LOCATION ELCOR                   TX

Established Series
LEL/RD/ALS
04/2017

ELCOR SERIES

The Elcor series consists of very shallow and shallow, well drained soils that formed in gypseous residuum weathered from the Castile Formation. Elcor soils are on hills and side slopes. Slopes rang to 0 to 30 percent. Mean annual air temperature is about 65 degrees F. (18 degrees C) and the mean annual precipitation is about 13 inches (330 mm).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-gypseous, hypergypsic, thermic Lithic Haplogypsids

TYPICAL PEDON: Elcor gypsiferous loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted).

Ayy--0 to 3 inches, (0 to 8 cm); light gray (10YR 7/2), gypsiferous loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) moist; weak very fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; few very fine pores; 65 percent prominent gypsum masses, 67 percent gypsum; 7 percent Calcium carbonate equivalent; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear broken boundary. (3 to 8 cm [1 to 3 in] thick)

Byy--3 to 7 inches, (8 to 18 cm); very pale brown (10YR 8/3), gypsiferous loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/3) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; very few fine roots; very few very fine pores; 80 percent prominent gypsum masses, 81 percent gypsum; 5 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; very slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 17 inches [8 to 43 cm] thick)

R-- 7 inches, (18 cm); gypsum bedrock; indurated; very few roots in mat at top of bedrock; 64 percent gypsum; 4 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; very slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0).

TYPE LOCATION: Culberson County, Texas; from the intersection of U.S. Highways 62-180 and RM 652 at the New Mexico state line; 16.2 miles south and east on RM 652 to ranch gate; 3.6 miles south on ranch road to intersection with pipeline road; 1.6 miles west on pipeline road to intersection with ranch road; 1.2 miles south on ranch road to intersection; 4.4 miles southwest on ranch road to Castile Ranch headquarters; 4.2 miles west and south on ranch road to intersection near Seven L Peak; 3.2 miles south on ranch road to intersection; 2.3 miles south on ranch road to Cave Well; 0.37 mile east on ranch road; and 75 feet southeast in range. (Seven L Peak TX USGS 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; Latitude: 31 degrees, 40 minutes, 16.28 seconds N, Longitude: 104 degrees, 26 minutes, 0.53 seconds W, NAD83; UTM Easting, 553749 m. UTM Northing 3503930 m, UTM Zone 13, NAD83.)

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture: The soil is intermittently moist in some part of the soil moisture control section during July to September. It is driest during November to March. Most precipitation occurs as high intensity rain during afternoon convective thunderstorms from June to September. Ustic aridic soil moisture regime.

Soil temperature: 62 to 67 degrees F. (17 to 18 degrees C)

Depth to lithic contact: 6 to 20 inches (15 to 50 cm)

Reaction: slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline

Particle-size control section (weighted average):

Gypsum equivalent: 60 to 100 percent

Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 10 percent

Ayy horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 5 to 8 dry, 3 to 7 moist
Chroma: 1 to 6, dry or moist
Texture: gypsiferous loam, gypsiferous silt loam, gypsiferous sandy loam

Byy horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR, 2.5Y
Value: 6 to 8 dry, 5 to 8 moist
Chroma: 1 to 4, dry or moist
Texture: gypsiferous loam, gypsiferous silt loam, gypsiferous sandy loam, gypsiferous clay loam, gypsiferous fine sandy loam

R layer
Bedrock kind: rock gypsum
Cementation class: very strongly cemented to indurated

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Elcor soils are on hills and side slopes in karst. They formed in gypseous residuum weathered from rock gypsum of the Castile Formation. Slopes are 0 to 30 percent. Elevation is from 4,000 to 6,000 feet (1,219 to 1,676 m). Mean annual precipitation is 12 to 16 inches (305 to 406 mm). The mean annual air temperature ranges 61 to 67 degrees F. (17 to 19 degrees C). The frost-free period is about 203 to 250 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Dellahunt (T) (TX), Hollebeke (T) (TX), Hollomex (NM), Joberanch (T) (TX), Niemahr (T) (TX), Pokorny (T) (TX) and Walkerwells (T) (TX) soils. Dellahunt and Walkerwells soils are deep and occur lower in the landscape. Hollebeke and Joberanch soils have a petrogypsic horizon within 20 inches (50 cm) of the surface and occur on similar positions. Hollomex and Pokorny soils do not have a lithic contact within 20 inches (50 cm) of the surface and occur on similar positions. Niemahr soils have more than 6 inches (15 cm) of silicate material above a lithic contact and occur lower in the landscape.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; runoff is very low on 0 to 3 percent slopes, low on 3 to 5 percent slopes, medium on 5 to 20 percent slopes, and high on 20 to 30 percent slopes; moderate permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. Vegetation physiognomy is sparsely vegetated desert grassland. Vegetation includes gyp grama, gyp dropseed, and rough coldenia.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: LRR-D, MLRA 42, Southern Desertic Basins, Plains, and Mountains, Desert Grassland LRU. Associated with outcrops of Permian-age Castile Formation gypsum. The series is extensive.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Hudspeth County, Texas; Soil Survey of Hudspeth County, Texas (Main Part), 2012. The series name is derived from an abandoned gypsum mine.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 3 inches (0 to 8 cm) (Ayy horizon)

Gypsic horizon - the zone from 0 to 7 inches (0 to 18 cm) (Ayy, Byy horizons)

Lithic contact - the boundary at 7 inches (18 cm) (7 in) (R horizon)

Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Twelfth Edition, 2014.

Revised for the correlation of Hudspeth County, Texas (Main Part) and Culberson County, Texas (Main Part); July, 2012, NMS

Revised for the correlation of White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico; October, 2014, NMS

Revised for the correlation of Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico, October, 2016, NMS

ADDITIONAL DATA: Characterization data from National Soil Survey Laboratory are available for one pedon, S08-TX109-005

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.