LOCATION BLEIBLERVILLE TX
Established Series
Rev. ELG-RM
09/2015
BLEIBLERVILLE SERIES
The Bleiblerville series consists of very deep, moderately well drained, very slowly permeable soils that formed from weakly consolidated calcareous clays and marls of Tertiary Age. These nearly level to gently sloping soils are on uplands. Slopes range from 0 to 5 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 1088 mm (43 in) and the mean annual air temperature is about 20.4 degrees C (69 degrees F).
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, thermic Udic Haplusterts
TYPICAL PEDON: Bleiblerville clay, on a 1 percent convex slope in grass. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. Pedon is midway between microknoll and microdepression.)
A--0 to 20 cm (0 to 8 in); very dark gray (10YR 3/1) clay, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; moderate medium angular blocky structure; extremely hard, very firm, very sticky and plastic; many fine roots; common fine pores; 1.3 cm (1/2 in) granular mulch on surface; cracks5 cm (2 in) wide at the surface extend through the horizon; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (10 to 30 cm [4 to 12 in] thick)
Bss1--20 to 84 cm (8 to 33 in); very dark gray (10YR 3/1) clay, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; moderate medium and coarse angular blocky structure; extremely hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; common fine roots; common fine pores; common prominent slickensides tilted 45 degrees from horizontal and are 0.9 m (3 ft) wide and 2.1 m (7 ft) long; cracks 5 cm (2 in) wide through horizon; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline. (38 to 112 cm [15 to 44 in] thick)
Bss2--84 to 160 cm (33 to 63 in); dark gray (10YR 4/1) clay, dark gray (10YR 4/1) moist; moderate medium angular blocky structure; extremely hard, very firm, very sticky and plastic; few fine roots; few fine pores; many prominent slickensides tilted 45 degrees from horizontal; cracks extend to a depth of 127 cm (50 in); very dark gray (10YR 3/1) material in old cracks; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary. (20 to 91 cm [8 to 36 in] thick)
Bkss--160 to 203 cm (63 to 80 in); pale yellow (2.5Y 8/4) clay, pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; extremely hard, very firm, sticky and plastic; few fine pores; common fine prominent dark gray (10YR 4/1) redox depletions; common distinct slickensides; dark gray coatings on faces of slickensides; few fine concretions of calcium carbonate; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Washington County, Texas; from intersection of U.S. 290 and Farm Road 1155 in Chappell Hill go 1.1 miles east on U.S. 290, then south on Farm Road 1371 for 1.25 miles, 0.2 miles west of road in hay field. USGS Buckhorn topographic quadrangle; Latitude: 30 degrees, 06 minutes, 45 seconds N; Longitude: 96 degrees, 14 minutes, 15 seconds W. Datum: WGS84.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: An ustic soil moisture regime. The soil moisture control section is dry in some or all parts for more than 90 bu less than 150 cumulative days in normal years.
Soil depth: very deep, greater than 203cm (80 in).
Rock fragments: amount-0 to 1 percent, kind-quartzite, shape-nonflat, cementation-indurated, size-fine gravel.
Surface features: Cycles of microdepressions and microknolls are repeated each 1.5 to 3.0 m (5 to 10 ft). In native grass areas, microknolls are 10 to 41 cm (4 to 16 in) higher than microdepressions.
Vertic features: When dry, cracks up to 8 cm (3 in) wide on the surface extend to about 127 cm (50 in). Cracks remain open for 90 to 150 cumulative days in most years.
Thickness of mollic epipedon: 25 to 114 cm (10 to 45 in)
Depth to cambic horizon, where present: 25 to 102 cm (10 to 40 in)
Depth to slickensides: 20 to 38 cm (8 to 15 in) below the surface. Slickensides are several feet across and are tilted 45 to 50 degrees from horizontal.
Depth to secondary carbonates, where present: 81 to 127 cm (32 to 50 in)
Redox concentration: amount-0 to 5 percent, size-fine,
Texture: clay but may be silty clay.
Particle- size control sections (weighted average)
Clay content: 45 to 60 percent.
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline.
Amplitude of waviness between the dark colors in the upper part and the light colors below range from 30 cm (12 in) to on microknolls to more than 152 cm (60 in microdepressions.
A or Ap horizon:
Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y or 5Y
Value: 2 or 4
Chroma: 1
Texture: Clay
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline.
