LOCATION BELK TXEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, active, thermic Entic Hapluderts
TYPICAL PEDON: Belk clay--cultivated. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 6 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/3) clay, reddish brown (5YR 5/3) dry; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; extremely hard, very firm, very sticky; few fine roots; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 9 inches thick)
Bss--6 to 26 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) clay, reddish brown (5YR 5/4) dry; moderate fine and medium angular blocky structure; extremely hard, very firm, very sticky; few fine roots; most peds have shiny surfaces; common grooved slickensides; strong effervesvence; moderately alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary. (12 to 30 inches thick)
2C1--26 to 45 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) silt loam, light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) dry; massive; slightly hard, very friable; few thin bedding planes of yellowish red (5YR 4/6) very fine sandy loam; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 30 inches thick)
2C2--45 to 73 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) silt loam, reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) dry; many thin discontinuous bedding planes; slightly hard, very friable; common thin bedding planes of reddish brown (5YR 5/4) very fine sandy loam; few thin bedding planes of reddish brown (5YR 4/4) clay in lower part; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Lamar County, Texas; 15.2 miles west of Arthur City on Farm Road 197, 1.0 mile west on county road from Ragtown Community, and 50 feet north of county road.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The solum ranges from 20 to 38 inches thick. However, depth of alluvial sediments or soil material is more than 80 inches. The particle-size control section is clayey in the upper part and loamy in the lower part. The weighted average clay content of the upper clayey part ranges from 40 to 60 percent. The loamy lower part has an absolute decrease of 25 percent or more clay and the transition zone between the clayey and loamy textures is less than 5 inches thick. When dry, cracks 1/2 to more than 1 inch wide extend from the surface to a depth of more than 12 inches. The cracks remain open for 60 to 90 cumulative days in most years. Slickensides and wedge shaped peds begin at a depth of 6 to 16 inches. The reaction is moderately alkaline and it is slightly to violently effervescent throughout.
The A horizon has colors in shades of brown with hue of 2.5YR to 7.5YR, value of 3 or 4 and chroma of 2 to 4. The texture is silty clay or clay.
The Bss horizon has colors in shades of brown with hue of 2.5YR to 7.5YR, value of 3 or 4 and chroma of 2 to 4. Texture is silty clay or clay. Slickensides range from few to common. Some pedons have a thin Bw horizon that is like the Bss horizon except it does not have slickensides.
The 2C horizon has colors in shades of brown with hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 2 to 6. The texture is mainly very fine sandy loam, loam, or silt loam. Some subhorizons have discontinuous and/or continuous bedding planes 1/4 to 4 inches thick of these textures and/or slightly more sandy or more clayey textures. Some pedons contain buried A horizons below a depth of 40 inches.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series in the same family. Soils in similar families include Brazoria, Moreland, Navaca, Redlake, Ships, and Seagoville series. Brazoria, Moreland, Ships, and Redlake soils are clayey throughout. Navaca soils have chroma of 1 in the upper part and hue of 10YR or yellower. Seagoville soils have hue of 10YR or yellower. In addition Navaca and Seagoville soils are cracked for more than 90 cumulative days in most years.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Belk soils are on nearly level flood plains. These soils are flooded about once every 5 to 30 years. Slope ranges from 0 to 2 percent but is mainly 0 to 1 percent. The average annual precipitation is 40 to 50 inches; the mean annual air temperature is 64 degrees to 68 degrees F.; the elevation ranges from 150 to 500 feet above sea level; frost free days range from 225 to 280; and the Thornthwaite P-E index ranges from 50 to 80.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Brazoria, Ships, and Redlake series and the Norwood, Oklared, Pledger, and Severn series. Brazoria, Ships, and Redlake soils are in similar to slightly lower flood plain positions. Norwood, Oklared, and Severn soils have a loamy surface layer and are on slightly higher flood plain positions. Pledger soils have a very-fine particle-size control section and is in similar to slightly lower positions.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Belk soils are well drained, and have very slow permeability in the upper clayey part and moderate permeability in the lower loamy part. Runoff is low.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of these soils have been cleared and are used mainly for pasture or cropland. The main crops are soybeans, cotton, alfalfa, and grain sorghum. Native vegetation is elm, pecan, oak, ash, cottonwood, and hackberry with an understory of mid and tall grasses.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: These soils are mainly along the Red River and Brazos River flood plains in Texas. The series is of small extent.
REMARKS: The classification is changed from Fluventic Eutrochrepts to Entic Hapluderts based on Issue 16 change in Soil Taxonomy (2/94). Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - 0 to 6 inches, the Ap horizon.
Cambic horizon - 6 to 26 inches, the Bss horizon.
Vertisol features - Cracks when dry and has slickensides in the upper clayey materials.
A 25 percent absolute decrease in clay is within 40 inches of the soil surface - clayey over loamy family.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lamar County, Texas; 1975.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Particle-size distribution: Hydrometer method; unpublished data. The 6 to 26 inch layer has 11 percent sand; 30 percent silt; 59 percent clay. The 26 to 45 inch layer has 28 percent sand; 63 percent silt; 9 percent clay. The 45 to 73 inch layer has 39 percent sand; 56 percent silt; 5 percent clay.
SOIL INTERPRETATION RECORD NUMBER: TX0508