LOCATION DOSS                    TX

Established Series
Rev. JEA-WHD-CLN
11/2013

DOSS SERIES

The Doss series consists of shallow to weakly cemented limestone, well drained, moderately slow permeable soils that formed in calcareous loamy and clayey residuum derived from marls and limestone. These very gently to moderately sloping soils occur on hill slopes on dissected plateaus. Slope ranges from 1 to 8 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 762 mm (30 in), and mean annual air temperature is about 18.9 degrees C (66 degrees F).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, carbonatic, thermic, shallow Typic Calciustolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Doss silty clay--rangeland.
(Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

A--0 to 20 cm (0 to 8 in); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silty clay, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm; many fine and medium roots; common fine pores; common very fine masses of calcium carbonate; about 3 percent weakly cemented fragments of calcium carbonate about 6 mm (1/4 in) across the long axis; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. Thickness is 13 to 30 cm (5 to 12 in)

Bk--20 to 48 cm (8 to 19 in); brown (10YR 5/3) silty clay, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm; common fine and few medium roots; common fine pores; common insect burrows; many fine masses and weakly cemented concretions of calcium carbonate; few angular fragments of weakly cemented limestone up to 6 mm (1/4 in) across the long axis; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. Thickness is 15 to 33 cm (6 to 13 in)

Cr--48 to 122 cm (19 to 48 in); very pale brown (10YR 8/4) weakly cemented marlaceous limestone interbedded with silty clay, very pale brown (10YR 7/4) moist; platy in the upper 3 inches with hardness of 2.0 on Mohs scale, massive below and hardness of about 1 on Mohs scale; many veins and bodies of calcium carbonate; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Gillespie County, Texas; 5.8 miles east of courthouse in Fredericksburg on U.S. Highway 290 to the intersection of Ranch Road 1376; 4.2 miles south to intersection with Luckenbach - Grapetown Road; 2.2 miles west and 0.4 mile north into pasture.
USGS topographic quadrangle: ?; Latitude: 30 degrees, 10 minutes, 9.3 seconds N; Longitude: 98 degrees, 46 minutes, 59.6 seconds W; Datum: NAD83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: Typic-ustic soil moisture regime
Depth to bedrock: 28 to 51 cm (11 to 20 inches)

Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Total clay content: 27 to 48 percent
Silicate clay content: 20 to 35 percent and decreases with depth in most pedons.
Rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent; limestone gravel and cobbles
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 40 to 70 percent in the less than 20 mm fraction

A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR and 10YR
Value: 3 to 5
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: clay, silty clay, silty clay loam, clay loam
Some pedons have secondary forms of calcium carbonate in the lower part.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 40 to 70 percent
Effervesence: strong
Reaction: moderately alkaline

Bk horizon (where present)
Hue: 5YR to 10YR
Value: 4 to 6
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: clay, silty clay, silty clay loam, clay loam
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 40 to 70 percent
Effervesence: strong
Reaction: moderately alkaline

Cr horizon
Hue: 7.5YR to 10YR
Value: 7 or 8
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: limestone interbedded with limy earth of clayey and loamy textures that is assumed to be partially secondary accumulations of calcium carbonate
Cementation: weakly to moderately cememted

COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in the same family. Similar soils are the Brackett, Cho, Denton, Kerrville, Mereta, Oplin, Prade, and Real series.
Brackett: does not have a mollic epipedon
Cho: has a petrocalcic horizon
Denton: is more than 50 cm (20 in) deep to bedrock and has more than 35 percent silicate clay and less than 40 percent calcium carbonate equivalent in the particle-size control section.
Kerrville: has a loamy-skeletal particle-size control section and does not have a mollic epipedon
Mereta: has a clayey particle-size control section and a petrocalcic horizon
Oplin: has a loamy-skeletal particle-size control section and a lithic contact
Real: has a loamy-skeletal particle-size control section

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent Material: calcareous loamy and clayey residuum derived from marls and weakly cemented limestone of mostly Lower Cretaceous age
Landscape: dissected plateaus
Landform: very gently to moderately sloping hill slopes
Slope: 1 to 8 percent
Mean annual precipitation: 610 to 914 mm (24 to 36 in)
Thornthwaite P-E Index: 40 to 48
Mean annual air temperature: 17.8 to 20.0 degrees C(64 to 68 degrees F)
Frost Free period: 210 to 240 days
Elevation: 320.1 to 731.5 m (1050 to 2400 ft)

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Brackett, Denton, and Kerrville series, and the Krum and Tarrant series.
Brackett and Kerrville soils occur on steeper slopes.
Denton soils occur on lower positions.
Tarrant soils have a clayey-skeletal particle-size control section, a lithic contact, and occur on similar positions.
Krum soils have sola more than 102 cm (40 in) thick and occur on lower positions.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Permeability is moderately slow. Runoff is medium on 1 to 5 percent slopes and high on 5 to 8 percent slopes.

USE AND VEGETATION: The major uses are rangeland or small grains. Native grasses include little bluestem, sideoats grama, and Texas wintergrass. Scattered live oak and post oak trees are present.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Edwards Plateau, Eastern Part (MLRA 81C) and Grand Prairie (MLRA 85) of Texas. The series is of large extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Gillespie County, Texas; 1970.

REMARKS:
Edited 11/2013 (RFG-JRJ): Converted to tabular format and added metric measurements. Updated the competing series, geographic setting, and associated soils sections.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - 0 to 20 cm (0 to 8 in) (A horizon)
Calcic horizon - 20 to 48 cm (8 to 19 in) (Bk horizon)
Paralithic contact - 48 cm (19 in) (top of the Cr horizon)

ADDITIONAL DATA: KSSL data: S09TX171004-Gillespie, Texas

Taxonomic Version: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Eleventh Edition, 2010

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.