LOCATION NUVALDE                 TX

Established Series
Rev. ALN-OWB-JCW-ACT
01/2017

NUVALDE SERIES

The Nuvalde series consists of very deep, well drained, moderately slowly permeable soils that formed in calcareous silty and clayey alluvium derived from limestone. These soils occur on nearly level to gently sloping stream terraces and alluvial fans. Slope ranges from 0 to 5 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 686 mm (27 in) and the mean annual temperature is about 18.3 degrees C (65 degrees F).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, thermic Typic Calciustolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Nuvalde clay loam--cropland.
(Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

Ap--0 to 15 cm (0 to 6 in); grayish brown (10YR 5/2) clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, sticky; many fine roots; 12 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. Thickness is 10 to 25 cm (4 to 10 in)

A--15 to 33 cm (6 to 13 in); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate very fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky; many fine roots; few fine pores; 15 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. Combined thickness of the A horizon is 25 to 51 cm (10 to 20 in)

Bw--33 to 53 (13 to 21 in); brown (10YR 5/3) clay, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate very fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky; few fine roots; few fine pores; 20 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. Thickness of the Bw horizon is 10 to 46 cm (4 to 18 in)

Bk1--53 to 81 cm (21 to 32 in); light brown (7.5YR 6/4) clay, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; moderate very fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky; few fine roots; few fine pores; few fine masses; few medium concretions, few films and threads of calcium carbonate; 40 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. Thickness is 15 to 66 cm (6 to 26 in)

Bk2--81 to 160 cm (32 to 63 in); pink (7.5YR 7/4) silty clay loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky; 30 percent pinkish white weakly and strongly cemented concretions of calcium carbonate that are 1 to 15 mm in diameter; few fine masses of calcium carbonate; 60 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline; diffuse wavy boundary. Combined thickness of the Bk horizon is 28 to 135 cm (11 to 53 in)

BCk--160 to 213 cm (63 to 84 in); pink (7.5YR 8/4) silty clay loam, pink (7.5YR 7/4) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky; few medium weakly and strongly cemented concretions and fine soft masses of calcium carbonate; 45 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: McCulloch County, Texas; from the intersection of U.S. Highway 377 and U.S. Highway 87 at the Courthouse in Brady, TX; 0.7 miles north of U.S. Hwy 377; 7.3 miles east and northeast on U.S. Hwy 190; 0.7 miles east on county road; 460 feet south in field.
USGS topographic quadrangle: Rochelle, TX;
Latitude: 31 degrees, 11 minutes, 44.4 seconds N;
Longitude, 99 degrees, 13 minutes, 26.8 seconds W;
Datum: WGS 84.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Solum thickness:152 to 203 cm (60 to 80 in)
Depth to calcic horizon: 35 to 96 cm (14 to 38 in)

Particle size control section (weighed average):
Total clay content: 30 to 50 percent
Silicate Clay content: 25 to 35 percent
Carbonate clay content: 5 to 20 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 40 percent

A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry and moist
Texture: clay loam, silty clay loam, or silty clay
Total Clay content: 30 to 40 percent
Carbonate clay content: 3 to 10 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 15 percent
Electrical conductivity (mmhos/cm): 0 to 2
Effervescence: slight to violent
Reaction (pH): slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline (7.4 to 8.4)

Bw horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4, dry and moist
Texture: clay loam, silty clay loam, clay, or silty clay
Total Clay content: 35 to 50 percent
Carbonate clay content: 5 to 15 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 25 percent
Electrical conductivity (mmhos/cm): 0 to 2
Effervescence: strong to violent
Reaction (pH): moderately alkaline (7.9 to 8.4)

Bk1 horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry and moist
Texture: clay loam, silty clay loam, clay, or silty clay
Total Clay content: 30 to 50 percent
Carbonate clay content: 10 to 20 percent
Identifiable secondary carbonates: 1 to 30 percent; masses, concretions, films, and threads
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 20 to 60 percent
Electrical conductivity (mmhos/cm): 0 to 2.5
Effervescence: strong or violent
Reaction (pH): moderately alkaline (7.9 to 8.4)

