LOCATION BUCHEL TX

Established Series
Rev. RM-JAG-GWH
05/2013

BUCHEL SERIES

The Buchel series consists of very deep, very slowly permeable, moderately well drained soils that formed in calcareous clayey alluvium of recent age. These soils occur on nearly level flood plains. Slope ranges from 0 to 1 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 864 mm (34 in) and the mean annual air temperature is about 21.7 degrees C (71 degrees F).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, hyperthermic Typic Haplusterts

TYPICAL PEDON: Buchel clay, on a southeast facing floodplain in cropland; elevation is 75 meters (250 feet). (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

Ap--0 to 15 cm (0 to 6 in); dark gray (10YR 4/1) clay, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; weak very fine granular structure; very hard, friable, very sticky, very plastic; many very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine tubular pores; few snail shell fragments; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary.

A--15 to 41 cm (6 to 16 in); dark gray (10YR 4/1) clay, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; moderate coarse angular blocky structure parting to moderate very fine angular blocky; very hard, very firm, very sticky, very plastic; many very fine and fine roots between peds; common very fine and fine tubular pores; few snail shell fragments; few pressure faces; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizon is 18 to 61 cm [7 to 24 in])

Bss1--41 to 107 cm (16 to 42 in); dark gray (10YR 4/1) clay, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; moderate coarse angular blocky structure parting to moderate fine angular blocky; very hard, very firm, very sticky, very plastic; common very fine and fine roots between peds; common very fine and fine tubular pores; few snail shell fragments; few very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) common prominent slickensides; common medium pressure faces; few masses of iron-manganese; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary.

Bss2--107 to 152 cm (42 to 60 in); grayish brown (10YR 5/2) clay, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; moderate coarse angular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, very sticky, very plastic; common very fine and fine roots between peds; common very fine and fine tubular pores; few snail shell fragments; common very dark gray (10YR 3/1) worm krotovina; common dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) prominent slickensides; few fine masses of iron-manganese; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bss horizon is 45 to 135 cm [18 to 53 in])

Bkss1--152 to 196 cm (60 to 77 in); pale brown (10YR 6/3) clay, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak coarse angular blocky structure parting to weak fine angular blocky; very hard, very firm, very sticky, very plastic; few very fine and fine roots between peds; common very fine and fine tubular pores; common fine faint grayish brown (10YR 5/2) iron depletions and few yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) masses of iron accumulations; few grayish brown (10YR 5/2) prominent slickensides; common fine calcium carbonate threads, few fine masses of iron-manganese; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. [Combined thickness of Bkss horizon is 102 to 152 cm (40 to 60 in)]

Bkss2--196 to 218 cm (77 to 86 in); pale brown (10YR 6/3) clay, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak medium angular blocky structure parting to weak fine angular blocky; very hard, very firm, very sticky, very plastic; few very fine and fine roots between peds; common very fine and fine tubular pores; common fine and medium faint grayish brown (10YR 5/2) iron depletions; few snail shell fragments; few very dark gray (10YR 3/1) worm krotovina; few grayish brown (10YR 5/2) prominent slickensides; few fine masses of calcium carbonate; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Karnes County, Texas; from the intersection of Texas Highway 72 and Farm Road 792 in Kenedy, 1.1 miles north on Farm Road 792 to intersection with unpaved county road, 6.1 miles east on county road; 100 feet north in cropland. Helena, USGS topographic quadrangle; Latitude 28 degrees, 53 minutes, 50 seconds N; Longitude 97 degrees, 46 minutes, 15 seconds W.; NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil Moisture: A typic-ustic moisture regime. The soil moisture control section is dry in some or all parts for more than 90 days but less than 180 cumulative days in normal years.
Solum thickness: more than 200 cm (80 in)
Mean annual soil temperature: 22.0 to 23.3 degrees C (72 to 74 degrees F).
Depth to vertic features: 18 to 61 cm (7 to 24 in)

Particle-size control section (weighted average)
Clay content: 40 to 60 percent

A Horizon
Hue: 10YR
Value: 2 to 4
Chroma: 1 to 2
Texture: clay or silty clay
Clay content: 40 to 65 percent
Fragments: 0 to 5 percent, rounded, indurated, quartzite
Calcium Carbonate Equivalent: 0 to 30 percent
Electrical Conductivity: 0 to 4 dS/m
Sodium absorption ratio: 0 to 5
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline

