LOCATION CROSSROADS TX+NM

Established Series
TCB-SSS-TAC
04/2018

CROSSROADS SERIES

The Crossroads series consists of moderately deep to a petrocalcic horizon, well drained, moderately permeable soils formed in calcareous, loamy eolian and lacustrine deposits derived from the Tahoka and Blackwater Draw Formations of Pleistocene age. These nearly level to gently sloping soils occur on plains, playa slopes, and draws. Slope ranges from 0 to 5 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 457 mm (18 in), and the mean annual air temperature is about 15.0 degrees C (59 degrees F).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, active, thermic Petrocalcic Calciustepts

TYPICAL PEDON: Crossroads fine sandy loam, on a 3 percent, northeast-facing playa slope in rangeland at an elevation of about 1,150 m (3,772 ft.)
(Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 16 cm (0 to 6 in); brown (7.5YR 5/3) fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable; many fine roots; many fine tubular pores; about 5 percent calcium carbonate by volume in the form of masses, nodules, and finely disseminated carbonates; 10 percent subrounded strongly cemented 2 to 10 millimeter Calcrete fragments; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. Thickness is 10 to 30 cm (4 to 12 in)

Bk1--16 to 32 cm (6 to 13 in); brown (7.5YR 5/3) fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable; few fine tubular pores; about 11 percent calcium carbonate by volume in the form of masses, nodules, and finely disseminated carbonates; 8 percent subrounded strongly cemented 2 to 10-millimeter Calcrete fragments; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. Thickness is 10 to 51 cm (4 to 20 in)

Bk2--32 to 80 cm (13 to 31.5 in); pinkish gray (7.5YR 6/2) sandy clay loam, brown (7.5YR 5/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable; few fine tubular pores; about 15 percent calcium carbonate by volume in the form of masses, nodules, and finely disseminated carbonates; about 13 percent very strongly cemented Calcrete fragments; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary. Thickness is 15 to 66 cm (6 to 26 in])

Bkkm--80 to 203 cm (31.5 to 80 in); pale pinkish white (7.5YR 9/2) indurated layer containing a few fractures; laminar in the upper part with brecciated and pisolitic structure below the laminae; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline. Thickness is 50 to 150 cm (20 to 60 in)

TYPE LOCATION:
Yoakum County, Texas; from the intersection of U.S. Highways 83 and 214 in Plains, Texas; 4 miles west on U.S. Highway 83, 7.4 miles north on ranch road 1622, 2.6 miles west on private road, then 0.2 mile southeast in native rangeland;

USGS topographic quadrangle: Ink Basin, Texas
Latitude: 33 degrees, 4 minutes, 3.05 seconds N;
Longitude: 102 degrees, 55 minutes, 49.07 seconds W;
Datum: WGS 84

Decimal Degrees
Std Latitude: 33.0675125
Std Longitude: -102.9302979

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.
Mean annual soil temperature: 15.0 to 18.3 degrees C (59 to 65 degrees F)
Thickness of the ochric epipedon: 10 to 30 cm, (4 to 12 in)
Depth to secondary carbonates: 0 to 41 cm (0 to 16 in)
Depth to calcic horizon: 10 to 66 cm (4 to 26 in)
Depth to petrocalcic horizon: 51 to 102 cm (20 to 40 in)

Particle-size control section:
Total clay content: 18 to 40 percent
Silicate clay content: 18 to 35 percent

A horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR to 10YR
Value: 5 to 6 dry, 4 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: fine sandy loam
Total clay content: 8 to 20 percent
Carbonate clay content: 0 to 3 percent
Sand content: 55 to 75 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent by volume calcium carbonate fragments that are strongly cemented to indurated
Identifiable secondary carbonate: 0 to 10 percent by volume as films, filaments, masses, nodules, and finely disseminated carbonates
Calcium carbonate equivalent (CCE): 2 to 10 percent
Effervescence: slight to violent
Reaction (pH): slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline (7.4-8.4)

Upper Bk or Bw horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR to 10YR
Value: 5 to 6 dry, 4 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6
Texture: fine sandy loam, sandy clay loam, loam
Total clay content: 15 to 30 percent
Carbonate clay content: 0 to 10 percent
Silt content: 10 to 40 percent
Sand content: 40 to 65 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent by volume calcium carbonate fragments that are strongly cemented to indurated
Identifiable secondary carbonate: 0 to 10 percent by volume as films, filaments, masses, nodules, and finely disseminated carbonates
Calcium carbonate equivalent (CCE): 2 to 20 percent
Effervescence: slight to violent
Reaction (pH): slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline (7.4-8.4)

