LOCATION DARDEN TX+AR LAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Thermic, coated Typic Quartzipsamments
TYPICAL PEDON: Darden loamy fine sand on a 4 percent slope, in cropland. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 8 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) loamy fine sand; weak fine granular structure; very friable, many fine roots; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary. (2 to 10 inches thick)
A1--8 to 14 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) loamy fine sand; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; common fine roots; medium acid; gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 20 inches thick)
Bw1--14 to 42 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) loamy fine sand; single grained; loose; few fine roots; strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (4 to 50 inches thick)
Bw2--42 to 53 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) loamy fine sand; single grained; loose; few fine roots; strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (10 to 35 inches thick)
Bw3--53 to 80 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) loamy fine sand; single grained; loose; neutral.
TYPE LOCATION: Bowie County, Texas; from Oak Grove, 3.9 miles north on Farm Road 1326 to the intersection with Farm Road 114; 1.2 miles north and west on county road; 400 feet west in field.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of sandy horizons exceeds 80 inches. The 10 to 40 inch control section contains 10 to 25 percent silt plus clay. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid to slightly acid in the A horizon and upper C horizon and very strongly acid to neutral in the lower C horizon. The soil is dry in some part of the moisture control section for 75 to 90 cumulative days in most years. Small rounded pebbles range from none to few.
The A horizon has hues of 7.5YR, 10YR, or 2.5Y, values of 3 to 6, and chromas of 2 to 6. Dark brown mottles range from none to few. Some pedons lack A horizons. Texture is loamy fine sand or fine sand.
The Bw horizon has hues of 7.5YR, 10YR, or 2.5Y, values from 4 to 8, and chromas from 3 to 8. The texture is mostly loamy fine sand, but some pedons have thin strata of fine sand, loamy sand, or sand. Mottles range from none to few in shades of brown or yellow. Thin discontinuous lamellae, below a depth of 40 inches, range from none to few. Pockets or strata of clean sand with chroma of 1 or 2 occur below 40 inches in some pedons.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Alaga, Alpin, Arenosa, Bigbee, Cainhoy, Catpoint, Duffern, Foxworth, Glentosh, Lakeland, Tonkawa and Wando series of the same family and Betis soils of a similar family. Alaga, Alpin, Bigbee, and Lakeland soils are not dry for as long as 75 cumulative days in most years. In addition, Alpin and Lakeland soils have less than 10 percent silt plus clay in the control section. Bigbee and Foxworth soils have a seasonal water table. Arenosa soils are dry in some part of the control section for more than 90 cumulative days in most years. Cainhoy soils have lower horizons with chroma of 2 or less. Catpoint and Glentosh soils have cooler mean annual temperatures that are less than 64 degrees F. Also, Catpoint and Wando soils are on elevations under 50 feet above mean sea level (MSL). In addition, Wando soils do not have lamellae. Duffern and Tonkawa soils have 5 to 10 percent by volume silt plus clay in the control section. Betis soils have argillic horizons.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Darden soils are on convex alluvial terraces and uplands. They formed in sandy, unconsolidated Coastal Plain sediments. Slopes are mainly 2 to 6 percent but range from 0 to 15 percent. Mean annual rainfall ranges from 40 to 55 inches. Mean annual temperature ranges from 64 to 68 degrees F., and the Thornthwaite annual P-E indices exceed 64.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Betis series and the Briley, Darco, Lilbert, Rosalie, and Tenaha series. Betis and Briley soils are on similar positions. Briley soils have sandy epipedons 20 to 40 inches thick. Darco soils have sandy epipedons 40 to 72 inches thick, an argillic horizon, and occur on similar positions in the landscape. Lilbert, Rosalie, and Tenaha soils have sandy epipedons 20 to 40 inches thick and argillic horizons. Lilbert soils contain plinthite and occur in lower positions.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Darden soils are excessively drained. Runoff is very slow; and permeability is rapid.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for woodland and improved pasture. A few areas are cultivated to watermelons and vegetables. Native vegetation includes shortleaf and loblolly pine, blackjack, bluejack, and post oaks. Understory vegetation consists of sassafras, persimmon, hawthorn, bull nettle, little bluestem, indiangrass, and dewberries.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern Texas, southern Arkansas and northwestern Louisiana. The series is moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Caddo Parish, Louisiana; 1978.
REMARKS: This soil was formerly included with the Lakeland and Alaga series.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - 0 to 14 inches.
More than 2 meters of fine sand or loamy fine sand.
The Bw is based on color.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Harrison County, Texas; SNTC Soils Mechanics Lab Number, S87TX203-004.