LOCATION CZAR TX

Established Series
ROG-NIH-JKW
11/2010

CZAR SERIES

The Czar series consists of very deep, well drained, moderately permeable soils that formed in loamy alluvial and eolian sediments of Holocene age over loamy alluvium deposits of Quaternary age. These soils are on nearly level to gently sloping stream terraces. 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 686 mm (27 in).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, hyperthermic Pachic Argiustolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Czar fine sandy loam--on a northwest facing, slightly convex, 1 percent slope in pasture; elevation is 17 meters (55 feet). (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

A--0 to 18 cm (0 to 7 in); very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) fine sandy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine and medium granular structure; hard, friable; common fine and many medium roots; many fine tubular pores; moderately acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (thickness of the A horizon is 15 to 69 cm [6 to 27 in])

Bt1--18 to 34 cm (7 to 13 in); very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) sandy clay loam, black (10YR 2/1) moist; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm; common fine, very fine, and medium roots; many fine tubular pores; 3 percent faint clay films on faces of peds; neutral; clear smooth boundary.

Bt2--34 to 69 cm (13 to 27 in); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) sandy clay loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; very hard, friable; common fine, medium, and many very fine roots; many fine and common medium tubular pores; 12 percent distinct clay films on faces of peds; neutral; gradual smooth boundary.

Bt3--69 to 102 cm (27 to 40 in); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) sandy clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; strong coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; very hard, firm; common fine and medium roots; common fine and very fine irregular pores; 35 percent distinct very dark brown (10YR 2/2) clay films on faces of peds; slightly alkaline; gradual wavy boundary.

Bt4--102 to 155 cm (40 to 61 in); brown (10YR 5/3) sandy clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; very hard, friable; common fine and coarse roots; many fine tubular pores; 7 percent faint clay films on faces of peds; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (combined thickness of the Bt horizons is 20 to 51 cm [8 to 20 in])

2Btk1--155 to 175 cm (61 to 69 in); very pale brown (10YR 7/4) sandy clay loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; hard, friable; common fine and coarse roots; many fine, very fine, and common medium tubular pores; 2 percent faint clay films on faces of peds; 20 percent fine distinct dendritic white (10YR 8/1) finely disseminated carbonates infused into matrix along faces of peds and 5 percent medium prominent irregular white (10YR 8/1) carbonate masses infused into matrix along faces of peds; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (combined thickness of the 2Btk horizons is 25 to 46 cm [10 to 18 in])

2Btk2--175 to 203 cm (69 to 80 in); very pale brown (10YR 8/4) sandy clay loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/4) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; very hard, friable; common fine and coarse roots; common fine and medium tubular pores; 1 percent faint clay films on faces of peds; 25 percent fine distinct dendritic white (10YR 8/1) finely disseminated carbonates infused into matrix along faces of peds and 15 percent medium prominent irregular white (10YR 8/1) carbonate masses infused into matrix along faces of peds and 15 percent coarse prominent irregular white (10YR 8/1) carbonate masses infused into matrix along faces of peds; violently effervescent; strongly alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Kleberg County, Texas; from the intersection of U.S. Business Highway 77 and Texas Highway 141 in Kingsville; 14.85 miles south on Highway 77; 6.4 miles west on ranch road; 6.3 miles north on ranch road; 0.2 miles west in rangeland. Escondido Lake, Texas USGS topographic quadrangle; Latitude: 27 degrees, 23 minutes, 48.20 seconds N; Longitude: 97 degrees, 57 minutes, 19.90 seconds W.; NAD 83

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture: A typic-ustic moisture regime. The soil moisture control section is dry in some or all parts for more than 90 but less than 180 cumulative days in normal years. June through August and December through February are the driest months. These soils are intermittently moist in September through November and March through May.
Thickness of the solum: more than 203 cm (80 in)
Depth to secondary carbonates: 91 to 203 cm (36 to 80 in)
Thickness of the mollic epipedon: 51 to 76 cm (20 to 30 in)
Some pedons have a loamy fine sand overburden less than 15 cm (6 in) thick

A horizon
Hue: 10YR
Value: 2 to 4
Chroma: 1 to 3
Texture: fine sandy loam or sandy clay loam
Reaction: moderately acid to slightly alkaline