Lower Bk horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 6 to 7 dry, 5 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6
Texture: fine sandy loam, sandy clay loam, loam, clay loam, sandy clay, clay
Total clay content: 18 to 50 percent
Carbonate clay content: 1 to 25 percent
Silt content: 10 to 45 percent
Sand content: 20 to 65 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent by volume calcium carbonate fragments that are strongly cemented to indurated
Identifiable secondary carbonate: 5 to 50 percent by volume as films, filaments, masses, nodules, and finely disseminated carbonates
Calcium carbonate equivalent (CCE): 15 to 60 percent
Effervescence: strong to violent
Reaction (pH): moderately alkaline to strongly alkaline (7.9-9.0)

Bkk horizon (where present):
Hue: 7.5YR to 10YR
Value: 6 to 8 dry, 5 to 7 moist
Chroma: 1 to 3
Texture: sandy clay loam, loam, clay loam
Total clay content: 20 to 40 percent
Carbonate clay content: 5 to 25 percent
Silt content: 10 to 45 percent
Sand content: 30 to 65 percent
Identifiable secondary carbonate: 50 percent or more by volume as films, filaments, masses, and nodules and meets the criteria for pedogenic carbonate stage III
Calcium carbonate equivalent (CCE): more than 40 percent
Effervescence: violent
Reaction (pH): moderately alkaline to strongly alkaline (7.9-9.0)

Bkkm horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR to 10YR
Value: 9 to 9.5 dry, 8.5 to 9.5 moist
Chroma: 1 to 2
Identifiable secondary carbonate: horizon is plugged and cemented with carbonates and usually meets the criteria for pedogenic carbonate stage IV
Cementation: weakly cemented to indurated; upper part is usually strongly cemented to indurated and may be laminated; cementation usually decreases with depth
Calcium carbonate equivalent (CCE): more than 60 percent
Effervescence: violent
Reaction (pH): moderately alkaline to strongly alkaline (7.9-9.0)

COMPETING SERIES:
There are no competing series in this family. Similar soils include the Arch, Drake, Gomez, Lea, Midessa, Ochiltree, and Stohman series.
Arch soils: have more than 40 percent calcium carbonate equivalent in particle-size control section and do not have a petrocalcic horizon.
Drake, Gomez, and Midessa soils: do not have a petrocalcic horizon within 102 cm (40 in) of the soil surface.
Lea soils: have a mollic epipedon and occur in an ustic-aridic moisture regime..
Ochiltree, and Stohman soils: are less than 51 cm (20 in) to a petrocalcic horizon.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: calcareous, loamy eolian and lacustrine deposits derived from the Tahoka and Blackwater Draw Formation of Pleistocene age.
Landform: plains, playa slopes, and draws
Slopes: dominantly 0 to 3 percent, but ranges to 5 percent
Precipitation Pattern: These soils are intermittently moist in September through November and March through June. July through August and December through February are the driest months.
Mean annual precipitation: 406 to 533 mm (16 to 21 in)
Thornthwaite annual P-E Index Values: 25 to 30
Mean annual air temperature: 14.0 to 17.2 degrees C (57 to 63 degrees F)
Frost-free period: 185 to 220 days
Elevation: 792.5 to 1,402.1 m (2,600 to 4,600 ft)

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
These are the Amarillo, Arch, Arvana, Gomez, Kimberson, Midessa, Portales, Stegall and Zita series .
Amarillo soils: occur on slightly higher positions, have an argillic horizon, and do not have a petrocalcic horizon.
Arch, Gomez, and Midessa soils: occur on similar and lower positions.
Arvana and Stegall soils: occur on slightly higher positions and have an argillic horizon.
Kimberson soils: occur on slightly higher positions, have darker surface colors, and have a petrocalcic horizon within 50 cm (20 in.) of the soil surface.
Portales and Zita soils: occur on slightly lower positions, do not have petrocalcic horizons, and have a mollic epipedon.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY:
Drainage class: Well drained
Permeability class: Moderately permeable
Runoff: medium on 0 to 1 percent slopes and high on 1 to 5 percent slopes

USE AND VEGETATION:
Mainly used for cropland. Principal crops grown are cotton,grain sorghum, and wheat. Climax native vegetation 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.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
General area: western Texas and southeastern New Mexico
Land Resource Region: H - Central Great Plains Winter Wheat and Range Region
MLRA 77C - Southern High Plains, Southern Part
Extent: Moderate

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Yoakum County, Texas; 2018.

REMARKS: The Crossroads series was formerly included in the Lea and Midessa series.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle-size control section: 25 to 80 cm (10 to 31.5_in)
Ochric epipedon: 0 to 16 cm (0 to 6 in) (Ap horizon)
Calcic horizon: 16 to 80 cm (6 to 31.5 in) (Bk horizons)
Petrocalcic horizon: 80 to 203 cm (31.5 to 80 in) (Bkkm horizons).

ADDITIONAL DATA:
KSSL data sample number - S12TX501002

TAXONOMIC VERSION: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Twelfth Edition, 2014.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.