LOCATION ACME TX+OK

Established Series
Rev. DDR-RFG-CLN
01/2017

ACME SERIES

The Acme series consists of very deep, well drained, moderately permeable soils. These soils formed in loamy alluvium or lacustrine sediments of Pleistocene age. These nearly level to very gently sloping soils are on stream terraces of the Central Rolling Red Plains (MLRA 78B, 78C). Slope ranges from 0 to 3 percent. Mean annual temperature is about 16.7 degrees C (62 degrees F), and mean annual precipitation is about 610 mm (24 in).

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

TYPICAL PEDON: Acme silt loam--on a 0.2 percent slope in cropland.
(Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

Ap--0 to 15 cm (0 to 6 in); brown (10YR 5/3) silt loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate fine and medium subangular blocky; hard, very friable; common very fine and fine and few medium roots; many very fine and fine and few medium pores; 1 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. Thickness is 15 to 46 cm (6 to 18 in)

Bw1--15 to 30 cm (6 to 12 in); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate fine and medium subangular blocky; hard, very friable; common very fine and fine and few medium roots; many very fine and fine and few medium pores; very few, fine, rounded siliceous gravel; 6 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. Thickness is 15 to 58 cm (6 to 23 in)

Bw2--30 to 48 cm (12 to 19 in); brown (10YR 4/3) silty clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate fine and medium subangular blocky; hard, very friable; common very fine and fine and few medium roots; many very fine and fine and few medium pores; very few, fine, rounded siliceous gravel; few fine threads of gypsum and calcium carbonate; 10 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. Thickness is 0 to 30 cm (0 to 12 in)

Bk--48 to 81 cm (19 to 32 in); light brown (7.5YR 6/4) silty clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate fine and medium subangular blocky; hard, very friable; common very fine and fine and few medium roots; many very fine and fine and few medium pores; few, fine, rounded siliceous gravel; about 3 percent masses of calcium carbonate; about 1 percent fine and medium masses and threads of gypsum; 19 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. Thickness is 0 to 66 cm (0 to 26 in)

Bky1--81 to 99 cm (32 to 39 in); 50 percent reddish brown (5YR 5/4) and 50 percent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) moist gypsiferous silt loam; weak coarse prismatic structure; very hard, friable; few, fine, rounded siliceous gravel; about 70 percent visible crystals of gypsum; 43 percent gypsum by weight; 16 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. Combined thickness of the Bky horizon is 51 to 152 cm (20 to 60 in)

Bky2--99 to 165 cm (39 to 65 in); reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist gypsiferous silt loam; weak extremely coarse prismatic structure; very hard, friable; few, fine, rounded siliceous gravel; prism faces coated with 4 mm thick calcium carbonate and gypsum flows; about 40 percent visible masses and crystals of gypsum; 41 percent gypsum by weight; 18 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; diffuse smooth boundary.

Bky3--165 to 203 cm (65 to 80 in); about 50 percent reddish brown (2.5YR 5/3), 40 percent yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist gypsiferous clay loam; weak extremely coarse prismatic structure; very hard, friable; strata and seams of reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4); prism faces coated with 2 mm thick calcium carbonate and gypsum flows; about 35 percent visible gypsum crystals; 40 percent gypsum by weight; 10 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Childress County; Texas; from intersection of Farm Road 2530 and U.S. Highway 287 in Childress; 1.2 miles north on Farm Road 2530, 5.8 miles east on Farm Road 268, 1250 feet south on county road and 80 feet east in cropland.
Latitude: 34 degrees, 25 minutes, 57.8 seconds N;
Longitude: 100 degrees, 5 minutes, 21.8 seconds W;
USGS topographic quadrangle: Kirkland North
Datum: NAD 1927
UTM Easting 399908 m, UTM Northing 3810675 m, UTM Zone 14.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Thickness of the solum: greater than 152 cm (60 in)
Thickness of the mollic epipedon: 18 to 51 cm (7 to 20 in)
Depth to identifiable secondary carbonate: 0 to 18 cm (0 to 7 in)
Depth to gypsic horizon: 25 to 102 cm (10 to 40 in)

Particle-size control section (weighted average)
Clay content: 18 to 30 percent
Sand content: 10 to 30 percent with less than 15 percent coarser than very-fine sand
CEC/clay ratio: 0.4 to 0.6

A Horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 (3 moist)
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: loam, silt loam, silty clay loam, or clay loam
Clay content: 12 to 30 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 10 percent
Electrical conductivity (dS/m): 0 to 4
Gypsum: 0 to 3 percent
Sodium Adsorption Ratio: 0 to 4
Effervescence: very slight to strong
Reaction (pH): slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline (7.6-8.4)

Bw Horizon (where present)
Hue: 5YR to 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 (3 or 4 moist)
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: loam, silt loam, silty clay loam, or clay loam
Clay content: 18 to 35 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 10 percent
Electrical conductivity (dS/m): 1 to 8
Gypsum: 0 to 5 percent
Sodium Adsorption Ratio: 0 to 6
Effervescence: slight to strong
Reaction (pH): slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline (7.6-8.4)

