LOCATION LEAGUE TXEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, hyperthermic Oxyaquic Dystruderts
TYPICAL PEDON: League clay--cropland. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated)
Ap--0 to 6 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) clay, gray (10YR 5/1) dry; massive; extremely hard, extremely firm, very sticky, very plastic; many fine roots; common fine pores; 5 percent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) iron accumulations along root channels and pores; many fine prominent strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) iron accumulations on surface of peds; very strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary.
A--6 to 11 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) clay, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; massive; extremely hard, extremely firm; many fine roots; common fine pores; 5 percent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) iron accumulations along root channels and pores; very strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (combined thickness of the A subhorizons is 10 to 24 inches)
Bss1--11 to 22 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) clay, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to weak coarse angular blocky; extremely hard, extremely firm; few fine roots; few fine pores; common prominent pressure faces; few prominent slickensides; few fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) iron accumulations; about 5 percent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) iron accumulations along root channels and pores; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Bss2--22 to 30 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) clay, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to weak coarse angular blocky; extremely hard, extremely firm; few fine roots; few fine pores; common prominent slickensides; few fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) iron accumulations; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Bss3--30 to 36 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) clay, gray (10YR 5/1) dry; weak coarse angular blocky structure; extremely hard, extremely firm; few fine roots; few fine pores; common prominent slickensides; few fine prominent light olive brown (2.5Y 5/6) iron accumulations; about 2 percent dark gray crayfish krotovina; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (combined thickness of the Bss horizons is 15 to 30 inches)
Bssg1--36 to 46 inches; gray (2.5Y 5/1) clay, gray (2.5Y 6/1) dry; weak coarse angular blocky structure; extremely hard, extremely firm; few fine roots; few fine pores; many prominent slickensides; many medium faint dark gray (2.5Y 4/1) iron depletions, common medium distinct light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4), and few fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) iron accumulations; about 5 percent dark gray crayfish krotovina with gray linings; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Bssg2--46 to 59 inches; gray (2.5Y 6/1) clay; weak coarse angular blocky; extremely hard, extremely firm; few fine roots; few fine pores; many prominent slickensides tilted about 50 degrees from horizontal; many fine and medium prominent brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) iron accumulations; about 5 percent dark gray crayfish krotovina with gray linings; slightly acid; diffuse wavy boundary.
Bssg3--59 to 80 inches; gray (2.5Y 6/1) clay; weak coarse angular blocky; extremely hard, extremely firm; few fine roots; few fine pores; many prominent slickensides tilted about 50 degrees from horizontal; common fine and medium prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) and few fine prominent olive yellow (2.5Y 6/6) iron accumulations; about 5 percent dark gray crayfish krotovina with gray linings; neutral. (combined thickness of the Bssg subhorizons is 15 to 30 inches thick)
TYPE LOCATION: Jefferson County, Texas; from the intersection of Interstate Highway 10 and U.S. Highway 90 in Beaumont; 16.5 miles west on U.S. Highway 90 to Nome; 3.0 miles south on Farm Road 365; 0.5 mile west on county road; 700 feet north on field road; 100 feet west of road in cropland. (Latitude 29N, 59, 42; Longitude 94W, 24, 59)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The range in characteristics includes 50 percent or more of the pedon. Solum thickness is more than 80 inches. Thickness of mollic epipedon ranges from 12 to 40 inches. The texture is clay throughout. Weighted average clay content of the control section ranges from 45 to 60 percent. When dry, cracks 1/2 to more than 1 inch wide, extend from the surface to a depth of 12 inches or more. Cracks remain open for less than 60 cumulative days in most years. Slickensides and wedge-shaped peds begin at a depth ranging from 10 to 24 inches. Undisturbed areas have gilgai microrelief with microknolls 6 to 15 inches higher than the microdepression. Distance from the center of the microknoll to the center of the microdepressions ranges from 3 to 12 feet. Some pedons have a few gypsum crystals below a depth of 50 inches.
Microknolls make up 5 to 25 percent of the pedon. Typically, colors in the microknoll have value of 4 or more. Calcium carbonate concretions, mainly in clusters, range from 1 to 5 percent in the lower part of the microknoll in some pedons.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 3, and chroma of 1. In rice culture Ap horizons 4 to 6 inches thick include value that ranges to 4. Redoximorphic features (iron accumulations or depletions) range from none to few in shades of brown or gray and are developed by rice culture. Reaction ranges from extremely acid to very strongly acid.
The Bss horizon has hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 3 or 4, and chroma of 2 or less. Iron accumulations range from few to common with colors in shades of brown or yellow. Some pedons contain a few redoximorphic features in shades of red or gray. Redoximorphic features in the upper part are developed or enhanced by rice culture. Reaction is very strongly acid or strongly acid.
The Bssg horizon has hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 5 to 7, and chroma of 1 or 2. Iron accumulations range from few to many in shades of brown, yellow, or red. Some pedons have a few iron depletions with colors in shades of gray. Microknolls commonly have a few calcium carbonate nodules or concretions below a depth of 40 inches. Reaction ranges from strongly acid to slightly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the China series. Similar soils are Bacliff, Beaumont, Bevil, and Vamont series. China soils have a gypsic horizon in some part of the subsoil. Bacliff and Vamont soils are Hapluderts. Beaumont and Bevil soils are Aquerts and have color value of 4 or more throughout.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: League soils are on the broad, nearly level Coastal Prairie east of the Trinity River. Slopes are plane and less than 1 percent. They formed in clayey flood basin deposits on alluvial plains or deltas on the Beaumont Formation of Pleistocene age. Mean annual precipitation is 50 to 60 inches, and mean annual temperature is 70 to 72 degrees F. Frost free days range from 250 to 270. Elevation ranges from 10 to 40 feet. The Thornthwaite P-E index is 68 to 80.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include the competing Beaumont and China soils and the Labelle, Morey, and Viterbo soils. China soils are on similar landscape positions. Beaumont and Viterbo soils are on slightly lower landscape positions. In addition, Viterbo soils are more alkaline, and have a argillic horizon. Labelle and Morey soils have a argillic horizon and are higher in the landscape.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained. Runoff is low. Permeability is very slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: Mainly used for growing rice and pasture. Rice is usually grown on a 1 in 4 year rotation. Improved pasture are used for bahiagrass production. Some areas are used for native pasture. Native grasses are mainly little bluestem, indiangrass, eastern gamagrass, switchgrass, Florida paspalum, big bluestem, brownseed paspalum, knotroot bristlegrass, sedges, and rushes.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Gulf Coast Prairies of Texas, and possibly Louisana, (MLRA 150A) east of the Trinity River. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Jefferson County, Texas; 1996.
REMARKS: These soils were formerly included with the Beaumont and Lake Charles series.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - Ap, A, Bss1 and Bss2 horizons from 0 to 30 inches. (this pedon has a thin surface layer that has color value of 4 because of rice culture)
Cambic horizon - from a depth of 22 inches to 80 inches (Bss1, Bss2, Bss3, Bssg1, Bssg2).
Vertisol feature - slickensides at a depth of 22 to 80 inches (Bss1, Bss2, Bss3, Bssg1, and Bssg2). High shrink-swell potential and cracks that are 1/2 to about 1 inch wide at a depth of 12 inches or more during dry periods.
Oxyaquic feature - water is perched from the surface to about 22 inches for 30 days or more during the winter and early spring in most years. This layer has redoximorphic features but does not have aquic soil conditions or test positive to a,a'-dipyridyl.
SOIL INTERPRETATION RECORD NUMBER: TX1046.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Jefferson County, TX. NSSL data (S92TX-245-004)