LOCATION BECKMAN OK+TXEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, active, thermic Fluventic Haplustepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Beckman clay, on nearly level flood plain, in range. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 4 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/3) clay, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium angular blocky parting to moderate medium platy structure; very firm, extremely hard; many fine and many medium roots; many fine and few medium pores; cracks 1/2 to 1 cm wide; nonsaline; very slight effervescence; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 12 inches thick)
Bk--4 to 14 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/3) silty clay, reddish brown (5YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium prismatic parting to weak medium angular blocky structure; very firm, extremely hard; many fine and many medium roots; many fine and many medium pores; 15 percent distinct pressure faces; cracks 1/2 to 1 cm wide; very slightly saline; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick)
Bkyz1--14 to 24 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/3) silty clay, reddish brown (5YR 4/3) moist; weak coarse prismatic parting to weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; very firm, extremely hard; common fine and common medium roots; common fine and common medium pores; cracks 1/2 to 1 cm wide; 2 percent fine masses of calcium carbonate; 5 percent visible fine gypsum and salt crystals, 2 percent by weight gypsum; slightly saline; violent effervescence; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bkyz horizons ranges from 20 to 50 inches)
Bkyz2--24 to 41 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/3) silty clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/3) moist; weak coarse prismatic parting to weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; firm, very hard; common fine and very fine, and few medium roots; common fine and very fine, and few medium pores; 2 percent fine masses of calcium carbonate; 30 percent visible fine gypsum and salt crystals, 11 percent by weight gypsum; moderately saline; 1 percent distinct iron depletions lining pores; violent effervescence; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary.
Cyz1--41 to 51 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/3) stratified clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/3) moist; massive; firm, hard; few fine and very fine roots; few fine and very fine pores; strata are 2 to 3 inches thick; 3 percent visible fine gypsum and salt crystals, 6 percent by weight gypsum; strongly saline; 1 percent distinct iron depletions lining pores; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary.
Cyz2--51 to 63 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/3) silty clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/3) moist; massive; very firm, extremely hard; few fine and very fine roots; few fine and very fine pores; 2 percent visible fine gypsum and salt crystals, 11 percent by weight gypsum; moderately saline; 10 percent prominent greenish gray (5BG 6/1), moist, iron depletions lining pores; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary.
Cyz3--63 to 72 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/3) stratified gravelly silty clay, reddish brown (5YR 4/3) moist; massive; very firm, extremely hard; few very fine roots; few very fine pores; 7 percent visible fine gypsum and salt crystals, 11 percent by weight gypsum; moderately saline; 1 percent rounded quartzite gravel and 20 percent shale paragravel; 10 percent fine prominent greenish gray (5BG 6/1), moist, iron depletions lining pores; slight effervescence; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary.
2Cd--72 to 80 inches; dark red (2.5YR 3/6) densic claystone bedrock; moderately saline; very slight effervescence; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Beckham County, Oklahoma; from the intersection of U.S. Interstate 40 and U.S. Highway 283 at Sayre, about 6 miles south on Highway 283, 1 mile west on county road, 3 miles south on county road, 1.13 miles east on county road, and 430 feet north in rangeland; about 430 feet north and 675 feet east of southwest corner of Section 28, T. 8 N., R. 23 W. Latitude: 35 degrees 7 minutes 56.98 seconds north, Longitude: 99 degrees 38 minutes 23.23 seconds west. Delhi, OK topographic quadrangle; NAD 1927.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Particle-size control section (weighted average)
Clay content: 35 to 60 percent
CEC/clay ratio: 0.4 to 0.6
EC (dS/m): 4 to 16
Depth to gypsic horizon: 10 to 30 inches
Depth to salt accumulations: 0 to 15 inches
Depth to endosaturation: 36 to 72 inches
Depth to densic material: more than 60 inches
Coarse fragments: 0 to 5 percent gravel of dolomite or quartzite
Some pedons contain dark colored buried horizons at depths of more than 20 inches.
A Horizon
Hue: 2.5YR to 7.5YR
Value: 4 or 5
Chroma: 2 to 4
Where moist values and chromas are less than 3.5, the horizon is less than 10 inches thick.
