LOCATION ALDERSON TXTentative Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, nonacid, thermic Udic Ustorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Alderson clay loam--pasture. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap1--0 to 5 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) clay loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine subangular blocky; hard, friable; common fine and medium roots; common fine and medium pores; few sand size fragments of mica; 5 percent claystone paragravel; neutral; clear smooth boundary.
Ap2--5 to 9 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) paragravelly clay loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine subangular blocky; hard, friable; many fine and common very fine roots; common fine and medium pores, few sand size fragments of mica; 15 percent claystone paragravel; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (combined thickness of the Ap horizon is 4 to 15 inches)
Bw/C--9 to 20 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) paragravelly clay loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable; many very fine and common fine roots; common fine and medium pores; few sand size fragments of mica; 25 percent claystone paragravel 2 to 8 cm long; 1 percent relic argillic horizon fragments; neutral; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 20 inches thick)
Bw--20 to 35 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) paragravelly sandy clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to weak fine and medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable; common fine and few very fine roots; few fine pores; few sand size mica flakes; 25 percent claystone paragravel; neutral; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 20 inches thick)
Bw/C--35 to 52 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) paragravelly sandy clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to weak coarse and medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable; common fine and very fine roots; few fine pores; few sand size fragments of mica; 20 percent claystone paragravel; neutral; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 20 inches thick)
Bw--52 to 63 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) paragravelly sandy clay loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable; common very fine and fine roots; few fine pores; few sand size fragments of mica; 20 percent claystone paragravel; 1 percent relic argillic horizon fragments; neutral; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 20 inches thick)
C--63 to 80 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) sandy clay loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable; common very fine roots; few fine pores; few sand size fragments of mica; 10 percent claystone paragravel; neutral.
TYPE LOCATION: Freestone County, Texas; on TUMCO Big Brown Mine about 8 miles northeast of Fairfield; Latitude: 31 degrees, 50 minutes, 16.4 seconds N; Longitude: 96 degree, 5 minutes, 34 seconds W. Young USGS topographic quadrangle; NAD 1927.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: An ustic soil moisture regime bordering on udic. The soil moisture control section is dry in some or all parts more than 90 but less than 150 cumulative days in normal years. June through August and December through March are the driest months. These soils are intermittently moist in September through October and April through May.
Mean annual soil temperature at 50 cm: 66 to 70 degrees F.
Particle-size control section (weighted average)
Clay content: 20 to 35 percent
Silt content: 20 to 40 percent.
Coarse parafragments: 5 to 35 percent
CEC/clay ratio: 0.60 to 0.80
A Horizon
Hue: 10YR
Value: 4 to 6
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: loam, sandy clay loam, silty clay loam, or clay loam or their paragravelly counterparts.
Clay content: 20 to 35 percent
Paragravel fragments: 0 to 10 percent
Reaction: moderately acid to slightly alkaline
Bw/C or C Horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 5 to 7
Chroma: 3 to 4
Texture: loam, sandy clay loam, silty clay loam, clay loam, or their paragravelly counterparts.
Clay content: 20 to 35 percent
Paragravel fragments: 5 to 30 percent
Reaction: strongly acid to neutral
COMPETING SERIES: This is the
Hammond series and the similar
Bigbrown,
Gibbonscreek,
Diswood, and
Marclay series.
Hammond series: have a surface of reclaimed topsoil with mollic colors
Bigbrown series: fine-silty particle-size control section.
Gibbonscreek series: slightly drier in the moisture control section and formed in sediments of the
Jackson Group geological formations which typically contain higher amounts of exchangeable sodium.
Diswood and Marclay series: udic soil moisture regime.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: recent oxidized mining spoil derived from Tertiary age sediments, mainly of the Wilcox Formation.
Landform: anthropogenic fill by crosspit spreader that deposits materials in a somewhat uniform mixture from surface mine operations on uplands.
Slope: 1 to 12 percent
Mean annual temperature: 64 to 70 degrees F.
Mean annual precipitation: 32 to 40 inches.
Precipitation Pattern: Somewhat uniform throughout the year with April, May, September, and October the wettest months.
Frost-free period: 240 to 270 days.
Elevation: 300 to 550 feet.
Thornthwaite annual P-E indices: 54 to 64.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is the
Bigbrown series. Soils in adjacent pre-mined areas are
Axtell,
Crockett,
Gasil,
Edge,
Lufkin,
Padina,
Rader, and
Silstid series.
Bigbrown soils: fine-silty particle-size control section.
Axtell, Crockett, Gasil, Edge, Lufkin, Padina, Rader, and Silstid soils: these soils have an argillic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Slow permeability. Runoff is high on 1 to 5 percent slopes, and very high on 5 to 12 percent slopes.
USE AND VEGETATION: Mainly improved pasture of coastal bermudagrass, common bermudagrass and arrowleaf clover. Some areas are established with shrubs, native grasses, and hardwood trees for wildlife habitat.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: East Central Texas in lignite coal mining areas; LRR J; MLRA 87A. The series is minor in extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES PROPOSED: Freestone County, Texas, 2000.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle size control section: 10 to 40 inches. (Bw or C horizons)
Ochric epipedon: 0 to 10 inches. (A horizons)
Additional Comments: These soils are forming a weak structural Bw horizon in some pedons, however this horizon does not qualify for a cambic horizon. These soils have been reclaimed beginning in 1986.
ADDITIONAL DATA: NSSL data from type location (S00TX-161-003) in Freestone County.
TAXONOMIC VERSION: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Ninth Edition, 2003.