles with chroma of 1 or 2. Texture is gravelly clay, gravelly clay loam, gravelly sandy clay loam, very gravelly clay, very gravelly clay loam, very gravelly sandy clay loam, extremely gravelly clay, extremely gravelly clay loam, extremely gravelly sandy clay loam, cobbly clay, cobbly clay loam, cobbly sandy clay loam, very cobbly clay, very cobbly clay loam, very cobbly sandy clay loam. Reaction is strongly acid or very strongly acid.
The 3Bt horizon is coarsely mottled in shades of brown, gray, and red. It is clay or silty clay. Reaction is strongly acid or very strongly acid.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no series in the same family. Series in closely related families include the Freest series with active CEC activity class, Izagora, Kullit, and Quitman series as Paleudults, and the Nesbitt series in a fine-silty textural family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Wetsaw soils are on nearly level to sloping alluvial benches and stream terraces in valleys of the Ouachita Mountains. Slope ranges from 0 to 8 percent, but mainly is 1 to 5 percent. These soils formed in loamy and gravelly alluvium and the underlying residuum of weathered interbedded sandstone and shale. Mean annual temperature is 60 to 64 degrees F. Mean annual precipitation is about 40 to 60 inches. Thornthwaite annual P-E indices range from 64 to
80.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Avilla, Bengal, Carnasaw, Kenn, Mena, Neff, Speer, and Tuskahoma series. All of these soils lack a gravelly 2Bt horizon, except Mena. Avilla soils are on terraces in and adjacent to the Quachita Mountains, are well drained and moderately permeable. Bengal, Carnasaw, and Tuskahoma soils are on steeper parts of the adjacent uplands and have a clayey control section. Bengal soils have a solum 20 to 40 inches thick, Carnasaw soils have solum thickness of 40 to 60 inches, and Tuskahoma soils have a solum thickness less than 20 inches. Kenn soils are on flood plains and have a gravelly 2BC and 2C horizon. Mena soils formed in pedisediments and old alluvium and are in a fine textural family. Neff and Speer series are on flood plains or low terraces in lower positions. Neff soils have a fine-silty control section. Speer soils lack gray mottles in the Bt2 horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained. Runoff is medium to rapid and permeability is slow. An apparent water table is at a depth of 1.5 to 2.5 feet.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for tame pasture or woodland. Native vegetation is shortleaf pine, hardwood trees, and understory grasses.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: In valleys of the Ouachita Mountains of Oklahoma and possibly Arkansas. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: LeFlore County, Oklahoma; 1981.
REMARKS: Diagnostic Horizons and Features-
Ochric epipdon- Surface to a depth of 10 inches.
Argillic horizon- Zone from 10 inches to a depth of 65 inches.
Lithologic Discontinuties- Contacts at 38 and 48 inches.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Sample Nos. 76-OK-79-4-1 through 76-OK-79-4-6 by Oklahoma State University Soils Laboratory.