LOCATION BELLWOOD LAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Very-fine, smectitic, thermic Aquic Dystruderts
TYPICAL PEDON: Bellwood clay on a 4 percent slope in a micro low position in pine woodland. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 1 inch; reddish brown (5YR 4/3) silt loam; weak fine granular structure; friable; many fine roots; very strongly acid; abrupt irregular boundary. (0 to 3 inches thick)
Bw--1 to 7 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) clay; moderate, medium subangular blocky structure; firm; many fine and medium roots; continuous shiny pressure faces on surfaces of peds; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (4 to 15 inches thick)
Bss1--7 to 21 inches; gray (10YR 6/1) clay; moderate medium angular blocky structure; very firm, very plastic, very sticky; common fine roots; continuous shiny pressure faces on surfaces of peds and common intersecting slickensides; many medium prominent red (2.5YR 4/6) masses of iron accumulation; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (6 to 18 inches thick)
Bss2--21 to 41 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) clay; moderate medium angular blocky structure; very firm, very sticky, very plastic; common fine roots; discontinuous shiny pressure faces on surfaces of peds and many intersecting slickensides; gleying around roots; common medium prominent yellowish red (2.5YR 4/6) masses of iron accumulation; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (7 to 23 inches thick)
BCss1--41 to 55 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) clay; weak coarse and medium angular blocky structure; very firm, very sticky, very plastic; discontinuous shiny pressure faces on surfaces of peds and common intersecting slickensides; common medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) and a few fine distinct yellowish red (5YR 5/6) iron accumulations; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (10 to 22 inches thick)
BCss2--55 to 60 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) clay; common fine faint yellowish brown mottles; weak coarse angular blocky structure; massive; very firm; shiny pressure faces and few slickensides on surfaces of most peds; very strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana; located approximately 0.8 mile north west of Provencal on parish road, 0.45 miles east of Shiloh Cemetary, 200 feet south of parish road, NE1/4, SW1/4, Sec. 20, T. 8 N., R. 8 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The gilgai relief consist of microknolls and microdepressions with a relief of 2 to 8 inches and distances of 8 to 15 feet between centers of knolls and depressions. Depth to intersecting slickensides ranges from 7 to 21 inches. Solum thickness ranges from 50 to 80 inches or more. Reaction ranges from extremely acid to strongly acid throughout the solum. It is extremely acid or very strongly acid in more than half the thickness of the upper 20 inches. Base saturation ranges from 10 to 30 percent throughout the B and BC horizons.
The A horizon has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 3 or 4, and chroma of 1 to 4. Texture is a very fine sandy loam, loam, silt loam, silty clay loam, clay loam, silty clay, or clay.
The Bw horizon has hue of 10R to 5YR, value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 4 to 8. Iron accumulations are in shades of brown and iron depletions are in shades of gray. Texture is clay or silty clay.
The Bss and BCss horizons have hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 to 7, and chroma of 1 to 3. Iron accumulations in shades of red range from few to many within a depth of 20 inches. Texture is clay or silty clay.
COMPETING SERIES: There are the Bayoudan and Vaiden series in the same family, and the Brooksville, Burkville, Lacerda, Lebeau, Louin, Morse, Naclina, Redco, Tahoula, Terouge, Vamont, and Zilaboy series in related families. Bayoudan soils are moderately well drained and have gypsum crystals in the lower part of the solum. Vaiden soils have an argillic horizon and formed over weathered chalk or calcareous clay. Burkville and Redco soils have a yellower hue in the upper part of the control section and do not have aquic conditions in the upper 40 inches of the solum. Lacerda soils do not have red mottles within a depth of 20 inches. Lebeau soils are slightly acid to moderately alkaline throughout the solum. Brooksville, Terouge, and Zilaboy soils have lower value colors in the upper part of the solum. Morse and Tahoula soils have a less acid control section and are better drained. Louin, Naclina, and Vamont soils have 35 to 60 percent clay in the control sections.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Bellwood soils are on nearly level to strongly sloping Coastal Plain uplands. They formed in acid clayey, Tertiary age sediments. Slopes range from 1 to 20 percent. Average temperature near the type location is about 65.5 degrees F., and average annual precipitation is about 54 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Keithville, Natchitoches, and Sacul series. Keithville and Sacul soils have less than 60 percent clay in the control sections, do not have vertic properties, and are on slightly higher elevations. Natchitoches soils have glauconitic sand in the B horizons and are on higher elevations.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Bellwood soils are somewhat poorly drained; runoff is medium to high; permeability is very slow. They have an apparent water table at depths of 2 to 4 feet below the surface during winter and early spring.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are forested with loblolly pine and some hardwoods. A few areas have been cleared for pasture.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Coastal plains of Louisiana and possibly Mississippi, Arkansas, and east Texas. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Little Rock, Arkansas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana: 1985.
REMARKS: Bellwood soils were formerly included in the Susquehanna series.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon include:
Ochric epipedon---------------0 to 7 inches (A and Bw1 horizons)
Cambic horizon----------------1 to 60 inches (Bw, Bss, and BC horizons)
Slickensides------------------7 to 60 inches (Bss and BCss horizons)
Aquic conditions-------------21 to 41 inches (Bss2 horizon)