LOCATION ALOPARK OK+KS TX
Tentative Series
SLM-JTB-CLN
06/2020
ALOPARK SERIES
The Alopark series consists of very deep, well drained, moderately rapid permeable soils that formed in calcareous, loamy colluvium derived from the Laverne (Valentine) Member of the Ogallala Formation of Miocene-Pliocene age. These very gently sloping to moderately steep soils occur on hillslopes, alluvial fans, and colluvial aprons. Slope are from 1 to 25 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 533 mm (21 in) and mean annual air temperature is about 15 degrees C (59 degrees F).
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic Aridic Calciustepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Alopark sandy loam - on a 2 percent slope, in native rangeland at approximately 726 m (2,382 ft) elevation. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 19 cm (0 to 7.5 in); pale brown (10YR 6/3) sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3), moist; moderate medium granular structure; slightly hard, friable; many fine and medium roots; few fine cylindrical worm casts; few fine irregular moderately cemented carbonate nodules; 1 percent 2 to 20 mm well rounded indurated quartzite fragments; strongly effervescent (7 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline, pH 8.0; abrupt smooth boundary. Thickness of Ap and A horizons is 10 to 30 cm (4 to 12 in)
Bk1--19 to 37 cm (7.5 to 14.5 in); pale brown (10YR 6/3) sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3) broken face, moist; weak medium subangular blocky parting to moderate medium granular structure; slightly hard, friable; many fine and medium roots; few fine cylindrical worm casts throughout; common fine irregular moderately cemented carbonate nodules; 5 percent 2 to 5 mm and 5 percent 5 to 20 mm well rounded indurated quartzite fragments; violently effervescent (21 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline, pH 8.1; clear smooth boundary.
Bk2--37 to 54 cm (14.5 to 21 in); very pale brown (10YR 7/4) fine sandy loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) broken face, moist; weak fine prismatic parting to moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable; many fine and common medium roots; few fine cylindrical worm casts, few fine irregular moderately cemented carbonate nodules; few fine threadlike carbonate masses; 1 percent 2 to 20 mm well rounded indurated quartzite fragments; violently effervescent (25 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline, pH 8.2; gradual smooth boundary.
Bk3--54 to 88 cm (21 to 35 in); very pale brown (10YR 7/4) sandy loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) broken face, moist; weak medium prismatic parting to weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable; many fine and common medium roots; few fine irregular moderately cemented carbonate nodules; few fine threadlike carbonate masses; 1 percent 2 to 5 mm and 2 percent 5 to 20 mm well rounded indurated quartzite fragments; violently effervescent (17 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline, pH 8.2; abrupt wavy boundary. Combined thickness of the Bk horizons is 15 to 193 cm (6 to 76 in)
BCk1--88 to 100 cm (35 to 39.5 in); very pale brown (10YR 7/4) loamy coarse sand, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky parting to single grain structure; soft, loose; common fine roots; few fine irregular moderately cemented carbonate nodules; few fine threadlike carbonate masses; 8 percent 2 to 5 mm, 4 percent 5 to 20 mm, and 1 percent 20 to 75 mm well rounded indurated quartzite fragments; violently effervescent (13 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline, pH 8.2; abrupt smooth boundary.
BCk2--100 to 127 cm (39.5 to 50 in); light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) fine sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) broken face, moist; weak coarse prismatic parting to weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable; few fine roots; common fine tubular pores; few fine irregular moderately cemented carbonate nodules; common fine threadlike, and few medium irregular carbonate masses; 1 percent 2 to 20 mm well rounded indurated quartzite fragments; violently effervescent (8 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline, pH 8.3; gradual smooth boundary.
BCk3--127 to 167 cm (50 to 66 in); yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) fine sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) broken face, moist; weak coarse prismatic parting to weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable; few fine roots throughout; few fine irregular moderately cemented carbonate nodules; common fine threadlike, and few medium irregular carbonate masses; 1 percent 2 to 20 mm well rounded indurated quartzite fragments; violently effervescent (5 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline, pH 8.4; abrupt smooth boundary. Combined thickness of the BCk horizons is 15 to 97 cm (6 to 38 in)
Ck--167 to 203 cm (66 to 80 in); very pale brown (10YR 7/4) sand, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; single grain; soft, loose; few fine roots throughout; few fine irregular moderately cemented carbonate nodules; few fine threadlike, and few medium irregular carbonate masses; 1 percent 2 to 20 mm well rounded indurated quartzite fragments; violently effervescent (2 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); strongly alkaline, pH 8.6.
TYPE LOCATION:
Beaver County, Oklahoma; from Slapout, OK; 8 miles west on US Highway
412, then 10 miles north on county road NS 154; 2900 ft (884 m) north and 2500 ft (762 m) west of the southeast corner of Section 33, Township 4N, Range 26E (Cimarron meridian).
