LOCATION CUEVITAS TX
Established Series
RM-PDH-JAG
02/2018
CUEVITAS SERIES
The Cuevitas series consists of soils that are very shallow and shallow to a petrocalcic horizon. These well drained, moderately permeable soils formed in non-calcareous loamy alluvium over calcareous loamy residuum. These nearly level to gently sloping soils are on broad, low ridges on inland, dissected coastal plains. Slope ranges from 0 to 3 percent. Mean annual air temperature is about 22.2 degrees C (72 degrees F) and mean annual precipitation is about 559 mm (22 in).
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, active, hyperthermic, shallow Aridic Haplustepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Cuevitas fine sandy loam, on a southwest facing 1 percent slope in rangeland; elevation is 243.8 m (800 ft). (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A1--0 to 3 cm (0 to 1 in); brown (7.5YR 5/4) fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium platy structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine roots; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary.
A2--3 to 23 cm (1 to 9 in); reddish brown (5YR 4/3) fine sandy loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine roots; many fine pores; neutral; abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizon is 10 to 46 cm [4 to 18 in])
Bkkm1--23 to 41 cm (9 to 16 in); very pale brown (10YR 8/2) strongly cemented calcium carbonate; laminar cap is 10 cm (4 in) thick; moderately alkaline. (157 to 193 cm [62 to 76 in] thick)
Bkkm2--41 to 203 cm (16 to 80 in); very pale brown (10YR 8/2) weakly cemented calcium carbonate; apparent field texture is fine sandy loam, or loam; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Jim Hogg County, Texas; from the intersection of Texas Highways 16 and 285 in Hebbronville, 1.5 miles south on Texas Highway 16 to Farm Road 3073, 14.5 miles west on Farm Road 3073 to caliche road, 200 feet south on caliche road, 50 feet west in rangeland. Thompsonville, Texas USGS topographic quadrangle. Latitude: 27 degrees, 14 minutes, 11.2 seconds N; Longitude: 98 degrees, 55 minutes, 5 seconds W; WGS84.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: An aridic-ustic moisture regime. The soil moisture control section remains moist in some or all parts for less than 90 consecutive days in normal years.
Mean annual soil temperature: 22.2 to 24.4 degrees C (72 to 76 degrees F)
Depth to petrocalcic horizon: 10 to 46 cm (4 to 18 in)
The solum is noncalcareous throughout.
Particle-size control section (weighted average)
Clay content: 8 to 18 percent
Coarse Fragments: 0 to 15 percent siliceous gravel and indurated calcrete fragments.
A horizon
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 4 or 5
Chroma: 2 to 6
Texture: fine sandy loam or loam
Pararock fragments: 0 to 5 percent
Base saturation: 100 percent
EC (dS/m): 0 to 1
Gypsum: 0 to 1 percent
Reaction: neutral or slightly alkaline
Bkkm1 horizon
Hue: 10YR
Value: 7 or 8
Chroma: 2 or 3
Base saturation: 100 percent
Cementation: moderately or strongly cemented; Laminar cap in the upper 3 to 10 cm (1 to 4 in) is moderately cemented to indurated.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 60 to 80 percent
Reaction: moderately alkaline
Bkkm2 horizon
Hue: 10YR
Value: 7 or 8
Chroma: 2 or 3
Base saturation: 100 percent
Cementation: weakly or moderately cemented
Coarse fragments: 0 to 10 percent strongly cemented or indurated calcrete
Pararock fragments: 0 to 10 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 50 to 80 percent
Reaction: moderately alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: There are no series in the same family. Similar soils are the
Delmita,
Jimenez,
Lacoste,
Quemado,
Piedras,
Randado, and
Zapata series.
Delmita,
Lacoste, and
Randado soils: have an argillic horizon
Jimenez,
Piedras, and
Quemado soils: are loamy-skeletal in the particle-size control section
Zapata soils: are calcareous throughout the solum and are drier in the soil moisture control section for longer periods.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: noncalcareous loamy alluvium over calcareous loamy residuum and petrocalcics of the Goliad Formation
Landscape: inland, dissected coastal plains
Landform: broad, low ridges
Slope: 0 to 3 percent
Precipitation pattern: The soil is driest during the months of June through August and December through February. These soils are intermittently moist in September through November and March through May.
Mean annual precipitation: 508 to 610 mm (20 to 24 in)
Thornthwaite annual P-E indices: 21 to 34
Mean annual temperature: 21.1 to 23.3 degrees C (70 to 74 degrees F)
Frost-free period: 280 to 360 days
Elevation: 9.1 to 289.6 m (30 to 950 ft)
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Brennan,
Copita,
Delmita,
Randado, and
Zapata series.
Brennan soils: have very deep solum, an argillic horizon, and occur on higher positions.
Copita soils: are moderately deep to a paralithic contact of sandstone, drier in the SMCS for longer periods, and occur on higher positions.
Delmita and
Randado soils: occur on similar to slightly lower positions.
Zapata soils: occur on similar to slightly higher positions
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Permeability is moderately rapid above the petrocalcic and slow to very slow in the petrocalcic. Runoff is high on slopes less than 1 percent and very high on 1 to 3 percent slopes.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The principal native grasses are plains bristlegrass, hooded windmillgrass, tanglehead, trichloris, Arizona cottontop, red grama, hairy tridens, perennial threeawn, and whorled dropseed. Common brush species are blackbrush, guajillo, kidneywood, ratany, and leatherstem. The ecological site is Shallow Sandy Loam, 20-25 PZ (R083CY487TX).
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Rio Grande Plain, Texas; LRR I; MLRA 83C; the series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Jim Hogg County, Texas, 1970, Jim Hogg Soil Survey Area, Texas.
REMARKS: Classification change from Ustic Petrocalcids to Aridic Ustochrepts in 1998 was based on geographic distribution of the soil, analysis of rainfall patterns, and range species composition and production. Classification change from Aridic Ustochrepts to Aridic Haplustepts based on application of the second edition of Soil Taxonomy, 1999. The soil would classify as Petrocalcidic Haplustepts were this subgroup provided in Soil Taxonomy.
Edited 11/2016 (RFG-GWH): Updated competing series, geographic setting, and associated soils sections.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle size control section: 0 to 23 cm (0 to 9 in). (A horizons)
Ochric epipedon: 0 to 23 cm (0 to 9 in). (A horizons)
Petrocalcic horizon: 23 to 203 cm (9 to 80 in). (Bkkm horizons)
ADDITIONAL DATA: Particle-size analysis was performed at the local project office for 3 pedons from Duval County. The assignment of the cation-exchange activity class is estimated based on laboratory data from similar soils in the geographic area.
Taxonomic Version: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Twelfth edition, 2014.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.