Bk2 horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 4 to 7 dry, 3 to 6 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6, dry and moist
Texture: loam, silty clay loam, or clay loam
Total Clay content: 24 to 40 percent
Carbonate clay content: 10 to 20 percent
Identifiable secondary carbonates: 5 to 30 percent; masses, concretions, films, and threads
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 30 to 70 percent
Electrical conductivity (mmhos/cm): 0 to 2.5
Effervescence: violent
Reaction (pH): moderately alkaline (7.9 to 8.4)

BCk horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 to 8 dry, dry and moist
Chroma: 1 to 4, dry and moist
Texture: loam, silt loam, silty clay loam, or clay loam
Total Clay content: 24 to 40 percent
Carbonate clay content: 10 to 18 percent
Identifiable secondary carbonates: 2 to 55 percent; masses, concretions, films, and threads
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 30 to 70 percent
Electrical conductivity (mmhos/cm): 0 to 2.5
Effervescence: violent
Reaction (pH): slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline (7.4 to 8.4)

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Quanah series in the same family. Similar soils are the Angelo, Knippa, Nukrum, Prade, Pratley, Sunev, and Venus series.
Quanah soils: do not allow clay or silty clay textures in the upper part of the particle-size control section and formed in slope alluvium and/or colluvium derived from gypsum, limestone, and/or mudstone of the Blaine Formation of Permian age.
Angelo soils: are dry in the moisture control section for longer periods of time.
Knippa and Nukrum soils: have more than 40 percent silicate clay content in the particle-size control section and have vertic properties.
Prade and Pratley soils: have more than 40 percent silicate clay content in the particle-size control section and have a petrocalcic horizon within 102 cm (40 in) of the surface.
Sunev and Venus soils: have a fine-loamy particle-size control section and are moist in the moisture control section for longer periods.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: calcareous silty and clayey alluvium derived from limestone
Landscape: river valleys or dissected plateaus
Landform: stream terraces or alluvial fans
Slope: 0 to 5 percent
Precipitation pattern: Precipitation falls mostly during the months of March through June and September through October. July and August are the driest months.
Mean annual precipitation: 610 to 762 mm (24 to 30 in)
Thornthwaite P-E Index: 30 to 44
Mean annual air temperature: 17.2 to 18.9 degrees C (63 to 66 degrees F)
Frost-free days: 210 to 240
Elevation: 304.8 to 716.3 m (1000 to 2350 ft)

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Frio, Kavett, Mereta, Reap, Salga, and Tarrant series.
Frio soils: occur on lower flood plains and do not have calcic horizons.
Kavett soils: occur on higher positions and are shallow to a petrocalcic and lithic contact.
Mereta soils: occur on slightly higher positions and are shallow to a petrocalcic horizon.
Reap soils: occur on similar to slightly lower positions and have more than 40 percent silicate clay content in the particle-size control section and have vertic properties.
Salga soils: occur on similar positions, have more than 35 percent silicate clay content in the particle-size control section and have an argillic horizon.
Tarrant soils: occur on higher positions and are shallow to lithic limestone bedrock.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Permeability is moderately slow in the upper part and moderately slow or moderate in the lower part. Runoff is low on 0 to 1 percent slopes and medium on 1 to 5 percent slopes.

USE AND VEGETATION: The major uses are crop production and livestock grazing. Cultivated crops include oats, wheat, cotton, and sorghums. Native vegetation is mostly sideoats grama, silver bluestem, vine-mesquite, buffalograss, condalia, and forbs.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Texas; LRR I, MLRA 81A, 81B, and 81C - Edwards Plateau; LRR H, MLRA 78A - Rolling Limestone Prairie and MLRA 80B - Texas North Central Prairie. The series is extensive.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Coleman County, Texas; 1968.

REMARKS:
Edited 01/2017 (RFG-THW): Changed to tabular format. Added metric measurements. Updated competing series, geographic setting, and associated soils sections.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle-size control section: 25 to 100 cm (10 to 40 in)
Mollic epipedon: 0 to 33 cm (0 to 13 in) (Ap and A horizons)
Cambic horizon: 33 to 53 cm (13 to 21 in) (Bw horizon)
Calcic horizon: 53 to 213 (21 to 84 in) (Bk1, Bk2 and BCk horizons)

ADDITIONAL DATA: KSSL sample 71TX307001 and S09TX307003 from the series type location in McCulloch County, Texas; and 83TX417001 from Shackelford County, Texas.

Taxonomic Version: Soil Taxonomy, Twelfth Edition, 2014.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.