LOCATION ECKRANT                 TX

Established Series
Rev. ALN-JWS-CLG-RM
08/2018

ECKRANT SERIES

The Eckrant series consists of well drained, moderately slowly permeable soils that are very shallow to shallow over indurated limestone bedrock. These nearly level to very steep soils soils formed in residuum derived from limestoneand occur on summits, shoulders, and backslopes of ridges on dissected plateaus. Slope ranges from 1 to 60 percent. Mean annual air temperature is about 18.9 degrees C (66 degrees F), and the mean annual precipitation is about 660 mm (26 in).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey-skeletal, smectitic, thermic Lithic Haplustolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Eckrant very cobbly clay--in rangeland. Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

A1--0 to 10 cm (0 to 4 in); very dark gray (10YR 3/1) very cobbly clay, black (10YR 2/1) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure and moderate fine granular; very hard, firm; common fine roots; common fine pores; 20 percent limestone gravel; 15 percent limestone cobbles; very slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear irregular boundary.

A2--10 to 30 cm (4 to 12 in); very dark gray (10YR 3/1) very cobbly clay, black (10YR 2/1) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky and fine granular structure; very hard, firm; common fine roots; common fine pores; 20 percent limestone gravels; 35 percent limestone cobbles; very slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizon is 10 to 50 cm [4 to 20 in])

R--30 to 76 cm (12 to 30 in); coarsely fractured indurated limestone bedrock.

TYPE LOCATION: Uvalde County, Texas; 7.5 miles northwest of Sabinal on Texas Highway 127, 5.0 miles north on county road to a cattle guard, 0.1 mile north across small creek to gate on right, 0.5 mile east on small ranch road, 150 ft south in rangeland.

USGS topographic quadrangle: Trio, Texas;
Latitude: 29 degrees, 27 minutes, 45 seconds N;
Longitude: 99 degrees, 31 minutes, 58 seconds W;
Datum: WGS84

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Typic ustic moisture regime
Depth to lithic bedrock: 10 to 51 cm (4 to 20 in)
Surface fragments: 3 to 50 percent; 5 to 45 percent gravels, 5 to 50 percent cobbles, 0 to 2 percent stones and boulders which are mostly spaced 20 m (65.6 ft) or more apart but can be 2 m (7 ft) apart; limestone with few cryptocrystalline quartz and/or chert

Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: 35 to 60 percent
Rock fragments: Total -35 to 80 percent by volume, 2 to 600 mm; with 15 to 60 percent by volume, 75 to 600 mm, limestone with few cryptocrystalline quartz and/or chert

A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 2 to 4
Chroma: 1 to 3
Texture: Clay loam, silty clay, or clay; and their very or extremely, and gravelly to stony phases
Clay content: 35 to 60 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 20 percent by volume, 2 to 75 mm; and 15 to 60 percent by volume, 75 to 600 mm, limestone with a few cryptocrystalline quartz and/or chert
Identifiable secondary carbonate: 0 to 4 percent, very fine to fine, nodules and/or nodular and concretionary pendants on rock fragments
Effervescence: Very slight to strong
Reaction (pH): Neutral to moderately alkaline (6.6 - 8.4)

R layer
Kind: Limestone bedrock with interbedded cryptocrystalline quartz, chert, marl, and/or chalk.
Cementation: Strongly cemented to indurated

COMPETING SERIES: There are no series in the same family. Similar soils are Comfort, Eckert, Harper, Oglesby, Palopinto, Prade, Roughcreek, and Tarrant.
Comfort and Roughcreek soils: have argillic horizons.
Eckert and Palopinto soils: have less than 35 percent clay in the particle-size control section; in addition, Palopinto soils formed from Pennsylvanian age limestone bedrock
Harper and Oglesby soils: have less than 35 percent coarse fragments in the particle-size control section
Prade and Tarrant soils: have calcic horizons. In addition, Prade soils have a petrocalcic horizon.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: Residuum weathered from limestone of the Lower Cretaceous and other geologic periods and includes interbedded limestone, cryptocrystalline quartz, chert, marl, and chalk.
Landscape: Dissected plateaus
Landform: Summits, shoulders, and backslopes of ridges
Slope: 1 to 60 percent, but is commonly 1 to 8 percent
Precipitation Pattern: The majority of the yearly amount occurs during the spring and fall months. The winter and summer months are normally drier.
Mean annual precipitation: 559 to 940 mm (22 to 37 in)
Thornthwaite annual P-E indices: 31 to 54
Mean annual air temperature: 17.8 to 20.6 degrees C (64 to 69 degrees F)
Frost free period: 210 to 250 days
Elevation: 182.9 to 739.1 m (600 to 2,425 ft)

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Brackett, Campwood, Comfort, Eckert, Kavett, Real, and Tarrant series.
Brackett and Real soils: occur on backslope positions.
Campwood soils: are very deep alluvial soils on stream terraces.
Comfort, Eckert, Kavett, Real and Tarrant soils: occur on similar landform positions.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY:
Drainage class: Well.
Permeability class: moderately slow.
Runoff: medium on 1 to 5 percent slopes, high on 5 to 20 percent slopes, and very high on 20 to 60 percent slopes.

USE AND VEGETATION: Mainly rangeland and wildlife habitat. The climax plant community is a tall grass savannah with motts of live oak throughout the landscape. The dominant grasses are little bluestem and sideoats grama. Other grasses include yellow Indiangrass, fall witchgrass, wildrye, green sprangletop, meadow dropseed, cane and pinhole bluestem, hairy grama, Texas wintergrass, curly mesquite and buffalograss. Woody plants include live oak, shin oak, evergreen sumac, hackberry, elbowbush, redbud, and white honeysuckle. Forbs, such as orange zexmenia, Engelmann daisy, bundleflower, snout bean, and bushsunflower, are present. The site could potentially deteriorate to a plant population sideoats grama, buffalograss, hairy grama, dropseeds, and the woody plants. If this destructive grazing practice continues, the site will deteriorate to a plant population of Ashe juniper, Texas persimmon, live oak, Texas grama, hairy tridens, curly mesquite, threeawns, prairie coneflower, and broomweed.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: West-Central Texas; Southwest Plateaus and Plains Range and Cotton Region, LLR I: MLRA 81B-Edwards Plateau, Central Part, and MLRA 81C-Edwards Plateau, Eastern Part; and MLRA 82A-Texas Central Basin. Southwestern Prairies Cotton and Forage Region, LLR J: MLRA 85-Grand Prairie. This series is extensive.

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas.

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Uvalde County, Texas; 1970.

REMARKS: These soils were formerly included in the Tarrant series. The series was separated due to the absence of a calcic horizon.

Edited 10/2016 (RFG-THW): Updated competing series, geographic setting, and associated soils sections.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle-size control section: 0 to 30 cm (0 to 12 in)
Mollic epipedon: 0 to 30 cm (0 to 12 in) (A horizon)
Lithic contact: at 30 cm (12 in) (top of the R layer)

ADDITIONAL DATA: None

TAXONOMIC VERSION: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Twelfth Edition, 2014.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.