LOCATION JUDICE LA+TXEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, thermic Typic Epiaquerts
TYPICAL PEDON: Judice silty clay--cropland in smooth depressional area. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 9 inches; black (10YR 2/1) silty clay; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine and medium granular; firm, sticky, plastic; many fine and medium roots; few brown (7.5YR 4/4) stains in root channels and on ped surfaces; moderately acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 10 inches thick)
Bw--9 to 20 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) silty clay; weak coarse subangular blocky structure parting to moderate medium and fine subangular blocky; firm, sticky, plastic; many fine roots; few fine pores; many shiny pressure surfaces on most peds; few concretions of calcium carbonate up to 3 inches in diameter; common crawfish krotovina 2 to 5 cm in diameter; neutral; gradual wavy boundary. (5 to 14 inches thick)
Bssg1--20 to 40 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) silty clay; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; very firm, sticky, plastic; few fine roots; few fine pores; many shiny surfaces on most peds; few prominent slickensides; many coarse distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) iron concentrations; common crawfish krotovina 2 to 5 cm in diameter; neutral; gradual wavy boundary.
Bssg2--40 to 49 inches; gray (5Y 6/1) silty clay; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; firm, sticky, plastic; few fine roots; common shiny surfaces on most peds; few prominent slickensides; many coarse prominent dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) and few fine distinct brown (7.5YR 4/4) iron concentrations; few crawfish krotovina 2 to 5 cm in diameter; neutral; gradual wavy boundary.
Bssg3--49 to 59 inches; gray (5Y 6/1) silty clay; weak coarse prismatic structure firm, sticky, plastic; few fine roots; few fine pores; common shiny pressure surfaces on peds; few prominent slickensides; many coarse prominent olive (5Y 5/6) iron concentrations; brown (7.5YR 4/4) linings on root channels filled with very dark gray (10YR 3/1) clay; few crawfish krotovina 2 to 5 cm in diameter; neutral; gradual wavy boundary.
Bssg4--59 to 70 inches; gray (5Y 6/1) silty clay; weak coarse prismatic structure; firm, sticky, plastic; few fine roots; common shiny pressure surfaces on peds; few prominent slickensides; common coarse prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) iron concentrations; few crawfish krotovina 2 to 5 cm in diameter; neutral. (combined thickness of the Bssg horizons is 40 to 65 inches.)
TYPE LOCATION: Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana; 1 mile east of Thornwell; 0.25 mile west of LA Highway 382; 150 feet north of LA Highway 380. SW1/4, SE1/4 sec. 9, T. 10 S., R. 4. W. (Latitude 30N, 06, 42; Longitude 92W, 46, 44).
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness is more than to 80 inches. Thickness of the mollic epipedon ranges from 10 to 24 inches. Weighted average clay content of the particle-size control section is 35 to 55 percent. Slickensides and wedge shaped peds begin at a depth ranging from 8 to 25 inches.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 2 or 3 and chroma of 1 or 2. Texture is clay loam, silty clay loam, or silty clay. Reaction ranges from moderately acid to neutral.
The Bw horizon has hue of 10YR, value 3 or 4, and chroma of 1. Texture is clay loam, silty clay loam, silty clay, or clay. Reaction ranges from moderately acid to slightly alkaline. Concretions of calcium carbonate range from none to common.
The Bssg horizon has hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 1 or 2. Texture is clay loam, silty clay loam, silty clay, or clay. Reaction ranges from neutral to moderately alkaline. Concretions of calcium carbonate range from none to common.
The BC and BCg horizons, in some pedons, has the same colors as the Bssg horizons. Texture is clay loam or silty clay loam. Reaction ranges from neutral to moderately alkaline. Concretions of calcium carbonate range from none to common.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Carl, Osage, and Terouge series in the same family. Similar soils are the Harris and Iberia series. Carl, Osage, and Terouge soils have slightly cooler temperatures. In addition, Carl soils have a silty mantle over clayey materials. Osage and Terouge soils are on floodplains. Harris soils are very poorly drained and are saturated throughout the year. Iberia soils have more than 50 percent clay in the particle-size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Judice soils are in broad depressional areas and relic meander scars on the Pleistocene age Prairie Terraces or Beaumont Formation of the Gulf Coastal Prairies. Slope ranges from 0 to 1 percent and is mainly less than 0.5 percent. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 50 to 62 inches. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 67 to 70 degrees F. Frost free days range from 280 to 350. Elevation ranges from 4 to 80 feet. Thornthwaite P-E index ranges from about 64 to 70.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the similar Harris series and the Crowley, Jeanerette, Midland, Morey, Mowata, and Patoutville series. All of these soils are slightly higher in the landscape except Harris soils which are lower. Crowley, Mowata, and Patoutville soils have an ochric epipedon and argillic horizon. Jeanerette and Patoutville soils are associated with Judice soils in the eastern prairies of south Louisiana close to the Mississippi valley. Crowley, Midland, and Mowata soils are associated with Judice soils in the central and western prairies, while Harris and Morey soils are associated with Judice soils near the coast.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained. Permeability is very slow. Runoff is negligible. A perched water table is at a depth of 1 to 1.5 feet from December to April. In some areas, these soils are subject to flooding.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for growing rice and for pasture. Tall grasses and sedges were the dominant native vegetation.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Gulf Coast Prairie of Louisiana and southeast Texas (MLRA 150A, LRR T). The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lafayette Parish, Louisiana; 1976.
REMARKS: These soils were previously included in the Beaumont, Jeanerette, and Midland series. Classification changed 1999 based on Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Eighth Edition, 1998. The classification was changed from Vertic Epiaquolls to Typic Epiaquerts. With the change in classification the type location also was moved from Lafayette Parish to Jefferson Davis Parish to place in the central part of the series province.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon--0 to 20 inches. (Ap and Bw horizon.)
Cambic horizon--20 to 70 inches. (Bssg horizons.)
Vertisol properties--20 to 70 inches. (Bssg horizons) include slickensides, shiny pressure faces and cracks in some years.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station data for type location in Jefferson Davis Parish (S87LA053113B-4).
TAXONOMIC VERSION: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Ninth Edition, 2003.