LOCATION BURKEVILLE TXEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Very-fine, smectitic, thermic Chromic Hapluderts
TYPICAL PEDON: Burkeville clay on a smooth convex slope of 4 percent in pasture, midway between microlow and microhigh. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 5 inches; dark gray (5Y 4/1) clay; moderate medium blocky structure; very hard, firm, sticky and plastic; many fine roots; common fine pores; few wormcast; few concretions of calcium carbonate; few small snail shells; calcareous; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (1 to 15 inches thick)
Bk--5 to 18 inches; light olive gray (5Y 6/2) clay; common fine distinct mottles of light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) and few fine distinct mottles of olive yellow (2.5Y 6/6); moderate medium blocky structures with wedge-shaped peds; extremely hard, very firm, common fine roots, few fine pores; few large slickensides; common strongly cemented concretions of calcium carbonate and few soft masses of calcium carbonate; few black concretions; calcareous; moderately alkaline; diffuse wavy boundary. (5 to 25 inches thick)
Bss--18 to 65 inches; light gray (5Y 7/1) clay; moderate medium blocky structure; common medium distinct mottles of olive yellow (2.5Y 6/8), light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4), and reddish gray (5YR 5/2); extremely hard, very firm; few medium strongly cemented concretions of calcium carbonate; calcareous; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Newton County, Texas; from the intersection of Texas Highway 63 and Farm Road 692 in Burkeville; go 1.0 mile northeast on Farm Road 692; south 1200 feet on forest trail; 100 feet east in eroded pasture.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 60 to 80 inches. The weighted average clay content of the particles-size control section ranges from 60 to 70 percent. When dry, cracks 1/2 to more than 1 inch wide extend from the surface to a depth of more than 12 inches. Cracks remain open from 60 to 90 cumulative days in most years. Slickensides and wedge-shaped peds begin at a depth of 5 to 24 inches. Undistributed areas have gilgai microrelief with microknolls about 4 to 18 inches above the microdepressions. Distance from the center of the microknoll to the center of the microdepression ranges from 8 to 20 feet. Colors with chroma of 2 or less in the subsoil are considered to be litho-chromic. Mottles with chroma of 3 or more, or redox concentrations, are considered to be relic or litho-chromic.
The A has colors of gray or brown in hue of 10YR, 2.5Y, and 5Y with value of 2 through 5, and chroma of 1 or 2. When A horizon has color values less than 3.5, the thickness is less than 12 inches.
The Bk horizon has colors of gray and brown in hue of 10YR, 2.5Y and 5Y with value of 4 through 6, and chroma of 1 or 2. Distinct mottles of light yellowish brown, olive yellow, and yellow range from few to common.
The Bss horizon has color of gray, brown, olive, and yellow hue of 2.5Y and 5Y with value of 6 through 8, and chroma of 1 through 3. This horizon has mottles of reddish gray, olive yellow, light yellowish brown, and brownish yellow ranging from few to common. Slickensides range from many in the upper part to few in the lower part of this horizon.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Redco and Tahoula series in the same family and the Wiergate series. Redco soils are not calcareous above 40 inches., Tahoula soils are deep tp tuffaceous material. Wiergate soils have mollic surface layers.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Burkeville soils are on gently sloping to strongly sloping uplands. Slopes are mainly 3 to 6 percent but range from 1 to 15 percent. Most areas are under active erosion with V-shaped gullies 0.5 to 8 feet deep. These soils formed in weakly consolidated clays and marls of Tertiary age, mainly of the Fleming formation. Mean annual rainfall ranges from 48 to 55 inches and is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year. Mean annual temperature ranges from 65 to 70 degrees F., and the Thornthwaite annual P-E indices exceed 64.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: Those are the competing Redco, and Wiergate series, and the Woodville series. Woodville soils have an argillic horizon and are on nearby landscapes. Redco soils are on similar topography. Wiergate soils are closely associated on the landscapes and have thicker darker surfaces.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Burkeville soils are well drained and are very slowly permeable. The upper horizons are saturated for a few months in the cool season. Runoff is medium. USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are used for pasture. A few areas are used for woodland of loblolly pine.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern Texas and Louisiana of MLRA 133B. The series is of minor extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Jasper and Newton Counties, Texas; 1980.
REMARKS: These soils were formerly mapped as an eroded phase of Houston series. Formerly classified as Aquentic Chromuderts 1/94.
Diagnostic Horizons:
Ochric epipedon - 0 to 5 inches (A horizon).
Cambic horizon - 5 to 65 inches (Bk and Bss horizons).