Bss horizons:
Hue: 10YR to 5Y
Value: 2 to 5
Chroma: 1 or 2
Texture: Clay, Silty Clay
Slickensides/Pressure faces: few to common; prominent
Identifiable secondary carbonates: amount- 0 to 5 percent, kind-carbonate concretions
Redox concentrations: amount-0 to 5 percent, size-fine
Most pedons have vertical streaks of darker material that are old filled cracks.
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline.
Bkss horizons:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 5 to 8
Chroma: 2 to 6
Texture: Clay, Silty Clay
Slickensides/Pressure faces: common, distinct, continuous
Identifiable secondary carbonates: amount-1 to 15 percent, size-fine to coarse, kind-concretions, and masses
Redox depletions: amount-0 to 5 percent, size-fine
Redox concentrations: amount-0 to 5 percent, size-fine
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Branyon (TX),
Burleson (TX),
Clarita (OK),
Dimebox (TX),
Ellis (TX),
Fairlie (TX),
Heiden (TX),
Houston Black (TX),
Lazare (TX),
Leson (TX),
Luling (TX), McLean (T TX),
Ovan (TX),
Sanger (TX),
Slidell (TX),
Sparenberg (TX), and
Watonga (OK) series.
Branyon soils: do not have amplitude of waviness.
Burleson,
Dimebox, and
Leson soils: are not calcareous in the upper part.
Clarita soils: have hue of 7.5YR or redder in the subsoil.
Fairlie soils: have a paralithic contact with chalk at a depth of 102 to 152 cm (40 to 60 in).
Ellis soils: have sola 51 to 102 cm (20 to 40 in).
Heiden,
Luling,
Ovan, and
Sanger soils: have a matrix with chroma of 2 or more throughout.
Houston Black soils: formed in Cretaceous age materials.
Lazare soils: formed in clayey lacustrine deposits in shallow depressions.
McLean soils: are somewhat poorly drained, developed in holocene age materials, occur in significantly drier climates, and are subject to ponding.
Slidell soils: contain fragments of limestone, mainly in the lower part.
Sparenberg soils: formed in clayey lacustrine deposits in playas.
Watonga soils: have sola less than 152 cm (60 in) and are in slightly cooler climates.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: weakly cemented calcareous mudstone of Tertiary age, mainly of the Fleming formation
Landscape: dissected plains
Landform: ridges
Slope: 0 to 5 percent, but are dominantly 1 to 5 percent
Mean annual precipitation: 889 to 1,143 mm (35 to 45 in)
Mean annual air temperature: 18.3 to 21.1 degrees C (65 to 70 degrees F)
Frost-free period: 251 to 290 days,
Elevation: 51 to 168 m (167 to 550 ft)
Thornthwaite P-E Index: 50 to 66
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Brenham,
Carbengle,
Frelsburg, and
Latium series. Brenham and Carbengle soils: are on nearby similar landscapes, contain large amounts of calcium carbonate, contain less clay, and do not have slickensides.
Frelsburg and
Latium soils: have dry color values of 5.5 or more within 30 cm (12 in) of the surface in 50 percent of each pedon and are on adjacent steeper slopes.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained. Permeability is very slow. Runoff is low on slopes less than 1 percent, medium on 1 to 3 percent slopes, and high on 3 to 5 percent slopes.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for rangeland with small areas being cultivated to corn and grain sorghum. Most areas have been cultivated in the past. Native vegetation was mid and tall prairie grasses with a few scattered trees.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Blackland Prairie of Texas (MLRA 86B). The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Washington County, Texas; 1978.
REMARKS: Classification change from Udic Pellusterts to Udic Haplusterts based on Amendment 16, SOIL TAXONOMY (294). Properties of this soil appear to overlap those of the Houston Black series, but the two soils are on different kinds of landscapes.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon: 0 to 84 cm (0 to 45 in) (A, and Bss1 horizons)
Cambic horizon: 84 to 203 cm (33 to 80 in) (Bss2 and Bkss horizons)
Slickensides: 20 to 191 cm (8 to 75 in) (Bss2 and Bkss horizons)
Cracks that remain open 90 to 150 cumulative days in most years.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Soil was described and sampled from a 9.8 m (32 ft) long pit. National Soil Survey Laboratory: S77TX477-4 (78P0099-78P0100). Texas A&M University Data on mineralogy verifies smectitic mineralogy.
Soil Interpretation Record: TX0803
Taxonomic Version: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Twelfth Edition, 2014.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.