LOCATION REDSPRINGS              TX

Established Series
EFJ:GLL:CLN;Rev.JDS
01/2023

REDSPRINGS SERIES


The Redsprings series consists of soils that are deep to mixed marine sediments mainly glauconitic. They are well drained and slowly to moderately slowly permeable. These soils are on gently sloping to steep uplands. Slopes are mainly 2 to 15 percent, but range from 2 to 40 percent.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, kaolinitic, thermic Ultic Hapludalfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Redsprings very gravelly sandy loam--forest. (colors are for moist soil.)

A--0 to 5 inches; dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4) very gravelly sandy loam; weak fine and medium granular structure; hard, friable; many fine, medium, and coarse roots; about 25 percent ironstone pebbles; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)

Bt1--5 to 24 inches; red (2.5YR 4/6) clay; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm; common fine, medium, and coarse roots; continuous clay films on surfaces of peds; few fine remnants of weathered glauconitic materials; few ironstone fragments less than 6 inches across; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.

Bt2--24 to 37 inches; red (2.5YR 4/6) clay; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm; few fine and medium roots; continuous clay films on surfaces of peds; few fine remnants of weathered glauconitic materials; about 3 percent by volume fine light brownish gray shale; about 5 percent by volume horizontally oriented fragments of glauconitic ironstone 1 inch to 3 inches thick and 10 to 15 inches across; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined B2t subhorizons 26 to 40 inches thick)

Bt/C--37 to 49 inches; red (2.5YR 4/6) clay; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm; few fine roots; continuous clay films on surfaces of peds; intermingled with about 35 percent by volume weathered glauconitic material (C); about 10 percent by volume horizontally oriented glauconitic ironstone fragments about 1/2 inch to 2 inches thick and 1 inch to 10 inches across; about 5 percent by volume light brownish gray discontinuous shale strata less than 1 inch thick; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 13 inches thick)

C--49 to 65 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) weathered glauconitic materials; massive; very hard, friable; few fine roots; about 10 percent glauconitic ironstone fragments mainly less than 3 inches across; very strongly acid.

TYPE LOCATION: Smith County, Texas; from the intersection of Loop 323 North and Farm Road 14 in Tyler, 6.1 miles north on Farm Road 14; 0.65 mile west and south on Park Road 16 to fork in road; 0.2 mile west on north fork; 0.05 mile north on Cedar Point campground road; 150 feet west in woods.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Solum thickness: 40 to 60 inches
Clay content in the Control Section: 35 to 60 percent
Redoximorphic features: None
Other distinctive soil features: None
Concentrated minerals: The base saturation ranges from 35 to 60 percent at a depth 50 inches below the top of the arigillic horizon. Ironstone fragments 1/2 inch to 3 inches thick and 3 to 20 inches across are on, or imbedded in, the surface of some pedons, covering less than 1 percent of the surface area.

A horizon:
Color--Hue of 2.5YR or 5YR, value of 3 or 4, and chroma of 2 to 6
Redoximorphic features--None
Texture--Gravelly or very gravelly sandy loam, or fine sandy loam. A graded phase is recognized with sandy clay loam, clay loam, or gravelly fine sandy loam texture.
Other features--Ironstone pebbles range from 15 to 60 percent by volume
Reaction--Moderately acid to neutral

Bt horizon:
Color--Hue of 2.5YR, value of 3 or 4, and chroma of 3 to 8
Redoximorphic features--None
Texture--Clay loam or clay with clay content ranging from 35 to 60 percent
Other features--Ironstone and glauconitic pebbles and fragments up to 18 inches across range from 0 to 20 percent by volume. Some pedons have up to 10 percent fragments of weathered shale.
Reaction--Very strongly acid to slightly acid

B/C or BC horizon:
Color--Reddish with hue of 2.5YR and 5YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 4 to 8
Redoximorphic features--
Texture--Mainly clay loam or clay, however some pedons are sandy clay loam
Other features--Weathered glauconitic materials in shades of brown and yellow ranges from 5 to 40 percent and thin grayish discontinuous shale and clay strata ranges from 0 to 10 percent by volume. Ironstone pebbles and horizontally oriented glauconitic ironstone fragments 1/2 inch to 3 inches thick and up to 24 inches across range from a few to 20 percent by volume.
Reaction--Very strongly acid through moderately acid

