LOCATION SCHATTEL           TX
Established Series
MLG-CLN-JAG
04/2009

SCHATTEL SERIES


The Schattel series consists of deep to shale that has clay texture, well drained soils that formed in clayey residuum of Quarternary age. These gently sloping to moderately sloping soils are on hillslopes. Slope ranges from 1 to 8 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 635 mm (25 in) and the mean annual air temperature is about 21.5 degrees C (71 degrees F).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, hyperthermic Vertic Calciustepts

TYPICAL PEDON: Schattel clay loam, on southwest-facing, convex, 3 percent slope in rangeland at an elevation of 183 m (600 ft)(Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

A--0 to 15 cm (0 to 6 in); brown (10YR 5/3) clay loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable; common fine roots; few fine pores; common fine threads of calcium carbonate; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (10 to 23 cm [4 to 9 in] thick)

Bw--15 to 36 cm (6 to 14 in); pale brown (10YR 6/3) clay, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable; common fine roots; common fine pores; common cracks 1 to 1 1/2 in wide filled with 10YR 5/3 from horizon above; few small distinct pressure faces; 2 percent fine threads and masses of calcium carbonate; few ironstone pebbles; common fine and medium distinct dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) coatings on surfaces of peds; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (12 to 51 cm [5 to 20 in] thick)

Bk--36 to 66 cm (14 to 26 in); light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) clay, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm; few fine roots; few fine pores; common cracks 1/2 to 1 inch wide filled with 10YR 6/3 from above; few small distinct pressure faces; 5 percent fine and medium threads, films and masses of calcium carbonate; few fine and medium distinct grayish brown coatings on surfaces of peds; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 51 cm [0 to 20 in] thick)

Bkyz--66 to 112 cm (26 to 44 in); very pale brown (10YR 7/4) clay, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; about 45 percent is white (10YR 8/1) weathered fragments of shale that has clay texture, light gray (10YR 7/1) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; few very fine and fine roots; few fine pores; very hard, very firm; few vertical cracks 1/4 inch wide; few small distinct pressure faces; 2 percent fine and medium films, threads and masses of calcium carbonate; 2 percent fine to medium threads, films and clusters of gypsum crystals; common medium distinct reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) and light brown (7.5YR 6/4) masses of iron accumulation; strongly effervescent; moderately saline; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 20 in thick)

Cdkyz--112 to 160 cm (44 to 63 in); white (10YR 8/1) weathered shale that has clay texture; light gray (10YR 7/1) moist; massive; slakes in water; fractures are less than 10 cm (4 in) apart horizontally; very hard, very firm and common fine to medium threads, films and masses of calcium carbonate; 10 percent fine to medium threads, films and clusters of gypsum crystals and other salts; matrix is noncalcareous; ; common medium distinct reddish yellow and light brown mottles; moderately saline; moderately alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Frio County, Texas; from intersection of U.S. Highway 81 and Farm Road 140 in Pearsall; 14.2 miles east on Farm Road 140 to intersection with Farm Road 472; 5.7 miles north on Farm Road 472 to private road; 0.25 mile west on private road; 0.5 mile north on private road; 0.05 mile west on private road; 100 feet north of road and 100 feet east in rangeland. Schattel USGS quad; Latitude is 28 degrees 59 minuets 27.4 seconds N; Longitude is 98 degrees 51 minutes 38.5 seconds W; NAD 83

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil Moisture: An ustic soil moisture regime. The soil moisture control section is dry in some or all parts for more than 90 cumulative days in normal years. Soil moisture in the summer months are the driest, while the fall months are the wettest.

Mean annual soil temperature: 22 to 23.5 (72 to 74 degrees F).
Depth to weathered shale of clayey texture: 102 to 152 cm (40 to 60 in)
Reaction throughout: slightly or moderately alkaline

Particle-size control section (weighted average)
Clay content: 35 to 55 percent

A Horizon
(A horizons with moist color values of less than 3.5 are less than 7 inches thick, or are less than 1/3 of the thickness of the solum.)
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 3 to 6
Chroma: 1 to 3
Texture: sandy clay loam, gravelly clay loam, clay loam, or clay
Clay content: 27 to 45 percent
Coarse fragments: amount-0 to 35 percent; size- pebbles or cobbles; kind-ironstone or siliceous
EC (dS/m): 0 to 4

Bw and Bk Horizon
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 4 to 7
Chroma: 1 to 6
Texture: clay loam or clay
Clay content: 35 to 55 percent
Coarse fragments: amount-0 to 5 percent; size- pebbles; kind-siliceous
Identifiable secondary carbonate: amount-2 to 10 percent, kind-films, threads, masses and concretions
EC (dS/m): 0 to 4