USGS topographic quadrangle: Mocane SE, Oklahoma
Latitude: 36 degrees, 46 minutes, 10.59 seconds N
Longitude: 100 degrees, 15 minutes, 46.71 seconds W
Datum WGS84
Decimal Degrees
Latitude: 36.7696114
Longitude: -100.2629776
UTM Northing: 4070059
UTM Easting: 387285
UTM zone 14S
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: An ustic moisture regime bordering on aridic. The soil moisture control section is dry in some or all parts for more than 180 but less than 220 days, cumulative, in normal years. July through August and December through February are the driest months. These soils are intermittently moist in September through November and March through June.
Solum thickness: 50 to 203 cm (20 to 80 in)
Thickness of ochric epipedon: 10 to 30 cm (4 to 12 in)
Depth to secondary carbonates: 0 to 30 cm (0 to 12 in)
Depth to calcic horizon: 10 to 91 cm (4 to 36 in)
Thickness of calcic horizon: 15 to 193 cm (6 to 76 in)
Surface Fragments: 0 to 15 percent; gravel and/or cobbles; indurated well rounded quartzite, feldspar, ironstone, and/or sandstone
Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Total clay content: 7 to 27 percent
Silicate clay content: 6 to 18 percent
Clay-sized carbonate content: 1 to 10 percent
Total sand content: 45 to 75 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent; fine to coarse gravel; indurated well-rounded quartzite, feldspar, ironstone, and/or sandstone
A or Ap horizons:
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 to 6, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6 moist or dry
Texture: sandy loam, fine sandy loam, very fine sandy loam, and loam
Total clay content: 7 to 20 percent
Clay-sized carbonate content: 0 to 5 percent
Sand content: 35 to 80 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent; fine to coarse gravel; indurated well-rounded quartzite, feldspar, ironstone, and/or sandstone
Identifiable calcium carbonate: 0 to 3 percent; fine to medium; masses, nodules, and/or concretions
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 2 to 10 percent
Effervescence: slight to violent
Reaction (pH): Slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline (7.4-8.4)
Upper Bk and/or Bw horizons (where present):
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 to 7, 3 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6 moist or dry
Texture: sandy loam, fine sandy loam, and loam
Total clay content: 5 to 18 percent
Clay-sized carbonate content: 0 to 5 percent
Sand content: 35 to 80 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent; fine to coarse gravel; indurated well-rounded quartzite, feldspar, ironstone, and/or sandstone
Identifiable calcium carbonate: 0 to 5 percent; fine to medium; films, masses, nodules, and/or concretions
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 2 to 14 percent
Effervescence: slight to violent
Reaction (pH): Slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline (7.4-8.4)
Bk horizons (qualifying calcic horizons):
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 to 7, 3 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6 moist or dry
Texture: sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam, and sandy clay loam
Total clay content: 5 to 23 percent
Clay-sized carbonate content: 5 to 10 percent
Sand content: 35 to 80 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent; fine to coarse gravel; indurated well-rounded quartzite, feldspar, ironstone, and/or sandstone
Identifiable calcium carbonate: 5 to 35 percent; fine to coarse; films, masses, nodules, and/or concretions
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 30 percent
Effervescence: strong to violent
Reaction (pH): Slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline (7.4-8.4)
BCk horizons (where present):
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 4 to 7, 3 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4 moist or dry
Texture: loamy coarse sand, loamy sand, loamy fine sand, sandy loam, and fine sandy loam
Total clay content: 2 to 20 percent
Clay-sized carbonate content: 0 to 5 percent
Sand content: 52 to 88 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 14 percent; fine to coarse gravel; indurated well-rounded quartzite, feldspar, ironstone, and/or sandstone
Identifiable calcium carbonate: 1 to 10 percent; fine to very coarse; masses, nodules, and/or concretions; these may be inherited from the geologic deposit (Ogallala formation)
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 2 to 30 percent
Effervescence: strong to violent
Reaction (pH): Slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline (7.4-9.0)
C horizons (where present):
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 5 to 8, 4 to 8 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6 moist or dry
Texture: sand, fine sand, loamy coarse sand, loamy sand, sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam, and their gravelly counterparts
Total clay content: 2 to 15 percent
Clay-sized carbonate content: 0 to 5 percent
Sand content: 35 to 95 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 30 percent; fine to coarse gravel and/or cobbles; indurated well-rounded quartzite, feldspar, ironstone, and/or sandstone
Paralithic Materials: Very weakly to moderately cemented calcareous sandstone occurs as discontinuous strata or remnants within these stratified layers of Tertiary age alluvium. Where present, thickness of paralithic materials is widely variable. Mottles (geogenic) may also be present in portions of the paralithic materials. Ck layers are heterogeneous in physical and chemical properties with varying degrees of cementation and coarse fragment content. These layers also may contain clay balls and horizontally oriented strata of clay. Clay balls (and associated armored clay balls) range in size from 20 to 350 mm (0.75 to 13 in) in diameter when present. Clay strata can range from a few mm to several cm thick.