C horizon:
Color--Shades of brown and yellow with or without interbedded layers of weakly consolidated reddish sandy clay loam, grayish shale
Redoximorphic features--None
Texture--Shale and fractured discontinuous strata of glauconitic ironstone or sandstone interbedded with layers of sandy clay loam
Other features--Shale and fractured discontinuous strata of glauconitic ironstone or sandstone 1/2 inch to 3 inches thick. Roots penetrate the materials but are concentrated along fractures and cleavage planes. Most pedons have clay flows along vertical fractures.
Reaction--Very strongly acid through moderately acid

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Clayham series in the same family, and the Cowton, Cuthbert, Kirvin, Hallsummit, Nacogdoches, Rosanky, and Trawick series in closely related families. Clayham soils are not formed from weathered glauconitic material, and do not have iron and glauconitic gravel. Cowton and Hallsummit soils have mixed mineralogy. In addition, Cowton soils have a paralithic contact of shale at a depth 20 to 40 inches, and Hallsummit soils have a solum 60 to 80 inches thick. Cuthbert and Kirvin soils have base saturation less than 35 percent and mixed mineralogy. In addition, Cuthbert soils have a solum 20 to 40 inches thick. Rosanky soils have mixed mineralogy and are dry for longer periods. Nacogdoches soils have a solum more than 60 inches thick and color value less than 4 throughout the Bt horizon. Trawick soils have a paralithic contact at a depth of 40 to 60 inches and base saturation more than 60 percent.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Redsprings soils are on gently sloping to steep Western Coastal Plains uplands in geologic formations rich in glauconite, mainly the Reklaw and Weches formations of the Claiborne Group of the Tertiary System. Slopes are slightly convex, and tend to be complex on the steeper gradients. Slope gradients are dominantly 2 to 15 percent, but range from 2 to 40 percent. Climate is warm and humid. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 40 to 46 inches, with frost-free rainfall of 25 to 30 inches. The summer moisture deficit is 4 to 6 inches. Frost free days range from 240 to 260 and elevation is 300 to 500 feet above sea level. Mean annual temperature ranges from 64 to 68 degrees F., and Thornthwaite annual P-E index ranges from 64 to 84.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the closely related Cuthbert and Kirvin soils, and the Briley, Darco, Elrose, Lilbert, Pickton, Tenaha, and Wolfpen soils. Briley, Darco, Lilbert, Pickton, and Wolfpen soils are above on higher positions with smoother slopes. The have arenic and gross- arenic surface layers and loamy control sections. Cuthbert soils are on similar positions. Elrose soils are on smoother lower slopes, have fine-loamy control sections, and sola thicker than 60 inches. Kirvin soils are on nearby slightly lower convex ridges. Tenaha soils are on similar positions and have an arenic surface layer, and base saturation less than 35 percent.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Redsprings soils are well drained. Permeability is slow to moderately slow. Runoff is low on 2 to 5 percent slopes, medium on 5 to 20 percent slopes, and high on slopes over 20 percent.

USE AND VEGETATION: Redsprings soils are used predominantly for woodland and pasture. Forests consists mainly of red oak, post oak, hickory, loblolly and shortleaf pine trees with an understory of American beauty berry, greenbriar, native forbs and grasses. Pasture grasses are mainly improved species of bermudagrass and bahiagrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Coastal Plain of northeast Texas and possibly Arkansas and Louisiana. The series is of moderate extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Upshur-Gregg, County, Texas; l981.

REMARKS: Redsprings soils were formerly mapped with the Trawick series.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface to a depth of approximately 5 inches (A horizon)

Argillic horizon - the zone from a depth of about 5 to 49 inches (Bt1, Bt2, Bt/C horizons)

Additional Data: Rusk County, Texas 88 PO 100 (NSSL), Smith County, Texas 82P2476-2483 (NSSL)


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.