Bt horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 3 to 6
Chroma: 1 to 4
Texture: fine sandy loam or sandy clay loam
Clay content: 18 to 28 percent
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline

Btk horizon (where present)
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 4 to 6
Chroma: 2 to 6
Texture: sandy clay loam or clay loam
Clay content: 20 to 35 percent
Identifiable secondary carbonates: amount- 1 to 12 percent, kind- threads, masses and nodules, size- fine, location- infused in matrix and throughout
Effervesence: none to slight
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline

2Btk horizons
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 4 to 8
Chroma: 2 to 6
Texture: sandy clay loam or clay loam
Clay content: 20 to 35 percent
Identifiable secondary carbonates: amount- 5 to 15 percent, kind- threads, masses and nodules, size- fine or medium, location- infused in matrix and throughout
Effervesence: slight to violent
Reaction: slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Calallen (TX) and Christine (TX) series in the same family. Similar series include the Clareville (TX), Cuero (TX), Dodson (TX), Racombes (TX), Ramadero (TX), Tipton (OK), and Smithville (TX) series.

Calallen soils: are in a slightly moister climate, average more than 28 percent silicate clay in the control section, and are on the Pleistocene age Beaumont Formation.
Christine soils: are somewhat poorly drained and slowly permeable.
Clareville soils: have more than 35 percent clay in the control section.
Cuero, Smithville, and Tipton soils: are in a thermic temperature regime.
Dodson soils: have more than 35 percent clay in the control section and are in a thermic temperature regime.
Racombes soils: have an active CEC activity class.
Ramadero soils: do not have an argillic horizon.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: loamy alluvium and eolian sediments of Holocene age over loamy alluvial deposits of Quaternary age
Landform: stream terrace
Slope: 0 to 3 percent
Mean annual temperature: 22 to 23 degrees C (72 to 74 degrees F)
Mean annual precipitation: 610 to 762 mm (24 to 30 in)
Frost-free period: 280 to 330 days
Elevation: 15 to 76 m (50 to 250 ft)
Thornthwaite P-E Index: 19 to 32

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Clareville, Colmena, Orelia, Premont, and Delfina soils.
Clareville soils: have an argillic horizon with more than 35 percent clay and are on similar landforms
Colmena soils: have a mollic epipedon less than 50 cm (20 in) thick and are on similar to slightly higher landforms
Orelia soils: have a mollic epipedon less than 50 cm (20 in) thick and are on broad flat landforms in the Beaumont formation
Premont soils: have an ochric epipedon and are on slightly higher convex landforms
Delfina soils: have an ochric epipedon, masses of oxidized iron in the control section, and are on convex landforms

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Permeability is moderate. Runoff is negligible on 0 to 1 percent slopes and low on 1 to 3 percent slopes. Some areas rarely flood during high rainfall events caused by tropical storms.

USE AND VEGETATION: The major uses are crop and forage production, livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The major crop grown is grain sorghum. Improved pastures grasses are coastal bermudagrass and buffelgrass. Native grasses are mainly two and four-flower trichloris, hooded windmill grass, Wrights threeawn, and plains bristlegrass. Woody vegetation includes mesquite, spiny hackberry, huisache, and prickly pear.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern Rio Grande Plain (MLRA 83A in LRR I) of southern Texas. The series is of moderate extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Jim Wells County, Texas; 1976.

REMARKS: This soil was previously included in the Willacy series.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Mollic epipedon: 0 to 53 cm (0 to 21 in)
Argillic horizon: 36 to 203 cm (14 to 80 in)
Depth to secondary carbonates: 91 to 203 cm (36 to 80 in)
Lithologic discontinuity: The zone from 99 to 203 cm (39 to 80 in). (2Btk horizons). Data shows the lithologic discontinuity is weakly expressed. Very fine to fine sand ratio shows a decrease at 155 cm (61 in). The presence of coarse spherical, moderately cemented, carbonate nodules indicate a deposition of alluvium with a different lithology than the recent alluvium in the upper part of the solum.

ADDITIONAL DATA: TAMU data from Kleberg County, Texas (S06TX-273-003)

TAXONOMIC VERSION: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Eleventh Edition, 2010.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.