LOCATION BOWIE              TX+AR LA

BOWIE SERIES

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, siliceous, semiactive, thermic Plinthic Paleudults

TYPICAL PEDON: Bowie very fine sandy loam on a 3 percent slope, in native pasture. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)

Ap--0 to 13 cm (0 to 5 in); brown (10YR 4/3) very fine sandy loam; weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine and common medium roots; about 2 to 3 percent by volume ironstone pebbles 2 to 5 mm in size; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (5 to 20 cm [2 to 8 in] thick)

E--13 to 25 cm (5 to 10 in); yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very fine sandy loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine granular; slightly hard, very friable; nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine and medium roots; about 1 to 2 percent by volume ironstone pebbles 2 to 5 mm in size; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 30 cm [0 to 12 in] thick)

Bt1--25 to 58 cm (10 to 23 in); yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) sandy clay loam; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable; slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; few fine pores; few fine distinct yellowish red (5YR 5/6) redox concentrations; few thin patchy clay films in pores and root channels; about 3 to 4 percent by volume ironstone pebbles 2 to 8 mm in size; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (13 to 64 cm [5 to 25 in] thick)

Bt2--58 to 79 cm (23 to 31 in); yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) clay loam; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable; slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; few fine pores; common medium distinct yellowish red (5YR 5/6) and common coarse prominent red (2.5YR 5/6) redox concentrations; common thin patchy clay films on surfaces of peds; about 2 percent by volume nodular plinthite; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 51 cm [0 to 20 in] thick)

Btv--79 to 114 cm (31 to 46 in); yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) sandy clay loam; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; hard, friable; slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; common fine pores; common medium distinct yellowish red (5YR 5/6) and common coarse prominent red (2.5YR 5/6) redox concentrations; about 8 to 10 percent by volume nodular plinthite; common thin continuous clay films on surfaces of peds; about 2 percent by volume ironstone concretions 5 to 10 mm in size; 5 to 10 percent by volume brittle masses; very strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 51 cm [0 to 20 in] thick)

Btv/E--114 to 173 cm (46 to 68 in); yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) sandy clay loam; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; very hard, friable; slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots mainly along surfaces of prisms; many coarse prominent red (2.5YR 5/6) and many faint brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) redox concentrations; many redox depletions; about 5 to 7 percent by volume nodular plinthite; few thin patchy clay films mainly along surface of prisms; about 5 to 6 percent by volume coatings of albic material on surface of prisms; about 3 percent by volume ironstone pebbles 2 to 5 mm in size; 15 to 20 percent by volume brittle masses; very strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (15 to 56 cm [6 to 22 in] thick)

B't--173 to 211 cm (68 to 83 in); mixed redoximorphic features of strong brown (7.5YR 5/6, 5/8), gray (10YR 6/1), yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) and red (10R 4/8) sandy clay loam; weak medium prismatic structure parting to moderate coarse subangular blocky; very firm, sticky and plastic; about 2 percent by volume nodular plinthite; few thin plates of plinthite; thick continuous clay films on surface of prisms and common thin patchy clay films on surface of subangular blocks; very strongly acid.

TYPE LOCATION: Harrison County, Texas; from the intersection of U.S. Highways 59 and 80 in Marshall, 4.4 miles south on U.S. Highway 59, 6.7 miles west on Interstate 20, 1.0 mile south on Farm Road 3251, 0.9 mile west on county road; 300 feet north. Darco USGS quad; Latitude, 32 degrees, 28 minutes, 30 seconds N; 94 degrees, 29 minutes, 23 seconds W. NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil Moisture: An udic soil moisture regime. The soil moisture control section is not dry in any part for more than 90 days in normal years.

