LOCATION ABILENE TX+OK

Established Series
Rev. WRE-BJW-JCW
10/2015

ABILENE SERIES

The Abilene series consists of very deep, well drained, moderately slowly permeable soils that formed in calcareous alluvium or outwash. These nearly level to very gently sloping soils occur on terraces on dissected plains. Slopes range from 0 to 3 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 660 mm (26 in), and mean annual air temperature is about 17.2 degrees C (63 degrees F).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, superactive, thermic Pachic Argiustolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Abilene clay loam in cropland.
(Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

Ap--0 to 20 cm (0 to 8 in); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; hard, friable; neutral; clear smooth boundary. Thickness is 15 to 30 cm (6 to 12 in)

Bt1--20 to 43 cm (8 to 17 in); very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) clay loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, slightly firm; many fine pores; many worm casts; thin nearly continuous clay films on faces of peds; neutral; gradual smooth boundary.

Bt2--43 to 71 cm (17 to 28 in); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) clay, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium angular blocky structure; very hard, firm; distinct continuous clay films on faces of peds; few masses and concretions of calcium carbonate up to 1/4 inch in diameter; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. Combined thickness is 30 to 86 cm (12 to 34 in)

Btk--71 to 97 cm (28 to 38 in); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) clay, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium angular blocky structure; very hard, firm; common concretions up to 1/4 inch in diameter and films and threads of calcium carbonate; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. Thickness is 20 to 61 cm (8 to 24 in)

BCk1--97 to 127 (38 to 50 in); pink (7.5YR 8/4) clay, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, friable; mixture of segregated calcium carbonate and light brown clay containing many calcium carbonate masses and concretions; moderately alkaline; violently effervescent; diffuse wavy boundary.

BCk2--127 to 165 cm (50 to 65 in); light brown (7.5YR 6/4) clay loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable; less segregated calcium carbonate than in the BCk horizon; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline. Combined thickness is 25 to 64 cm (10 to 25 in)

TYPE LOCATION: Haskell County, Texas; 5.1 miles northwest of the Haskell County Courthouse via Farm Road 2163, 50 feet west of road.
USGS topographic quadrangle: Pinkerton, Texas;
Latitude 33 degrees, 14 minutes 5.06 seconds N;
Longitude 99 degrees, 46 minutes, 5.60 seconds W.
Datum WGS84.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: A Typic-ustic soil moisture regime.
Solum thickness: 102 to greater than 203 cm (40 to more than 80 in).
Mollic epipedon thickness: 51 to 102 cm (20 to 40 in).
Depth to argillic horizon: 15 to 30 cm (6 to 12 in).
Depth to secondary carbonates: 25 to 71 cm (10 to 28 in).
Depth to a calcic horizon: 71 to 152 cm (28 to 60 in).

Particle-size control section (weighted average)
Clay content: 35 to 50 percent

A or Ap horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Values: 3 to 5
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: loam, silt loam, clay loam, silty clay loam
Reaction (pH): neutral to moderately alkaline (6.6 - 8.4)

Bt horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Values: 3 to 5
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: sandy clay loam, clay loam, silty clay loam, silty clay, clay
Clay content: 35 to 50
Reaction (pH): neutral to moderately alkaline (6.6 - 8.4)

Btk horizons
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Values: 4 to 6
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: clay loam, silty clay loam, silty clay, clay
Clay content: 35 to 50 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent quartzite gravel and/or concretions or nodules of calcium carbonate
Calcium carbonate equivalence: 5 to 15 percent
Reaction (pH): neutral to moderately alkaline (6.6 - 8.4)

BCk horizons
Hue: 5YR to 10YR
Values: 5 to 8
Chroma: 2 to 6
Texture: loam, sandy clay loam, clay loam, silty clay loam, silty clay, clay
Clay content: 20 to 45 percent, most pedons decrease by an average of more than 20 percent (relative) clay than from the maximum in the overlying Bt horizons
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent quartzite gravel and/or concretions or nodules of calcium carbonate
Calcium carbonate equivalence: 15 to 40 percent
Reaction (pH): moderately alkaline (7.9 - 8.4)

COMPETING SERIES: These include the Blanket, Marfa, McLain, and Roark series in the same family. Similar soils are the Dodson, Hollister, Rotan, Rowena, and Sagerton series.
Dodson, Marfa, and McLain soils: do not have a calcic horizon.
Blanket soils: do not have secondary carbonates within 71 cm (28 in) of the surface.
Hollister soils: have vertic properties, do not have a calcic horizon, and do not have a clay decrease of as much as 20 percent from the maximum within 152 cm (60 in) of the soil surface.
Roark soils: do not have a calcic horizon and have redoximorphic features in the lower part of the solum.
Rotan soils: do not have a clay decrease of as much as 20 percent from the maximum within 152 cm (60 in) of the soil surface.
Rowena soils: have vertic properties and do not have an argillic horizon.
Sagerton soils: have a mollic epipedon less than 51 cm (20 in) thick.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: calcareous alluvium or outwash materials presumably of Quaternary Age.
Landscapes: dissected plains
Landforms: treads of terraces
Slope: 0 to 3 percent, but mainly less than 1 percent
Mean annual precipitation: 533 to 762 mm (21 to 30 in)
Thornthwaite P-E indices: 19 to 36
Mean annual air temperature: 13.9 to 18.9 degrees C (57 to 66 degrees F)
Frost free days: 190 to 240
Elevation: 381 to 839 m (1,250 to 2,750 ft)

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Altus, Hollister, Miles, Roscoe, Rowena, and Sagerton series.
Altus and Miles soils: occur on higher areas, have less than 35 percent clay in the particle-size control section and, in addition, Miles soils do not have mollic epipedons.
Hollister and Roscoe soils: occur on slightly lower concave areas and have intersecting slickensides.
Rowena soils: occur on similar positions.
Sagerton soils: occur on slightly higher convex areas.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Permeability is moderately slow. Runoff is negligible on slopes less than 1 percent and very low on 1 to 3 percent slopes.

USE AND VEGETATION: Mainly cultivated to cotton, wheat, and grain sorghum. Native vegetation is buffalograss, blue grama, sideoats grama, and vine-mesquite. Some areas have mesquite trees.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Land Resource Region H - Central Great Plains Winter Wheat and Range Region. MLRA 78 - Central Rolling Red Plains and Rolling Limestone Prairies of Texas and Oklahoma. The series is extensive.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Taylor County, Texas; 1915.

REMARKS:
Edited 10/2015 (RFG-CJV): Changed to tabular format. Added metric measurements. Updated competing series, geographic setting, and associated soils sections.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle-size control section: 20 to 70 cm (8 to 28 in). (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons)
Mollic epipedon: 0 to 97 cm (0 to 38 in). (Ap, Bt1, Bt2 and Btk horizons)
Argillic horizon: 20 to 97 cm (8 to 38 in). (Bt1, Bt2, and Btk horizons)
Secondary carbonates: 71 to 165 cm (28 to 65 in). (Btk, BCk1, and BCk2 horizons)
Calcic horizon: 97 to 165 cm (38 to 65 in). (BCk horizons)

ADDITIONAL DATA: KSSL pedon ID - 72TX093001 from Comanche County, Texas

Taxonomic Version: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Twelfth Edition, 2014.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.