Bk Horizon (where present)
Hue: 5YR to 10YR
Value: 4 to 8 (3 to 6 moist)
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: loam, silt loam, silty clay loam, or clay loam
Clay content: 18 to 35 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 20 percent
Identifiable secondary carbonate: 1 to 10 percent, fine or medium, threads, films, or masses
Electrical conductivity (dS/m): 1 to 8
Gypsum: 1 to 10 percent
Sodium Adsorption Ratio: 0 to 8
Effervescence: slight to violent
Reaction (pH): moderately alkaline (7.9-8.4)

Bky Horizon
Hue: 2.5YR to 10YR
Value: 5 to 84 to 7 moist)
Chroma: 1 to 8
Texture: Gypsiferous loam, silt loam, clay loam, or sandy loam, with strata and pockets of loamy materials. Strata and concentrations vary in gypsum content with depth.
Clay content: 12 to 35 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 2 to 20 percent
Identifiable secondary carbonate: 0 to 5 percent, fine or medium, threads, films, or masses
Electrical conductivity (dS/m): 1 to 10
Gypsum: weighted average of 20 to 80 percent and includes as much as 20 percent fine selenite crystals
Sodium Adsorption Ratio: 0 to 10
Effervescence: very slight to strong
Reaction (pH): neutral to moderately alkaline (6.6-8.4)

BC or C Horizon (where present)
Hue: 2.5YR to 10YR
Value: 5 to 8 (4 to 7 moist)
Chroma: 1 to 8
Texture: Strata or concentrations of gypsiferous loam, clay loam, silty clay loam, or sandy loam. Strata and concentrations vary in gypsum content
Clay content: 12 to 35 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 15 percent
Identifiable secondary carbonate: 0 to 5 percent, fine or medium, threads, films or masses
Electrical conductivity (dS/m): 1 to 10
Gypsum: weighted average of 3 to 50 percent
Sodium Adsorption Ratio: 0 to 10
Effervescence: very slight to strong
Reaction (pH): neutral to moderately alkaline (6.6-8.4)

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series in the same family. Similar soils are the Vinson series.
Vinson soils: do not have a gypsic horizon and are underlain by massive gypsum bedrock of alabaster or crystalline gypsum mainly of the Blaine Formation of Permian age

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: loamy alluvium or lacustrine sediments of Pleistocene age with large amounts of secondary gypsum.
Landform: Treads of stream terraces.
Slope: 0 to 3 percent.
Mean annual precipitation: 508 to 686 mm (20 to 27 in).
Thornthwaite annual P-E indices: 32 to 40.
Mean annual air temperature: 15.0 to 17.8 degrees C (59 to 64 degrees F).
Frost-free period: 200 to 230 days.
Elevation: 426.7 to 670.6 m (1,400 to 2,200 ft).

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Abilene, Aspermont, Childress, Roark, and Tipton series. These soils do not have a gypsic horizon.
Abilene, Roark, and Tipton soils: Have a mollic epipedon more than 20 inches thick, have an argillic horizon, do not have a gypsic horizon, and occur on similar to slightly higher positions.
Aspermont soils: Have an ochric epipedon, do not have a gypsic horizon, have Permian redbed sediments within 60 inches of the surface, and occur on higher sideslopes.
Childress soils: Have an ochric epipedon and occur on similar positions.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Permeability is moderate. Runoff is negligible on 0 to 1 percent slopes and low on 1 to 3 percent slopes. Some areas have an intermittent water table between 122 and 183 cm (4 and 6 ft) of the surface during some above normal rainfall years.

USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are cultivated to wheat and cotton. Native vegetation is mid and tall grasses. Some areas are mined for the underlying gypsiferous materials that is used for making wall board.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Rolling Red Plains of western Oklahoma and Texas; LRR H; MLRA 78B and 78C. Small extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Hardeman County, Texas; 1933

REMARKS: The Acme series was previously described as having a solum 10 to 20 inches thick and underlain by gypsiferous caliche, gypsite or alabaster gypsum. Study of these soils in 1999, across the series province, has shown solum depth to range mainly from 20 to 40 inches to gypsiferous materials and a gypsic horizon. The Cottonwood series, which has been mapped mainly in upland positions, but also in a complex with Acme soils in some areas, will be typified with a paralithc contact of massive gypsum bedrock and will be limited to upland positions associated with Permain age materials. A new series will be developed to typify the soils that have been mapped in a complex with Acme soils. Mollisols that have been mapped in the Acme series underlain with massive gypsum bedrock, mainly alabaster, will be included with the Vinson series.

Edited 01/2017 (RFG-ROG): 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 102 cm (10 to 40 in). (Bw, Bk, and Bky horizons).
Mollic epipedon: 0 to 48 cm (0 to 19 in). (A and Bw horizons).
Gypsic horizon: 81 to 203 cm (32 to 80 in). (Bky horizon).

ADDITIONAL DATA: NSSL data (S98OK-065-005) Jackson County, OK, and type location (S99TX-075-002) Childress County, TX.

Taxonomic Version: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Twelfth Edition, 2014.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.