Soil Series Atlas

Sharkey soil series

Very-fine, smectitic, thermic Chromic Epiaquerts

050100150200cm1 ft2 ft3 ft4 ft5 ft6 ftAp1Topsoil · plowed0–15 cm · 0–6 inAp2Topsoil · plowed15–25 cm · 6–10 inBssg1Subsoil · slickensides (shrink–swell),gleyed: gray from wetness25–61 cm · 10–24 inBssg2Subsoil · slickensides (shrink–swell),gleyed: gray from wetness61–99 cm · 24–39 inBssyg1Subsoil · slickensides (shrink–swell),gleyed: gray from wetness, gypsum99–147 cm · 39–58 inBssyg2Subsoil · slickensides (shrink–swell),gleyed: gray from wetness, gypsum147–163 cm · 58–64 inBssgSubsoil · slickensides (shrink–swell),gleyed: gray from wetness163–213 cm · 64–84 in050100150200cmAp1Topsoil · plowed0–15 cm · 0–6 inAp2Topsoil · plowed15–25 cm · 6–10 inBssg1Subsoil · slickensides(shrink–swell), gleyed:gray from wetness25–61 cm · 10–24 inBssg2Subsoil · slickensides(shrink–swell), gleyed:gray from wetness61–99 cm · 24–39 inBssyg1Subsoil · slickensides(shrink–swell), gleyed:gray from wetness,gypsum99–147 cm · 39–58 inBssyg2Subsoil · slickensides(shrink–swell), gleyed:gray from wetness,gypsum147–163 cm · 58–64 inBssgSubsoil · slickensides(shrink–swell), gleyed:gray from wetness163–213 cm · 64–84 in
Typical pedon, to scale: 213 cm (84 in), 7 horizons.

Vertisols — clay soils that shrink and crack when dry

With 3.65 million acres mapped, Sharkey is the 8th-largest of 24,791 U.S. soil series. In Louisiana only one series covers more ground. It is the only series in the atlas that belongs to the great group Epiaquerts. No other Vertisol series covers as much ground.

Depth
Very deep
Drainage
Very poorly drained
Water movement
Very slow

Compare with another seriesSimilar series in the finder

Where Sharkey is mapped

3,651,582 acres in 66 soil survey areas, from current SSURGO data.

AlabamaArizonaColoradoFloridaGeorgiaIndianaKansasMaineMassachusettsMinnesotaNew JerseyNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOklahomaPennsylvaniaSouth DakotaTexasWyomingConnecticutMissouri: 407,921 acresWest VirginiaIllinoisNew MexicoArkansas: 915,401 acresCaliforniaDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaIowaKentuckyMarylandMichiganMississippi: 896,878 acresMontanaNew HampshireNew YorkOhioOregonTennessee: 60,806 acresUtahVirginiaWashingtonWisconsinNebraskaSouth CarolinaIdahoNevadaVermontLouisiana: 1,370,576 acresRhode Island

Share of all Sharkey acres

  1. Louisiana38%
  2. Arkansas25%
  3. Mississippi25%
  4. Missouri11%
  5. Tennessee2%

In the field

Drainage

Very poorly drained

Drains fastStays wet

Bohicket also is very poorly drained.

Soil depth

Very deep

ShallowDeep

Permeability

Very slow

SlowFast

Of the 6 atlas series that have very slow permeability, this is the largest.

Parent material
Alluvium
Landform
Flood plains, deltas/levees, ridges/interfluves, terraces
Type location
Louisiana

How it is classified

  1. OrderVertisols
  2. SuborderAquerts
  3. Great groupEpiaquerts
  4. SubgroupChromic Epiaquerts
  5. FamilyVery-fine, smectitic, thermic Chromic Epiaquertsvery-fine particle-size classsmectitic mineralogy classthermic soil temperature regime

Against other Vertisols

Sharkey makes up 8.58% of all mapped Vertisols — the 1st largest of 481 series in the order.

Solum thickness (topsoil + subsoil)

213 cm over a median of 152 cm

Depth to the subsoil

25 cm over a median of 18 cm

Depth described

213 cm over a median of 165 cm

Its relatives

2 other established series share the family “Very-fine, smectitic, thermic Chromic Epiaquerts”

  1. Sharkey3.7 M
  2. Perry909 k
  3. Gladewater229 k

Other Vertisols in this atlas

  1. Sharkey213 cm · Chromic Epiaquerts
  2. Houston Black264 cm · Udic Haplusterts

Horizon by horizon

HorizonLayerDepthThickness
Ap1Topsoil: plowed0–15 cm0–6 in15 cm
Ap2Topsoil: plowed15–25 cm6–10 in10 cm
Bssg1Subsoil: slickensides (shrink–swell), gleyed: gray from wetness25–61 cm10–24 in36 cm
Bssg2Subsoil: slickensides (shrink–swell), gleyed: gray from wetness61–99 cm24–39 in38 cm
Bssyg1Subsoil: slickensides (shrink–swell), gleyed: gray from wetness, gypsum99–147 cm39–58 in48 cm
Bssyg2Subsoil: slickensides (shrink–swell), gleyed: gray from wetness, gypsum147–163 cm58–64 in16 cm
BssgSubsoil: slickensides (shrink–swell), gleyed: gray from wetness163–213 cm64–84 in50 cm

Sources: USDA–NRCS Official Series Description (revised 2013-02), Soil Classification database and SSURGO. Ranks computed by Soil Series Atlas. Method · Guides