LOCATION ROWDEN                  TX

Established Series
Rev. JCW-DFC-ACT
01/2017

ROWDEN SERIES

The Rowden series consists of moderately deep, well drained, slowly permeable soils formed in calcareous, loamy and clayey residuum and/or slope alluvium derived from limestone bedrock. These nearly level to very gently sloping soils occur on ridges and hills on dissected plains. Slope ranges from 0 to 3 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 711 mm (28 in), and the mean annual air temperature is about 17.8 degrees C (64 degrees F).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, superactive, thermic Typic Argiustolls

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

Ap--0 to 20 cm (0 to 8 in); brown (10YR 4/3) clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable; many very fine roots; common wormcasts; few fine quartz and chert pebbles; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. Thickness is 13 to 30 cm (5 to 12 in)

Bt1--20 to 38 cm (8 to 15 in); reddish brown (5YR 4/3) clay, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium angular blocky structure; very hard, firm; common very fine roots; common wormcasts; thin patchy clay films on surfaces of peds; few fine quartz and chert pebbles; matrix is noncalcareous; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. Thickness is 13 to 30 cm (5 to 12 in)

Bt2--38 to 69 cm (15 to 27 in); reddish brown (5YR 4/4) clay; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; strong medium angular blocky structure; very hard, firm; few very fine roots; few wormcasts; thin patchy clay films on surfaces of peds; few fine quartz and chert pebbles; few threads of films of calcium carbonate in lower 2 inches; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary. Thickness is 25 to 51 cm (10 to 20 in); Combined thickness of the Bt horizon is 38 to 81 cm (15 to 32 in)

R--69 to 152 cm (27 to 60 in); indurated, light reddish brown limestone bedrock; coarsely fractured; thin calcium carbonate coating on surface of bedrock and in fractures.

TYPE LOCATION: Callahan County, Texas; from the intersection of Texas Highway 36 and Farm Road 2287 west of Cross Plains, 0.1 mile south and 5.6 miles west on Farm Road 2287; and 10 feet north of road right-of-way in cultivated field.
USGS topographic quadrangle: Rowden, Texas;
Latitude: 32 degrees, 7 minutes, 32.81 seconds N;
Longitude: 99 degrees, 16 minutes, 25.94 seconds W;
Datum: WGS84.
UTM Easting 474166.64 m, UTM Northing 3554410.56 m, UTM Zone 14.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: Typic Ustic soil moisture regime
Depth to lithic contact: 51 to 102 cm (20 to 40 in)
Thickness of mollic epipedon: 18 to 51 cm (7 to 20 in)
Depth to argillic horizon: 13 to 30 cm (5 to 12 in)
Other feature: the solum either rests abruptly on limestone bedrock or grades into bedded limestones with soil occupying the interstices.

Particle-size control section:
Clay content: 35 to 60 percent

Ap or A horizon
Hue: 5YR to 10YR
Value: 3 to 5
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: loam or clay loam
Clay content: 20 to 40 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent total; 0 to 15 percent 2 to 75 mm, 0 to 3 percent 75 to 250 mm; chert, limestone, and/or quartz
Reaction (pH): neutral to moderately alkaline (6.6 to 8.4)

Bt1 horizon
Hue: 5YR to 7.5YR
Value: 3 to 5
Chroma: 2 to 3
Texture: clay loam, silty clay loam, silty clay, or clay
Clay content: 35 to 60 percent
Clay films: distinct to prominent clay films on faces of peds
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent total; 0 to 15 percent 2 to 75 mm, 0 to 3 percent 75 to 250 mm; chert, limestone, and/or quartz
Reaction (pH): neutral to moderately alkaline (6.6 to 8.4)

Bt2 or Btk horizon
Hue: 2.5YR to 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 6
Chroma: 3 to 6
Texture: clay loam, silty clay loam, silty clay, or clay
Clay content: 35 to 60 percent
Identifiable secondary carbonates: 0 to 3 percent, very fine to fine, irregular to threadlike, carbonate masses or concretions
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent total; 0 to 15 percent 2 to 75 mm, 0 to 3 percent 75 to 250 mm; chert, limestone, and/or quartz
Reaction (pH): slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline (7.4 to 8.4)

R horizon
Kind: limestone bedrock
Color: gray, white, pink or reddish brown
Cementation: very strongly to indurated and has a hardness from 3 to 4 on Mohs' scale.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bexar, Frankirk, La Casa, Lawton, Luckenbach, Pyron, Sagerton, and Swenson series in the same family. Similar soils are the Hensley, Lindy, Mingo, Scullin, and Speck series.
Bexar soils: have 15 to 35 percent coarse fragments in the particle-size control section
Frankirk, Lawton, and Luckenbach soils: are more than 203 cm (80 in) deep to bedrock
La Casa, Pyron, and Sagerton soils: are more than 203 cm (80 in) deep to bedrock and have a calcic horizon
Swenson soils: have a calcic horizon
Hensley and Speck soils: are less than 51 cm (20 in) deep to bedrock
Lindy soils: have an ochric epipedon
Mingo soils: have a mollic epipedon more than 51 cm (20 in) thick
Scullin soils: are moist in the soil moisture control section for longer periods of time and do not have free carbonates within the solum

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: loamy and clayey residuum and/or slope alluvium over hard limestone of Pennsylvanian and Permian age
Landscape: dissected plains
Landform: mainly on interfluves and side slopes of hillslopes or ridges
Slope: 0 to 3 percent
Mean annual precipitation: 660 to 813 mm (26 to 32 in)
Thornthwaite annual P-E index: 38 to 46
Mean annual air temperature: 17.2 to 18.3 degrees C (63 to 65 degrees F)
Frost-free days: 210 to 240 days
Elevation: 289.5 to 640.1 m (950 to 2,100 ft)

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
These are the Callahan, Hensley, Leeray, Lindy, Lueders, Palopinto, Set, Throck, Speck, and Valera series.
Callahan, Set, and Throck soils: occur on more sloping areas and formed in claystone
Hensley, Lueders, Palopinto, and Speck soils: occur on similar to higher positions and are less than 51 cm (20 in) deep to bedrock
Leeray soils: occur on lower positions, do not have argillic horizons and have intersecting slickensides
Lindy soils: occur on similar positions
Valera soils: occur on lower positions and do not have argillic horizons

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Permeability is slow. Runoff is medium on slopes less than 1 percent and high on 1 to 3 percent slopes.

USE AND VEGETATION: Dominantly used as rangeland, but in some areas sizable amounts are cultivated with small grains as the main crop. The native vegetation is mainly mid and short grasses with scattered live oak trees.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North central Texas; LRR - H; MLRA 78A - Rolling Limestone Prairie and MLRA 80B - Texas North Central Prairie. The series is moderately extensive.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Callahan County, Texas; 1979.

REMARKS: These soils were formerly included in the Lindy series.

Edited 01/2017 (RFG-ROG): 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: 20 to 69 cm (8 to 27 in). (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons)
Mollic epipedon: 0 to 38 cm (0 to 15 in). (A and Bt1 horizons)
Argillic horizon: 20 to 69 cm (8 to 27 in). (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons)
Lithic contact: 69 cm (27 in). (R horizon)
Other: the clay increase from the Ap to the Bt1 horizon is insufficient for the Paleustolls great group. Depth to identifiable secondary carbonates is 38 cm (15 in).

TAXONOMIC VERSION: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Twelfth Edition, 2014

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.