Identifiable calcium carbonate: 1 to 10 percent; fine to very coarse; masses, nodules, and/or concretions; these are commonly inherited from the geologic deposit (Ogallala formation) and range from 10 to 80 mm (0.4 to 3 in) in diameter.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 20 percent
Effervescence: slight to violent
Reaction (pH): Slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline (7.4-9.0)
COMPETING SERIES:
These are the
Slapout series in the same family. Similar soils are the
Catesby,
Gomez,
Oklark, and
Veal series.
Catesby soils: have a mollic epipedon and grade to loamy or gravelly caliche derived from the Ash
Hollow and
Kimball Members of the Ogallala
Formation
Gomez soils: formed in calcareous eolian sediments of the
Blackwater Draw
Formation of Pleistocene age in MLRA 77C
Oklark soils: have a mollic epipedon
Slapout soils: have higher subsoil calcium carbonate contents and grade to loamy or gravelly caliche derived from the Ash
Hollow and
Kimball Members of the Ogallala
Formation
Veal soils: have a carbonatic mineralogy class
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent Material: Calcareous, loamy and sandy alluvium and colluvium derived from the Laverne (Valentine) Member of the Ogallala Formation of Miocene-Pliocene age.
Landscape: Dissected high plains
Landform: Hillslopes, alluvial fans, and colluvial aprons
Slope: 1 to 25 percent
Mean annual precipitation: 457 to 660 mm (18 to 26 in)
Thornthwaite annual P-E Index: 25 to 36
Mean annual air temperature: 13.3 to 15.0 degrees C (56 to 59 degrees F)
Frost-free period: 180 to 200 days
Elevation: 609.6 to 914.4 m (2,000 to 3,000 ft)
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
These are the
Alowood,
Dreyfoos,
Mansic,
Mocane,
Oklark,
Shalowood, and
Woods series.
Alopark soils: occur on similar positions, and have an ochric epipedon
Alowood and
Shalowood soils: occur on lower positions, and are formed in Neogene age Ogallala alluvium/colluvium over Permian age residuum of claystone, mudstone, sandstones, and/or siltstone
Dreyfoos soils: occur on higher positions, and formed in eolian sands with textures of loamy fine sand or coarser throughout (Ustipsamments), and do not have rock fragments
Mansic and
Oklark soils: occur on similar positions, and have a mollic epipedon
Mocane soils: occur on similar positions, and have a sandy particle-size class
Woods soils: occur on similar positions, and have a fine particle-size class, slickensides or other vertic features within 102 cm (40 in) of the soil surface
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY:
Drainage: well drained
Permeability: moderately rapid
Runoff: very low on 1 to 5 percent slopes, low on 5 to 20 percent slopes, and medium on slopes greater than 20 percent
USE AND VEGETATION:
Major uses: livestock grazing and crop production
Native vegetation: Dominated by little bluestem, sideouts grama, sand bluestem, and blue grama. Sand sagebrush is the major woody species along with small amounts of yucca, Chickasaw sandplum, and skunkbush sumac.
Crops: wheat, grain sorghum, and sorghum/sudan grass.
Ecological sites assigned to phases and components of this series are listed below. Current ecological site assignments are in Web Soil Survey. Components of this series include the following ecological sites: Mixedland Slopes 16-24" PZ (R077EY061TX)
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
General area: northwestern Oklahoma, southwest Kansas, and the Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles
Land Resource Region: H - Central Great Plains Winter Wheat and Range Region
Major Land Resource Area: 77E - Southern High Plains, Breaks
Extent: Moderate
SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES PROPOSED: Beaver County, Oklahoma, 2007.
REMARKS:
Much of the spatial extent of the Alopark series was formerly correlated to the Mobeetie series.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: 0 to 19 cm (0 to 7.5 in) (Akp horizon)
Identifiable calcium carbonate: 0 to 203 cm (0 to 80 in) (all horizons)
Calcic horizon: 19 to 88 cm (7.5 to 35 in) (Bk1, Bk2, and Bk3 horizons)
ADDITIONAL DATA: KSSL data available: S1998OK007002 (TL-Beaver County, OK); S1999OK007007 (Beaver County, OK).
Taxonomic Version: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Twelfth Edition, 2014.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.