LOCATION NUSIL                   TX

Established Series
MLG-JLS-JDN
11/2010

NUSIL SERIES

The Nusil series consists of very deep, well drained, slowly permeable soils. These nearly level to moderately sloping soils formed in loamy alluvium of Quaternary age. Slopes range from 0 to 5 percent. Mean annual air temperature is about degrees 23 C (73 degrees F), and mean annual precipitation is about 700 mm (28 in).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, siliceous, active, hyperthermic Arenic Paleustalfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Nusil fine sand on a south facing, 2 percent slope in pastureland; elevation is 73 meters (240 feet). (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated)

A--0 to 25 cm (0 to 10 in); pale brown (10YR 6/3) fine sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; single grained; loose, very friable; common fine roots; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary.

E1--25 to 76 cm (10 to 30 in); light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) fine sand; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; single grained; loose, very friable; common fine roots; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary.

E2--76 to 91 cm (30 to 36 in); very pale brown (10YR 7/3) fine sand, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; single grained; loose, very friable; few fine roots; few medium distinct brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) iron accumulations; slightly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (combined thickness of the A and E horizon ranges from 51 to 102 cm [20 to 40 in])

Bt1--91 to 112 cm (36 to 44 in); light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) sandy clay loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to moderate fine angular blocky; hard, firm; few fine roots; few fine pores; common fine and medium prominent red (2.5YR 4/6) and distinct yellow (2.5Y 7/6) masses of iron accumulation; few distinct clay films on surfaces of peds; neutral, gradual wavy boundary.

Bt2--112 to 137 cm (44 to 54 in); light gray (10YR 7/2) sandy clay loam, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium angular blocky; hard, firm; few fine roots; few fine pores; common medium prominent red (2.5YR 4/6) and common medium distinct yellow (2.5Y 7/6) masses of iron accumulation; few distinct clay films on surfaces of peds; slightly acid; gradual wavy boundary.

Bt3--137 to 183 cm (54 to 72 in); very pale brown (10YR 7/3) sandy clay loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; moderate fine and medium prismatic structure parting to moderate fine and medium angular blocky; hard, firm; few fine roots; few fine pores; common medium and coarse prominent yellowish red (5YR 5/8), and common medium distinct yellow (10YR 7/8) and yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation; few distinct clay films on surfaces of peds; few fine rounded iron-manganese concretions; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (combined thickness of the Bt horizons is 18 to 180 cm [7 to 71 in])

BC--183 to 203 cm (72 to 80 in); very pale brown (10YR 8/3) sandy clay loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm; few fine roots; few fine pores; few fine and medium prominent red (2.5YR 4/8) and common medium distinct yellow (10YR 7/8) masses of iron accumulation; moderately alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Karnes County, Texas; from the intersection of Texas Highway 72 and Farm Road 81 in Runge; 6.4 miles southeast on Farm Road 81 to county road; 0.9 mile southwest on county road; 0.7 mile south on county road; 0.3 mile southwest on county road; 50 feet north in pastureland. Choate, Texas USGS topographic quadrangle; Latitude: 28 degrees, 47 minutes, 44 seconds N; Longitude: 97 degrees, 40 minutes, 20 seconds W.; NAD83.

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. 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 soil temperature: 22 to 23 degrees C (72 to 74 degrees F)
Depth of Arenic feature: 0 to 85 cm (0 to 33 in)
Depth to argillic: 55 to 85 cm (6 to 33 in)
Particle-size control section (weighted average): Clay content: 18 to 35 percent

A Horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 4 to 6
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: fine sand or loamy fine sand
Clay content: 3 to 10 percent
Reaction: slightly acid to slightly alkaline

E Horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 to 7
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: fine sand or loamy fine sand
Clay content: 3 to 10 percent
Redox concentrations: 0 to 10 percent, fine and medium, faint or distinct, sharp boundaries, throughout, shades of yellow and brown
Reaction: slightly acid to slightly alkaline