Mean annual soil temperature: 19 to 21 degrees C (67 to 70 degrees F)
Depth to argillic horizon: 5 to 51 cm (2 to 20 in)
Thickness of solum: 152 to more than 203 cm (60 to more than 80 in)

Particle-size control section (weighted average)
Clay content in the Control Section: 18 to 30 percent
Silt plus very fine sand : 30 to 60 percent
Very fine sand and fragments up to 8 cm (3 in) in diameter: 15 to 45 percent of sand fraction

Rock fragments: none to few rock fragments greater than 8 cm (3 in) in size range
Redoximorphic features: Iron concentrations in shades of red or yellow, and iron depletions in shades of gray are in the lower parts of the subsoil.
Other distinctive soil features: Brittle masses or fragments comprise 5 to 40 percent by volume in horizons containing plinthite.
Concentrated minerals: Depth to horizons that contain 5 percent or more plinthite by volume is 25 to 60 inches. Strongly cemented or indurated iron oxide concretions and ironstone pebbles less than 3 inches in diameter range from 0 to 5 percent by volume throughout.
CEC: 6.0 to 18.0 meg/100 gram of soil.
Base saturation: 10 to 34 percent at 125 cm (50 in) below the top of the argillic horizon

A horizon
Hue: 10YR
Value: 3 to 5, horizons with value of 3 are less than 7 inches thick
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or loamy fine sand
Reaction: very strongly acid to slightly acid (4.5 to 6.5) unless limed

E horizon
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 6
Chroma: 3 or 4
Texture: very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or loamy fine sand
Other features: combined thickness of the A and E horizons is 6 to 20 inches
Reaction: very strongly acid to slightly acid (4.5 to 6.5) unless limed

EB or BE horizon where present
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 6
Chroma: 6
Texture: very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or loamy fine sand
Reaction: very strongly acid to slightly acid (4.5 to 6.5) unless limed

Bt horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 4 or 6
Chroma: 4 to 8
Redox concentrations: amount-none to many, size-fine to coarse, contrast-faint to prominent, boundary-diffuse to clear, shades-red, brown or yellow, location-in the matrix
Texture: fine sandy loam, loam, sandy clay loam, or clay loam
Other features: streaks, coatings, or pockets of uncoated sand range from none to about 4 percent. Nodular plinthite ranges from 0 to 4 percent by volume.
Reaction: very strongly acid to moderately acid (4.5 to 6.0)

Btv horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 or 6
Chroma: 4 to 8
Redox concentrations: amount-few to many, size-fine to coarse, contrast-faint to prominent, boundary-diffuse to clear, shades-red or brown
Redox depletions: amount-none to common, size-fine to coarse, contrast-faint or distinct boundary-diffuse to clear, shades-gray located elow a depth of 75 cm (30 in)
Texture: fine sandy loam, loam, sandy clay loam, or clay loam
Albic material: 0 to 4 percent, by volume, coatings, streaks, or pockets of albic material
Other features: 5 to 15 percent, by volume, nodular plinthite
Reaction: very strongly acid or strongly acid (4.5 to 5.5)

Btv/E or Bt/E horizon
Btv part
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 or 6
Chroma: 4 to 8 in the Btv parts
E part
Color: shades of gray
Redox concentrations: amount-few to many, size-fine to coarse, contrast-faint to prominent, boundary-diffuse to clear, shades-red or brown
Redox depletions: amount-few to many, size-fine to coarse, contrast-faint or distinct boundary-diffuse to clear, shades-gray
Or is variegated with these colors
Texture: fine sandy loam, loam, clay loam, or sandy clay loam
Albic materials: 5 to 20 percent by volume (E part) coatings, streaks, or pockets of albic material,
Other features: 5 to 15 percent by volume plinthite primarily in nodular form in the upper part, and 0 to 15 percent in the lower part
Reaction: very strongly acid or strongly acid (4.5 to 5.5)

B't or BC horizon where present
Color: shades of brown or gray
Redox concentrations: amount-few to many, size-fine to coarse, contrast-faint to prominent, boundary-diffuse to clear, shades-yellow or red, or is stratified with these colors
Texture: sandy clay loam, clay loam, or sandy clay. Some pedons have strata of fine sandy loam or clay
Clay content: 25 to 40 percent
Albic materials: 0 to 4 percent by volume steaks or pockets of albic material
Other features: 0 to 4 percent by volume plinthite
Reaction: very strongly acid or strongly acid (4.5 to 5.5)

