LOCATION CLARITA OKEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, thermic Udic Haplusterts
TYPICAL PEDON: Clarita clay--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A11-0 to 10 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) clay, black (10YR 2/1) moist; strong medium and fine subangular blocky structure parting to coarse and medium granular; hard, very firm; mildly alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (5 to 20 inches thick)
A12--10 to 22 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) clay, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist, weak coarse blocky structure; very hard, very firm; few pressure faces; few slickensides that intersect in lower part; many fine calcium carbonate concretions; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (6 to 20 inches thick)
Bkss--22 to 50 inches; reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) clay, dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4) moist; weak medium blocky structure; extremely hard, extremely firm; common intersecting slickensides tilted from 10 to 60 degrees from horizontal; vertical cracks 3 or 4 inches wide extend to a depth of 30 inches or more; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) clay in some vertical cracks; common soft bodies of calcium carbonate; few calcium carbonate concretions; calcareous; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (20 to 35 inches thick)
C--50 to 72 inches; layers of reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) and gray (N 5/0) clay; massive; extremely hard, extremely firm; common calcium carbonate concretions; calcareous; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Pontotoc County, Oklahoma; approximately 12 miles west of Ada; 800 feet west and 50 feet south of the northeast corner of sec. 29, T. 4 N., R. 4 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 40 to more than 60 inches. Thickness of the A horizon ranges from 12 to 40 inches; it is thinnest in microknolls and thickest in microdepressions. Distance between the centers of the microknolls and the centers of the microdepressions ranges from 5 to 12 feet. Gilgai microrelief consists of microknolls 1 to 10 inches higher than the microdepressions. Intersecting slickensides occur within 40 inches and commonly begin at about 22 inches.
The A horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of less than 1.5. Texture is clay, silty clay, clay loam, or silty clay loam and the content of clay ranges from 35 to 60 percent. Reaction is slightly acid to moderately alkaline.
The AC horizon has hue of 2.5YR to 7.5YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 2 to 4. Texture is clay, silty clay, clay loam, or silty clay loam and the content of clay ranges from 35 to 60 percent. Reaction is mildly or moderately alkaline. Vertically oriented filled cracks range from 1/2 inch to 4 inches in width, and are gray or very dark gray clay, silty clay, clay loam, or silty clay loam.
The C horizon is brownish or reddish clay with or without grayish clay layers. Content of clay ranges from 40 to 60 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: Bleiblerville, Branyon, Burleson, Dalco, Fairlie, Greenvine, Houston Black, Leson, Randall, San Saba, Slidell, and Watonga series are in the same family. Bleiblerville, Branyon, Burleson, Dalco, Fairlie, Greenvine, Houston Black, Leson, Randall, San Saba, Slidell, and Watonga soils have hue of 10YR or yellower in the lower AC horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Clarita soils are on very gently sloping to strongly sloping side slopes within the landscape of uplands in the Grand Prairie. Slopes are 1 to 12 percent. The upper part of the soil formed in clays of Cretaceous age and the underlying part formed in clays of Permian age. The climate is moist subhumid. Gilgai microrelief consisting of microknolls 1 to 10 inches higher than the microdepressions is present in some area. On aerial photography the microknolls appear as light streaks and the microdepressions appear as dark streaks extending from the top to bottom of slopes, thus giving a striped effect. Cultivation has leveled the gilgai microrelief in most areas.
Mean annual precipitation ranges from 28 to 40 inches. Mean annual temperature ranges from 62 to 65 degrees F. Thornthwaite annual P-E indices range from 44 to 64.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Burleson series and Heiden Durant, Grainola, and Shidler series. Burleson soils occur on broad ridgetops or flats. Heiden soils occur on similar landscapes. Durant soils have argillic horizons and occur on broad ridgetops or flats. Grainola soils have sola less than 40 inches thick and lack A horizons with moist chroma of 1 and usually occur on similar landscapes. Shidler soils have sola less than 20 inches thick over hard limestone bedrock and occur on ridges.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained; slow to rapid runoff; very slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Mainly used for range. The native vegetation is a mixture of tall and mid grass prairie. Minor acreage is cultivated to small grains, grain sorghum, or tame pasture.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Grand Prairie of Oklahoma. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Pontotoc County, Oklahoma; 1972.
REMARKS: Soil Interpretaiton Record: Series OK0101
These soils were formerly included in the Heiden series.