LOCATION BOVINA TX
Established Series
CWC-TCB
09/2022
BOVINA SERIES
The Bovina series consists of very deep, well drained, moderately permeable soils that formed in calcareous, loamy eolian deposits from the Blackwater Draw Formation of Pleistocene age. These soils are on nearly level to gently sloping plains and playa slopes. Slope ranges from 0 to 5 percent. Mean annual precipitation is 483 mm (19 in) and mean annual air temperature is 16 degrees C (60 degrees F).
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic Calcic Paleustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Bovina loam, on a very gently sloping plain, 2 percent slope in cropland at an elevation of about 1,225 m (4,019 ft). (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 15 cm (0 to 6 in); brown (7.5YR 4/3) loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable; common fine roots; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (10 to 20 cm thick)
Bt--15 to 38 cm (6 to 15 in); brown (7.5YR 4/3) sandy clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate fine and medium subangular blocky; hard, firm; common fine and medium roots; few faint clay films on faces of peds; less than 2 percent calcium carbonate by volume as films and filaments; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (15 to 40 cm thick)
Btkk--38 to 86 cm (15 to 34 in); pink (7.5YR 7/4) clay loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate fine and medium subangular blocky; hard, firm; few very fine and fine roots between peds; few faint clay films on faces of peds; about 55 percent calcium carbonate by volume as masses, nodules, and finely disseminated carbonates; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (35 to 100 cm thick)
Btk1--86 to 135 cm (34 to 53 in); reddish yellow (5YR 6/8) clay loam, yellowish red (5YR 5/8) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate fine and medium subangular blocky; hard, firm; few very fine and fine roots between peds; common distinct clay films on faces of peds; about 30 percent calcium carbonate by volume as masses and nodules; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (40 to 100 cm thick)
Btk2--135 to 203 cm (53 to 80 inches); yellowish red (5YR 5/6) clay loam; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate fine and medium subangular blocky; hard, firm; common distinct clay films on faces of peds; about 25 percent calcium carbonate by volume as masses and nodules; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Parmer County, Texas; from the intersection of U.S. Highway 214 and U.S. Highway 86 about 9 miles east of Bovina; 3.2 2 miles east on U.S. Highway 86; 10.8 mile north on county road; 0.4 mile east in cropland; Latitude: 34 degrees, 32 minutes, 13.9 seconds N; Longitude: 102 degrees, 41 minutes, 9.7 seconds W; Hub, Texas USGS quad; NAD 83.
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.
Mean annual soil temperature: 15 to 18 degrees C (59 to 64 degrees F).
Thickness of the mollic epipedon: 20 to 38 cm (8 to 15 in).
Depth to argillic horizon: 13 to 25 cm (5 to 10 in).
Depth to secondary calcium carbonate: 0 to 46 cm (0 to 18 in).
Depth to calcic horizon: 25 to 60 cm (10 to 24 in).
Solum thickness: more than 203 (80 in).
Particle-size control section: 18 to 35 percent silicate clay.
Ap or A horizons:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 3 to 5, 2 to 4 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: loam, clay loam
Effervescence: strong or violent
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline
Bt horizons (where present):
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 4 to 6, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6
Texture: sandy clay loam, clay loam
Secondary calcium carbonate: less than 2 percent by volume as films, filaments, or nodules
Effervescence: strong or violent
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline
Btkk horizon:
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 6 to 8, 5 to 7 moist
Chroma: 1 to 6
Texture: sandy clay loam, clay loam
Visible calcium carbonate: 50 to 70 percent by volume as films, filaments, masses, nodules, and finely disseminated carbonates
Calcium carbonate by weight: 40 to 60 percent
Effervescence: violent
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline
Btk horizons:
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 7, 3 to 6 moist
Chroma: 3 to 8
Texture: sandy clay loam, clay loam
Visible calcium carbonate: 5 to 50 percent by volume as films, filaments, masses, and nodules
Calcium carbonate by weight: 3 to 40 percent
Effervescence: strong or violent
Reaction: moderately alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series. Similar soils include the
Estacado,
Mansker,
Pep,
Portales,
Posey, and
Tulia series.
Estacado series: has a calcic horizon between 61 and 100 cm (24 and 40 in).
Mansker and
Tulia series: have carbonatic mineralogy; in addition Tulia soils do not have a mollic epipedon.
Posey series: has an ochric epipedon.
Pep and
Portales series: do not have an argillic horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: calcareous, loamy eolian deposits from the Blackwater Draw Formation of Pleistocene age.
Landform: nearly level to gently sloping plains and playa slopes.
Slope: 0 to 5 percent.
Mean annual air temperature: 14 to 17 degrees C (57 to 62 degrees F).
Mean annual precipitation: 432 to 533 mm (17 to 21 in).
Frost-free period: 185 to 220 days.
Elevation: 975 to 1,433 m (3,200 to 4,700 ft).
Thornthwaite annual P-E Index Values: 25 to 36.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include the
Acuff,
Amarillo,
Estacado,
Mansker,
Olton,
Pep,
Portales,
Posey, and
Pullman soils.
Acuff,
Amarillo,
Olton and
Pullman soils are on similar or slightly higher landscape positions and do not have a calcic horizon within 60 cm.
Estacado,
Mansker,
Pep,
Portales, and
Posey soils are on similar landscape positions.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained and moderately permeable. Surface runoff is negligible on less than 1 percent slopes and low on 1 to 5 percent slopes.
USE AND VEGETATION: Mainly used for crop production. Principal crops grown are cotton, grain sorghum, and wheat. Climax vegetation in rangeland is mainly mid and short grasses and includes blue grama, sideoats grama, and buffalograss, with lesser amounts of vine-mesquite, western wheatgrass, galleta or tobosa, silver bluestem, wild alfalfa, and prairie clover with a light to moderate overstory of mesquite. This soil has been correlated to the Limey Upland (R077CY028TX) ecological site in MLRA-77C.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Southern High Plains, Southern Part (MLRA 77C in
LRR H) of western Texas. The soil is moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED : MLRA-77 Soil Survey; Parmer County, Texas; 2008.
REMARKS: These soils were previously included with the Estacado and Mansker series.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon: 0 to 38 cm (Ap, Bt1 horizons)
Argillic horizon: 15 to 203 cm (Bt, Btkk, Btk horizons)
Calcic horizon: 38 to 203 cm (Btkk, Btk horizons)
Plugged (kk) horizon: 38 to 86 cm (Btkk horizon)
Note: the kk feature is defined as pedogenic carbonate accumulation that is characterized by laterally continuous carbonates that have engulfed rock, sand, silt, and clay particles; plugged the macroporosity of the soil horizon with 50 percent or more calcium carbonate; and obliterated the original soil structure.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Clark, C.W. 2007. Distribution and Formation of Two Calcareous Soils on the Southern High Plains of Texas. M.S. thesis. Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas; KSSL Data: S2011TX369001
TAXONOMIC VERSION: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Twelfth Edition, 2014 .
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.