C horizon where present
Color: shades of red, yellow, or brown
Texture: sandstone or stratified sandstone and shale/mudstone wit texture of fine sandy loam, sandy clay loam, or sandy clay
Other features: depth to a C horizon is more than 150 cm (60 in)
Reaction: very strongly acid or strongly acid (4.5 to 5.5)

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Baxterville, Malbis, Notcher, Otanya, Pinetucky, and Rogan soils in the same family. Bernaldo, Dothan, Erno, Lilbert, Oakwood, and Tifton, Warnock soils are in similar families.
Baxterville soils: have colors with hue redder than 7.5YR in the Bt horizon.
Dothan and Tifton soils: have less than 20 percent silt in the control section. In addition, Dothan soils have a kandic horizon.
Malbis, Notcher, Otanya, Pinetucky and Rogan soils: receive more than 76 cm (30 in) warm-season precipitation, have a summer moisture deficit of 0 to 10 cm (0 to 4 in), and are developed from Pleistocene Age sediments. Also, Notcher and Rogan soils have ironstone fragments making up 5 to 25 percent of the Bt horizon.
Bernaldo, Erno and Warnock soils: do not contain 5 percent plinthite.
Oakwood soils: are Alfisols.
Lilbert soils: are in an arenic subgroup.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: loamy and clayey marine deposits of the Claiborne Group
Landscape: Coastal Plain
Landform: Interfluve
Slope: mainly 1 to 5 percent but they range from 1 to 8 percent
Mean annual air temperature range: 18 to 21 degrees C (64 to 69 degrees F)
Mean annual rainfall range: 1016 to 1270 mm (40 to 50 in)
Frost-free period: 220 to 250 days
Elevation: 46 to 183 m (150 to 600 ft)
Thornthwaite P-E index: Exceeds 64

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include the competing Bernaldo, Lilbert, and Warnock soils and the Briley, Cuthbert, Darco, Kirvin, Kullit, and Rentzel soils.
Bernaldo soils: are on slightly lower positions in the landscape along stream terraces and on Pleistocene terraces in upland positions.
Lilbert, Briley, Darco, and Warnock soils: are on similar but slightly higher positions.
Cuthbert soils: have red clayey Bt horizons and are on steeper slopes above streams or along hillsides.
Kirvin soils: have red clayey Bt horizons and are above on low hills and oval ridges.
Kullit and Rentzel soils: are members of an aquic subgroup and are on lower slightly wetter positions. Rentzel soils also have an arenic epipedon.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Bowie soils are well drained. Permeability is moderately slow. Runoff is low on 1 to 3 percent slopes, medium on 3 to 5 percent slopes, and high on 5 to 8 percent slopes. A perched water table is at a depth of 1.07 to 1.52 m (3.5 to 5 ft) during winter and early spring in most years.

USE AND VEGETATION: The principal use is for pasture and forest. Some areas are used for growing corn, peanuts, sweet potatoes, peaches, watermelons and other vegetables or fruit crops. Pasture is mainly bermudagrass or bahiagrass. Forests consists of loblolly and shortleaf pines, sweetgum, red oak, and hickory trees with tall and midgrasses.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mainly in the Southern Coastal Plain of eastern Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana. The series is extensive.

MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Little Rock, Arkansas

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Bowie County, Texas, 1918.

REMARKS: The series was updated in 2004 to allow moderately acid reaction in the Bt horizon, and for plinthite to range to 0 percent in the lower part of the Bt/E horizon. Data from Harrison County, Texas: NSSL Lab Nos. S80TX203-01, S83TX203-01. Data from Rusk County, Texas: NSSL Lab Nos. S83TX401-01

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Ochric Epipedon: 0 to 25 cm (0 to 10 in).

Argillic horizon: 25 to 203 cm (10 to more than 80 in).

Plinthic feature: more than 5 percent plinthite from 79 to 173 cm (31 to 68 in).

Redoximorphic features: Below 25 cm (10 in).

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