Bss Horizon
Hue: 10YR
Value: 2 to 5
Chroma: 1 to 2
Texture: clay or silty clay
Clay content: 40 to 65 percent
Fragments: 0 to 3 percent, rounded, indurated, quartzite
Iron-manganese concentrations: 2-20 percent, iron manganese masses
Calcium Carbonate Equivalent: 2 to 30 percent
Electrical Conductivity: 0 to 4 dS/m
Sodium absorption ratio: 3 to 20
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline

Bkss Horizon
Hue: 10YR
Value: 3 to 6
Chroma: 1 to 3
Texture: clay or silty clay
Clay content: 40 to 65 percent
Fragments: 0 to 3 percent, rounded, indurated, quartzite
Redox depletions: none to common, fine, gray
Redox concentrations: none to few, fine, brown
Identifiable secondary carbonate: few to common, fine, threads and masses
Calcium Carbonate Equivalent: 10 to 30 percent
Electrical Conductivity: 0 to 8 dS/m
Sodium absorption ratio: 5 to 30
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline

B'ss Horizon (where present)
Hue: 10YR
Value: 4 to 7
Chroma: 1 to 4
Texture: clay or silty clay
Clay content: 40 to 65 percent
Fragments: 0 to 3 percent, rounded, indurated, quartzite
Redox concentrations: none to common, brown
Calcium Carbonate Equivalent: 2 to 30 percent
Electrical Conductivity: 0 to 8 dS/m
Sodium absorption ratio: 5 to 30
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline

COMPETING SERIES: These are the competing Danjer (TX), Lattas (TX), Monteola (TX), Realitos (TX), Rosenbrock (TX) and Tordia (TX) series in the same family.
Danjer and Lattas soils: have amplitude of waviness more than 36 cm (14 in) between the A and B horizons; are not on a floodplain
Monteola soils: formed in clays and clays interbedded with shale of Miocene and Eocene age; have accumulations of gypsum; are not on a floodplain.
Realitos soils: have a calcic horizon; somewhat poorly drained
Rosenbrock soils: are deep to siltstone; are not on a floodplain.
Tordia soils: have weakly consolidated claystone, siltstone or sandstone at 112 cm (44 in); are not on a floodplain.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: calcareous clayey alluvium
Landscape: inland, dissected coastal plain
Landform: flood plain
Slope: 0 to 1 percent
Mean annual precipitation range: 635 to 940 mm (25 to 37 in)
Precipitation pattern: June through August and December through February are the driest months. These soils are intermittently moist in September through November and March through May.
Mean annual air temperature range: 21.1 to 22.8 degrees C (70 to 73 degrees F).
Frost-free period: 275 to 290 days
Elevation: 10 to 137.2 m (33 to 450 ft)
Thornthwaite annual P-E indices: 31 to 52

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include the Aransas (TX), Degola (TX), Meguin (TX) and Sinton soils.
Aransas soils: occur at elevations lower than 4.6 m (15 ft) on a similar landform
Degola and Sinton soils: have a fine-loamy particle-size control section; occur on a slightly higher position on a similar landform
Meguin soils: have a fine-silty particle-size control section; occur on a slightly higher position on a similar landform.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained. Permeability is very slow. Water enters the soil rapidly when it is cracked and dry and very slow when it is wet. Runoff is low. The soil is occasionally or frequently flooded for very brief periods throughout the year.

USE AND VEGETATION: The major uses are for crop production of grain sorghum, wheat, corn or cotton. Native vegetation consists of bluestems, paspalums and panicums. Trees include pecan, elm, and hackberry. Ecological site name is Clayey Bottomland 20-35" PZ (R083AY380TX).

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern Rio Grande Plain; LRR I; MLRA 83A; moderate extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: DeWitt County, Texas; 1973.

REMARKS:
The official series description was updated during the correlation of the Soil Survey of McMullen County, Texas.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle size control section: 25 to 100 cm (10 to 40 in). (A and Bss1 horizons)
Mollic epipedon: The zone from 0 to 107 cm (0 to 42 in). (Ap through Bss1 horizons)
Vertic features: The presence of Gilgai microrelief and intersecting slickensides.

ADDITIONAL DATA: TAMU soil Characterization laboratory data on sample (S90TX-255-001) from the series type location and KSSL data on sample (S92TX297005).

Taxonomic Version: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Eleventh Edition, 2010

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.