LOCATION BAYOU ALEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, siliceous, semiactive, thermic Typic Paleaquults
TYPICAL PEDON: Bayou sandy loam, on a smooth 1 percent slope, in
woodland.
(Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise
stated.)
A11--0 to 5 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) sandy loam;
weak medium granular structure; friable; common fine roots; very
strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (4 to 7 inches thick)
A12--5 to 9 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) sandy loam; few
medium distinct gray (10YR 6/1) mottles; weak medium granular
structure; friable; common fine roots; very strongly acid; clear
wavy boundary. (3 to 7 inches thick)
A2g--9 to 18 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) sandy
loam; common medium distinct light yellowish brown (2.5YR 6/4)
mottles; and few medium distinct very dark gray (10YR 3/1)
mottles; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few
fine roots; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (5 to 9
inches thick)
B1g--18 to 26 inches; light gray (10YR 7/1) sandy loam; few
to common medium distinct brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) and pale
yellow (2.5Y 7/4) mottles; weak medium subangular blocky
structure; friable; few fine roots; very strongly acid; gradual
wavy boundary. (8 to 18 inches thick)
B21tg--26 to 43 inches; light gray (10YR 7/1) sandy loam;
common medium distinct brownish yellow (10YR 6/6), strong brown
(7.5YR 5/8), light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) and red (2.5YR 5/8)
mottles; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; sand
grains coated and bridged with clay, very strongly acid; gradual
wavy boundary. (6 to 18 inches thick)
B22tg--43 to 60 inches; light gray (10YR 7/1) sandy clay
loam; many medium distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6), common
medium distinct yellow (2.5Y 7/6) and red (2.5YR 4/8) mottles;
weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly
compact; thin patchy clay films on faces of peds; very strongly
acid; gradual wavy boundary. (6 to 24 inches thick)
B23tg--60 to 66 inches; gray (10YR 6/1) sandy clay loam; few
to common medium distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6), pale yellow
(2.5Y 7/4), and light reddish brown (2.5YR 6/4) mottles; weak
medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly compact;
thin patchy clay films on faces of peds; few pockets of sandy
loam; very strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Mobile County, Alabama; 2.5 miles west of West
Fowl River on Alabama Highway 188; 2600 feet east and 600 feet
north of the SW corner of sec. 5, T. 8 S., R. 2. W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness is more than 60 inches.
Reaction ranges from very strongly acid to strongly acid in the
upper part of the profile and from extremely acid to medium acid
in the lower part of the profile.
The A11 horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5YR, values of 2 through 4,
and chroma of 0 or 1. Texture is sandy loam or loam.
The A12 horizon has hue of 10YR, values that range from 4 through
6, and chroma of 1 or 2. Texture is sandy loam or loam. Few to
common fine or medium mottles in shades of gray, brown, or yellow
are present in this horizon in most pedons.
The A2g and B1g horizons have hue of 10YR, values of 5 through 7,
and chroma of 1 or 2. Texture is sandy loam or loam. Few to
common fine or medium mottles in shades of gray, brown, and yellow
are present in these horizons in most pedons.
The B2tg horizons have hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, values that range from
4 through 7, and chroma of 1 or 2 with mottles in shades of gray,
brown, yellow, and red or they are mottled in shades of gray,
brown, yellow, and red. Colors with chroma of 2 or less are
dominant in mottled horizons. Texture of B21tg is sandy loam or
loam. Texture of the horizons below the B21tg horizon is sandy
clay loam or clay loam. Average clay content of the control
section ranges from 8 to 18 percent and the silt content is less
than 30 percent. Some pedons may have small pockets of coarser
textured material in the lower horizons. Some pedons also have a
few nodules of plinthite in the lower horizons.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Atmore, Escambia, Smithton, and
Woodington series. Atmore and Escambia soils have 5 percent or
more plinthite within 60 inches of the surface. In addition,
Escambia soils have a horizon with dominant chroma of 3 or more
within 30 inches of the soil surface. Smithton soils are less
clayey and less compact in the lower Bt horizons and have more
than 30 percent silt in their control sections. Woodington soils
have less than 18 percent clay and are less compact in the lower
Bt horizons.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Bayou soils are on broad, nearly level areas
of the Gulf Coast Flatwoods. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent.
Mean annual precipitation is approximately 63 inches and is fairly
evenly distributed throughout the year. Mean annual temperature
is approximately 67 degrees F.
Geographicaly Associated Soils: These are the competing Atmore
and Escambia series and the Grady, Harleston, and Johnston series.
Grady soils are in depressions and are finer textured. Harleston
soils are on slightly higher elevations and have dominant chroma
of 3 or more in the upper part of the pedon. Johnston soils are
on slightly lower elevations, have an umbric epipedon and are more
poorly drained.
Drainage and Permability: Bayou soils are poorly drained.
Surface runoff is slow. Permeability is moderate in the upper
part of the profile and moderately slow in the lower part of the
profile. These soils have seasonal water tables during winter and
early spring months that range from 0 to 1.0 foot of the surface.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for timber production and wildlife
habitat. A few areas have been cleared and are used for pasture.
Native overstory vegetation consists mainly of longleaf pine with
an understory of southern bayberry, inkberry, swamp cyrilla, black
gum, water oak, bluestems, goldenrod, yellow eyed grass, panicum,
blazing star, and pitcher plants
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Gulf Coastal Plain of southern Alabama
and possibly Mississippi. The series is of small known extent.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Mobile County, Alabama; 1978.
REMARKS: Bayou soils were formerly classified in the Low-Humic
Gley great soil group. They were included in the Smithton series.
Bayou soils have site indices for longleaf, loblolly, and slash
pine that are significantly lower than for Smithton soils.
Average site index for longleaf pine (based on 10 sites with 5
trees per site) was 47 feet; for slash (based on 2 sites with 5
trees per site) was 62 feet; and for loblolly (based on 1 site
with 5 trees) was 65 feet.