LOCATION CIENEGA TXEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, carbonatic, thermic Ustic Haplocalcids
TYPICAL PEDON: Cienega very gravelly loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A1--0 to 7 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) very gravelly loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak medium granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and fine roots; 45 percent limestone gravel; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary (4 to 10 inches thick).
A2--7 to 13 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) very gravelly loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak medium granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and few medium roots; 45 percent limestone gravel; few coatings of calcium carbonate on rock fragments; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary (3 to 10 inches thick).
Bk1--13 to 33 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very gravelly loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; weak medium granular and subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; 55 percent limestone gravel; common white (10YR 8/1) patchy coatings of calcium carbonate on rock fragments; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary.
Bk2--33 to 80 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very gravelly sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; 45 percent limestone gravel; 5 percent limestone cobbles; common white (10YR 8/1) patchy coatings of calcium carbonate on rock fragments; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline (combined thickness of the Bk horizons is 30 to 50 inches).
TYPE LOCATION: Brewster County, Texas, from the junction of U.S. Highway 67 and Texas Highway 118 in Alpine, south on Texas Highway 118 26 miles to entrance of Elephant Mountain Wildlife Management Area, 4.6 miles east on road around north side of the mountain to rock house, 2.4 miles south on road to cross fence, 1.4 miles east on road along fence to water storage tank, 0.15 miles south on dirt road, 30 feet west of road in range(Latitude: 30 degrees, 01 minute, 45 seconds North; Longitude: 103 degrees, 27 minutes, 55 seconds West).
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Solum thickness: 60 to more than 80 inches
Total clay content: 20 to 35 percent
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent by volume in the control section
Depth to calcic horizon: 10 to 20 inches
Soil moisture: The soil is not moist in the moisture control section for as long as 90 consecutive days. Ustic aridic moisture regime
Mean annual soil temperature: 62 to 67 degrees F.
A horizons
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 2 to 5, dry or moist
Chroma: 2 or 3, dry or moist
Texture: loam, fine sandy loam
Rock fragments: 15 to 50 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 35 to 60 percent by volume
Bk horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 5 to 7, dry or moist
Chroma: 2 to 4, dry or moist
Texture: loam, sandy loam
Rock fragments: 35 to 60 percent
Coatings of calcium carbonate on coarse fragments: common to many
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 40 to 65 percent by volume
2C horizon
Where present, colors are similar to the Bk horizon
Coarse fragments: 5 to 60 percent
Calcium carbonate: 30 to 60 percent
COMPETING SERIES: These include the Bankston (NM), Bascal (NM), Bascom (NM), Crotalus (NM) and Mule (AZ) series. Bankston soils are moderately deep to bedrock. Bascal soils have mean annual soil temperatures from 59 to 62 degrees F. Bascom soils are not skeletal in the lower substratum and are moist in the soil moisture control section during May and June and occur in the Great Plains. Crotalus soils formed in colluvium derived from tuff and has a calcic horizon at 20 to 35 inches and 60 to 75 percent rock fragments. Mule soils have a total clay content ranging from 5 to 18 percent.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: These soils are on fan terraces and concave footslopes. Slopes are mainly 1 to 5 percent but range to 8 percent. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 9 to 15 inches, and mean annual air temperature ranges from 60 to 65 degrees F. Frost-free period ranges from 210 to 260 days and elevation ranges from 3,000 to 4,800 feet.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include the Bissett and Crossen series. Bissett soils are shallow to hard limestone bedrock and are on mountain ridges and sideslopes at higher elevations. Crossen soils are shallow to a petrocalcic horizon and are on similar positions or slightly above.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Permeability is moderate. Runoff is very low on 1 to 3 percent slopes, low on 3 to 5 percent slopes, and medium on slopes greater than 5 percent.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The vegetation consists of black grama, bush muhly, sideoats grama, slim tridens, blue grama, plains bristlegrass, cane bluestem, and Arizona cottontop. Woody species consist of creosotebush and range ratany.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Trans-Pecos of Texas in MLRA 42. The series is of minor extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Brewster County, Texas, 1996
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from 0 to 13 inches (A horizons)
Calcic horizon - The zone from 13 to 80 inches (Bk horizons)
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy, Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Tenth Edition, 2006.
These soils were formerly included in the Sanderson series
Update and revision for recorrelation of Brewster County, TX, Main Part, 2/8/08, CEM