LOCATION JOBERANCH               TX

Established Series
LEL/JAC/ALS
07/2012

JOBERANCH SERIES

The Joberanch series consists of shallow, well drained soils that formed in alluvium derived from rock gypsum and sandstone. Joberanch soils are on alluvial flats. Slopes are 1 to 3 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: Loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic, shallow Ustic Petrogypsids

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

A1--0 to 3 inches, (0 to 8 cm); very pale brown (10YR 7/3) loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; 17 percent clay; strong medium platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine pores; 3 percent prominent cylindrical manganese coatings infused into matrix adjacent to pores; 2 percent prominent manganese masses; 22 percent Calcium carbonate equivalent; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear smooth boundary.

A2--3 to 8 inches,(8 to 20 cm); pale yellow (2.5Y 7/3) clay loam, light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) moist; 28 percent clay; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine pores; 40 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (pH 8.3); clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of A horizons is 6 to 15 inches [15 to 38 cm] thick)

Bky--8 to 12 inches, (20 to 30 cm); light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3) loam, light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) moist; 24 percent clay; weak coarse prismatic parting to moderate medium subangular blocky structure; moderately hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; common fine pores; 40 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; violently effervescent; trace of gypsum; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); very abrupt wavy boundary. (4 to 10 inches [10 to 25 cm] thick)

2Byym1--12 to 19 inches, (30 to 48 cm); pale yellow (2.5Y 8/2) gypsiferous cemented material, light gray (10YR 7/2) moist; massive; moderately cemented; very few very fine roots in cracks; 9 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; violently effervescent; 70 percent gypsum; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); gradual smooth boundary.

2Byym2--19 to 32 inches, (48 to 81 cm); pale yellow (2.5Y 8/2) gypsiferous cemented material, light gray (10YR 7/2) moist; massive; very strongly cemented; very few very fine roots in cracks and few medium roots in mat at top of horizon; 10 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; violently effervescent; 68 percent gypsum; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); abrupt wavy boundary.

2Byym3--32 to 49 inches, (81 to 124 cm); very pale brown (10YR 7/3) gypsiferous cemented material, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; massive; very strongly cemented; very few very fine roots; 8 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; strongly effervescent; 41 percent gypsum; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); gradual smooth boundary.

2Byym4--49 to 59 inches, (124 to 150 cm); white (10YR 8/1) gypsiferous cemented material, light gray (10YR 7/2) moist; massive; very strongly cemented; very few very fine roots; 1 percent distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) clay films on surfaces along pores and 1 percent prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) clay films on surfaces along pores; 1 percent medium prominent platy black (10YR 2/1) manganese coatings on vertical faces of peds and 1 percent medium prominent cylindrical black (10YR 2/1) manganese coatings lining pores; 8 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; strongly effervescent; 58 percent gypsum; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); gradual smooth boundary.

2Byym5--59 to 72 inches, (150 to 183 cm); very pale brown (10YR 8/3) gypsiferous cemented material, pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) moist; strongly cemented; very few very fine roots; 4 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; strongly effervescent; 52 percent gypsum; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); gradual smooth boundary.

2Byym6--72 to 80 inches, (183 to 203 cm); light gray (10YR 7/2) gypsiferous cemented material, light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3) moist; moderately cemented; very few very fine roots; 6 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; slightly effervescent; 34 percent gypsum; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9).

TYPE LOCATION: Culberson County, Texas; from the intersection of U.S. Highway 80 and Texas Highway 54 in Van Horn; 0.65 mile north on Texas Highway 54 to intersection with FM 2185; 48.7 miles east and north on FM 2158 to end of pavement; 11.8 miles north on Smileys Road to intersection with KC Road; 2.0. miles west on KC Road to intersection; 0.35 mile north on ranch road to intersection; 0.7 mile east on ranch road to intersection; 2.4 miles northeast on ranch road to gate; 0.9 mile east on ranch road; and 50 feet north in range. (KC Ranch TX USGS 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; Latitude: 31 degrees, 36 minutes, 52.04 seconds North; Longitude: 104 degrees, 22 minutes, 45.87 seconds West, NAD83; UTM Easting 555747 m, UTM Northing 3497839 m, UTM Zone 13, NAD83.)

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture: 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 65 degrees F. (17 to 18 degrees C)

Depth to petrogypsic horizon: 25 to 50 cm (10 to 20 in)

Particle-size control section (weighted average)
Clay content: 15 to 30 percent
Reaction: moderately alkaline

A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR, 2.5Y
Value: 4 to 7 dry, 3 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 5, dry or moist
Texture: loam, very fine sandy loam, silt loam, silty clay loam, clay loam
Clay content: 15 to 30 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 40 percent
Reaction: moderately alkaline
Effervescence class: strong or violent

Bw horizon (where present)
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR, 2.5Y
Value: 4 to 8 dry, 2 to 7 moist
Chroma: 2 to 5, dry or moist
Texture: loam, silt loam, silty clay loam, clay loam
Clay content: 15 to 30 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 40 percent
Reaction: moderately alkaline
Effervescence class: strong or violent
Gypsum content: 0 to 5 percent

Bky horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR, 2.5Y
Value: 4 to 8 dry, 2 to 7 moist
Chroma: 2 to 5, dry or moist
Texture: loam, silt loam, silty clay loam, clay loam
Clay content: 15 to 30 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 40 percent
Reaction: moderately alkaline
Effervescence class: strong or violent
Gypsum content: 0 to 5 percent

2Byym horizon
Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y
Value: 4 to 8 dry, 2 to 7 moist
Chroma: 1 to 5, dry or moist
Gypsum content: 34 to 70 percent
Cementation class: moderately to very strongly

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Joberanch soils are on alluvial flats in karst. They formed in alluvium derived from rock gypsum and sandstone. Slope ranges to 1 to 3 percent. Elevation is 4,000 to 5,500 feet (1,219 to 1,676 m). Mean annual precipitation is 12 to 16 inches (305 to 406 mm). The mean annual air temperature is 62 to 67 degrees F. (17 to 19 degrees C). The frost-free period is about 210 to 250 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Dellahunt (T) (TX), Elcor (T) (TX), Hollebeke (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. Elcor, Hollebeke, and Neimahr soils have a lithic contact within 20 inches (50 cm) of the surface and occur on similar positions. Pokorny soils have hypergypsic mineralogy and occur on similar positions.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; low runoff; moderate permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. Vegetation physiognomy is desert grassland. Vegetation includes littleleaf sumac, western honey mesquite, and creosote bush, burrograss, sideoats grama, and scattered tobosa.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: LRR-D, MLRA 42, Southern Desertic Basins, Plains, and Mountains, Desert Grassland LRU. Trans-Pecos Texas and southeastern New Mexico in areas of Permian-age Castile formation. The series is not 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 taken from a local ranch.

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

Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 8 inches (0 to 20 cm) (A horizon)

Petrogypsic horizon - the zone from 12 to 80 inches (30 to 203 cm) (Byym horizons)

Classified according to Soil Taxonomy, Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Eleventh Edition, 2010

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

ADDITIONAL DATA: Characterization data from National Soil Survey Laboratory are available for the typical pedon, S08-TX109-003.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.