Bkyz or Bky Horizon (where present)
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 4 to 7
Chroma: 1 to 6
Texture: clay loam or clay
Clay content: 35 to 55 percent
Coarse fragments: amount-0 to 5 percent; size- pebbles; kind-siliceous
Identifiable secondary carbonate: amount-2 to 10 percent, kind-films, threads, masses and concretions
Gypsum: 1 to 10 percent, kind-films, threads, masses and clusters
Soluble salt accumulations: 1 to 10 percent, kind-threads, masses and clusters
EC (dS/m): 0 to 4

BC or BCky Horizon (where present)
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 4 to 7
Chroma: 1 to 8
Texture: clay loam, silty clay or clay
Clay content: 35 to 55 percent
Coarse fragments: amount-0 to 5 percent; size- pebbles; kind-siliceous
Identifiable secondary carbonate: amount-2 to 10 percent, kind-films, threads, masses and concretions
EC (dS/m): 0 to 4

Cdkyz Horizon
Hue:7.5YR, 10YR, 2.5Y or 5Y
Value: 6 to 8
Chroma: 1 to 6
Texture: weathered siltstone, or shale with a texture of clay loam, silty clay, or clay (some pedons have thin strata of reddish or yellowish weakly cemented sandstone)
Clay content: 35 to 60 percent
Coarse fragments: amount-0 to 10 percent; size- pebbles; kind-siliceous, sandstone, or ironstone
Identifiable secondary carbonate: amount-2 to 20 percent, kind-films, threads, masses and concretions
Gypsum: 2 to 30 percent, kind-films, threads, masses and clusters
Soluble salt accumulations: 1 to 10 percent, kind-threads, masses and clusters
EC (dS/m): 4 to 30

COMPETING SERIES: There are no series in the same family. Similar soils are the Contee (TX), Denhawken (TX), Kincheloe (TX), and Lakoma (SD) series.
Contee soils: in a udic soil moisture regime; have slickensides
Denhawken and Kincheloe soils: have calcic horizons within 100 cm (40 in)
Lakoma soils: soil temperature is less than 22 degrees C (72 degrees F); shale at 71 cm (28 in)

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: interbedded shale and siltstone of Eocene and Miocene age Cook Mountain, Queen City and Oakville Formations
Landscape: inland dissected coastal plains
Landform: convex summits and backslopes on hillslopes
Slope: 1 to 8 percent
Mean annual air temperature range: 21 to 23 degrees C (69 to 73 degrees F).
Mean annual precipitation range: 660 to 813 mm (26 to 32 in)
Precipitation Pattern: Percipitation falls mostly during the months of April through June and late August through October. The winter months, July and early August are the driest months.
Frost-free period: 275 to 295 days
Elevation: 76 to 198 m (250 to 650 ft)
Thornthwaite annual P-E indices: 28 to 33

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include the Amphion (TX), Campbellton (TX), Denhawken (TX), Elmendorf (TX), Hanis (TX), Hindes (TX), Webb (TX), Yologo (TX) and Zavco (TX)series.

Amphion, Elmendorf, Hindes, Yologo and Zavco soils: a mollic epipedon; on lower position on a similar landform
Hindes and Yologo soils: on slightly higher position on a similar landform; more than 35 percent coarse fragments in the sola
Webb soils: sola more than 60 inches thick; on lower position on a similar landform

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Permeability is slow. Runoff is medium on 1 to 5 percent slopes and high on 5 to 8 percent slopes.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used primarily as rangeland and wildlife habitat. The native vegetation in excellent condition is composed of about 90 percent grasses, 5 percent woody plants and 5 percent forbs. In excellent condition, mid grasses such as pink pappusgrass and plains bristlegrass dominate. Blackbrush is the dominant woody plant. Fourflower trichloris and fourwing saltbush are indicative of small areas of higher salinity on this range site. As retrogression occurs, woody plants such as blackbush, condalias, twisted acacia, cenizo, pricklypear, guayacan, dessert yaupon and goldenweed increase or invade. Grasses which increase or invade are the Halls panicum, threeawn, curly mesquite and red grama.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern Rio Grande Plains of Texas (MLRA 83A, B).
The series is of minor extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Frio County, Texas; 1985. The name is from an old community in Frio County.

REMARKS: The Schattel series was formerly included with the Kincheloe series.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Ochric epipedon 0 to 15 cm (0 to 6 in) (A horizon)

Cambic horizon 15 to 36 cm (6 to 14 in) (Bw horizon)

Calcic horizon 36 to 66 cm (14 to 26 in) (Bk horizon)

Densic contact at 112 cm (44 in) (Cdkyz horizon)

Vertic properties - Has a COLE of 0.07 or more within upper 125 cm, and cracks that are at least 1 cm wide at 50 cm (20 in).

ADDITIONAL DATA: Laboratory data performed by the MLRA 150 Soil Survey Office are available on pedons from Goliad County, Texas.

TAXONOMIC VERSION: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Tenth Edition, 2006


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.