Texture: Clay, silty clay, silty clay loam, or clay loam
Clay content: 35 to 65 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 5 percent
EC (dS/m): 0 to 8
Gypsum: 0 to 5 percent
SAR: 1 to 5
Effervescence: Very slightly effervescent to strongly effervescent
Reaction: Moderately alkaline
Bk Horizon (where present)
Hue: 2.5YR or 5YR
Value: 4 or 5
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: clay, silty clay, silty clay loam, or clay loam
Clay content: 35 to 60 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 5 percent
EC (dS/m): 0 to 8
Gypsum: 0 to 2 percent
SAR: 1 to 5
Effervescence: Slightly effervescent or strongly effervescent
Reaction: Moderately alkaline
Bkyz Horizon
Hue: 2.5YR or 5YR
Value: 4 to 6
Chroma: 3 to 6
Texture: clay, silty clay, silty clay loam, or clay loam
Clay content: 30 to 60 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 15 percent
EC (dS/m): 2 to 16
Gypsum: 1 to 15 percent
SAR: 3 to 20
Effervescence: Slightly effervescent to violently effervescent
Reaction: Moderately alkaline
C Horizon
Hue: 2.5YR or 5YR
Value: 4 to 7
Chroma: 3 to 6
Texture: clay, silty clay, silty clay loam, or clay loam with few to many strata of variable textures. Some pedons are underlain by loamy sand or sand below 60 inches.
Clay content: 30 to 60 percent
Pararock fragments: 0 to 30 percent paragravel from shale
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 15 percent
EC (dS/m): 4 to 20
Gypsum: 1 to 15 percent
SAR: 3 to 20
Effervescence: Slightly effervescent to violently effervescent
Reaction: Moderately alkaline
2Cd Horizon (where present)
Hue: 2.5YR or 5YR
Value: 3 to 5
Chroma: 4 or 6
Texture: Bedrock consisting of noncemented to very weakly cemented Permian age shale or claystone.
Effervescence: Very slightly effervescent or slightly effervescent
Reaction: Slightly alkaline or Moderately alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: These are no series in the same family. Similar soils are the Mangum, Throck, Tilvern, Treadway, and Vernon series. Mangum soils: These soils occur on slightly higher flood plains, have vertic properties in the upper 40 inches, and are well drained. Throck, Tilvern, and Vernon soils: do not have a gypsic horizon, are well drained, and occur on upland hillslopes. Treadway soils: are well drained and occur on alluvial fans and foot slopes.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: recent calcareous and saline clayey alluviumover Permian age shales and claystones
Landform: nearly level flood plains of minor drains
Slope: 0 to 1 percent
Mean annual air temperature range: 57 to 64 degrees F.
Mean annual precipitation range: 22 to 32 inches
Frost-free period: 190 to 230 days
Elevation: 1300 to 2100 feet
Thornthwaite annual P-E indices: 32 to 44
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Clairemont,
Heman,
Knoco,
Mangum,
Spur,
Tilvern,
Treadway,
Vernon, and
Wheatwood series.
Clairemont, Spur, and Wheatwood soils: occur on similar areas but are well drained and have less than 35 percent clay content in the control section.
Heman soils: occur on similar areas but have strongly contrasting particle-size classes in the control section.
Mangum soils: occur on slightly higher areas, have vertic properties in the upper 40 inches, and are well drained.
Knoco, Tilvern, and Vernon soils: occur on adjacent uplands, are well drained, and are less than 60 inches thick over shale.
Treadway soils: occur on alluvial fans and foot slopes and are well drained.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Beckman soils are moderately well drained. Permeability is very slow. Runoff is high. These soils are occasionally or frequently flooded for very brief periods during April through October. A fluctuating water table occurs between 3 and 6 feet of the surface during the months of October to May in most years.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly as grazing land for beef cattle. Alkali sacaton, inland saltgrass, vine mesquite, and western wheatgrass are the dominant native grasses, and tamarisk is the primary invader.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Rolling Red Plains of western Oklahoma, northwest Texas and possibly Kansas; LRR H; MLRA 78B, 78C; The series is of minor extent
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Beckham County, Oklahoma; 1978.
REMARKS: These soils were formerly included in the Mangum series.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized are:
Particle size control section: 10 to 40 inches. (Bw and Bkyz horizons)
Ochric Epipedon: 0 to 4 inches (A horizon).
Gypsic horizon: 24 to 72 inches (Bkyz2 and Cyz horizons).
Endosaturation: The zone of saturation at 51 to 72 inches. (Cyz horizons)
Additional Comments:
Range Site: 078XY046OK - Saline Bottomland
Soil Interpretations Record: OK0223 Beckman Series.
Taxonomic version: Soil Taxonomy, Second Edition, 1999
ADDITIONAL DATA: NSSL data at the type location, sampled as: S00OK-009-001