Bt Horizon and Btk (where present)
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 4 to 7
Chroma: 2 to 6
Texture: fine sandy loamy or sandy clay loam
Clay content: 18 to 35 percent
Redox concentrations (relic): 2 to 25 percent, fine to coarse, distinct, sharp boundaries, throughout, shades of brown, yellow, and red
Redox depletions (relic): 0 to 2 percent, fine, sharp boundaries, throughout, shades of gray
Iron-manganese concentrations: 0 to 5 percent, fine, masses
Identifiable secondary carbonate: 0 to 5 percent, fine, masses, throughout
Effevescence: none to strong
Reaction: slightly acid to moderately alkaline

BC Horizon and BCk (where present)
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 to 8
Chroma: 2 to 6
Texture: fine sandy loam or sandy clay loam
Clay content: 15 to 30 percent
Redox concentrations: 0 to 15 percent, fine to coarse, distinct, share boundaries, throughout, in shades of red, yellow, or brown
Base saturation: 60 to 100 percent
Identifiable secondary carbonate: 0 to 10 percent, fine and medium, masses, throughout
Effervescence: none to strong
Reaction: slightly acid to moderately alkaline

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series in the same family. Similar soils include Antosa(TX), Comitas(TX), Heaton(TX), Leming(TX), Nueces(TX), Silstid(TX), and Styx(TX).
Antosa soils: are moist in the moisture control section for longer periods.
Comitas soils: have a coarse-loamy particle-size control section.
Leming soils: have more than 35 percent clay in the argillic horizon.
Heaton, Silstid, and Styx soils: have mean annual soil temperatures of less than 22 degrees C (72 degrees F).
Nueces soils: are on the sandsheet prairie in MLRA 83E and have mixed mineralogy.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: loamy alluvium of Quaternary age
Landscape: river valleys on the coastal plains
Landform: stream terrace
Slope: 0 to 5 percent
Mean annual air temperature range: 21 to 23 degrees C (70 to 73 degrees F)
Mean annual precipitation range: 560 to 860 mm (22 to 34 in)
Frost-free period: 270 to 320 days
Elevation: 23 to 137 m (75 to 450 ft)
Thornthwaite annual P-E indices: 25 to 44

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include the competing Leming soils and the Rhymes, Papalote, Poth, and Wilco soils.
Leming and Poth soils are on slightly higher positions and have a clayey particle-size control section.
Papalote and Wilco soils are on slightly higher positions, have a clayey particle-size control section, and have sandy surfaces less then 51 cm (20 in) thick.
Rhymes soils are on similar to slightly higher positions and have sandy surface horizons more than 102 cm (40 in) thick.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: The soil is somewhat excessively drained in the A and E horizons and moderately well drained in Bt horizons. Runoff is negligible on slopes of less than 1 percent, low on 1 to 5 percent slopes. Permeability is rapid in the fine sand A and E horizons, moderately rapid in the loamy fine sand A and E horizons, slow in the upper part of the Bt horizon and moderately slow in the lower part of the Bt horizon. A perched water table is at the contact of the Bt horizon is some years. After heavy rainfalls during the winter and spring months the water table is usually less than 15 cm (6 in) thick and persists for very brief or brief periods. A water table more than 13 cm (5 in) thick exists for less than 1 week.

USE AND VEGETATION: The soil is used mainly for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. A few areas are used for crop production and forage production. The most common crops grown are peanuts, watermelons or vegetables. Native vegetation consist of grasses such as little bluestem, brownseed paspalum, Indiangrass, switchgrass, tanglehead, fringeleaf paspalum, and hooded windmillgrass. Woody vegetation consists mainly of live oaks, mesquite, pricklypear, and catclaw acacia.

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

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Karnes County, Texas; 1992. The name is coined from Nueces with siliceous mineralogy.

REMARKS: These soils were formerly included in the Nueces series. Iron depletions are considered relic and not due to present day moisture conditions. Water table studies on similar soils indicate that there is minimal to no water saturation. These soils may have been deposited from a sandy source material by two different episodes comprising fairly uniform parent materials.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - 0 to 91 cm (0 to 36 in). (A and E horizons)
Arenic feature - 0 to 91 cm (0 to 36 in). (A and E horizons)
Argillic horizon - 91 to 183 cm (36 to 72 in). (Bt horizons)

ADDITIONAL DATA: National Soil Survey Laboratory data from Atascosa County, Texas S76TX013-001 (40A35531-35537). Texas A&M Soil Characterization lab from type location S92TX255-001.

TAXONOMIC VERSION: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Eleventh Edition, 2010

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.