LOCATION DREKA TXEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, siliceous, active, nonacid, thermic Fluvaquentic Epiaquepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Dreka loam--pastureland. (colors are for moist soil conditions)
A--0 to 10 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) loam; many medium and coarse distinct brown (7.5YR 4/4) redox concentrations and many fine and medium distinct dark gray (10YR 4/1) redox depletions; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, friable; many fine and medium roots; few fine and medium pores; many masses and concretions of iron-manganese; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick)
Bg1--10 to 16 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam; many medium and coarse distinct strong brown (7.5YR 4/6), common medium faint brown (10YR 5/3) and few medium prominent yellowish red (5YR 5/8) redox concentrations; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, friable; few fine and medium roots; few fine pores; few concretions and masses of iron-manganese; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary.
Bg2--16 to 23 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) loam; common medium and coarse distinct strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) redox concentrations; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm; few fine and medium roots; common fine and medium pores; few concretions and masses of iron-manganese; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary.
Bg3--23 to 49 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) loam; many medium and coarse distinct dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) and few medium distinct brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) redox concentrations; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm; few fine and medium roots; few fine pores; few concretions and masses of iron-manganese; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (combined thickness of the Bg horizons is 28 to 46 inches)
2Bgb1--49 to 63 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) silty clay; common medium and coarse distinct dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) few fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) redox concentrations; weak medium angular blocky structure; very hard, very firm; few fine and medium roots; common concretions and masses of iron-manganese; slightly alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (8 to 24 inches thick)
2Bgb2--63 to 80 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) silty clay; few fine and medium distinct light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) and few fine distinct olive yellow (2.5Y 6/8) redox concentrations; weak medium angular blocky structure; very hard, very firm; few fine roots; few concretions and masses of iron-manganese; slightly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Rusk County, Texas; About 12 miles east of Henderson in Church Hill; from the intersection of Farm Road 3135 and county road 336; 1.6 miles south on county road 336; site is 500 feet east of road in the flood plain of Martin Creek. (Latitude 94 degrees, 39 minutes, 10 seconds north); (Longitude 32 degrees, 10 minutes, 9 seconds west).
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The solum is more than 80 inches thick. Average clay content of the control section ranges from 18 to 30 percent. Reaction ranges from moderately acid to slightly alkaline throughout. Iron manganese concretions and masses range from few to many throughout. Depth to the discontinuity containing more than 35 percent clay ranges from 40 to 60 inches.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 3 to 5 and chroma of 2 to 4. Redoximorphic features in shades of gray, brown or yellow range from few to many. Texture is loam or clay loam. Electrical conductivity ranges from 0 to 2.0 dS/m.
The Bw horizon when present, has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 and chroma of 3 or 4, or value of 6 and chroma of 4. The horizon is typically 4 to 6 inches thick and has its lower boundary within a depth of 18 inches. Redoximorphic features in shades of brown, gray, or yellow range from few to many. Some pedons have a few red redox concentrations. Texture is loam, silt loam, clay loam or silty clay loam.
The Bg horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 and chroma of 1 or 2, or value of 6 and chroma of 1 to 3. A layer with matrix value of 5, and chroma of 2, or value of 6 and chroma of 3 is present within a depth of 30 inches. Redoximorphic features in shades of brown, gray, or yellow range from few to many. Some pedons have a few red redox concentrations. Texture is loam, silt loam, clay loam or silty clay loam. Some pedons have stratified layers with these textures. Electrical conductivity ranges from 0 to 2.0 dS/m.
The 2Bgb horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6 and chroma of 1 or 2. Redox concentrations in shades of brown, red, or yellow range from none to common. Some pedons have redox depletions in shades of gray or blue. Texture is clay loam, silty clay, or clay. Clay content ranges from 35 to about 50 percent. Electrical conductivity ranges from 0 to 4.0 dS/m.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the only series in this family. The Belden, Commerce, Mathiston, Nahatche, Pophers, Socagee, and Valdez series are in closely related families. Belden, Commerce, and Valdez soils have mixed mineralogy. In addition, Valdez soils do not have a cambic horizon. Mathiston and Pophers and Socagee soils have an acid reaction class. Nahatche soils have a fine-loamy control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Dreka soils are on nearly level flood plains. Slopes range from 0 to 1 percent. They formed in loamy and clayey alluvium of local streams. Mean annual precipitation ranges' from 44 to 48 inches. Mean annual temperature range from 65 to 67 degrees Fahrenheit. Frost free days ranges from 235 to 250. Elevation ranges from 150 to 390 feet above sea level. The Thornthwaite P.E.
index ranges from 72 to 84.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the closely related Mathiston soils and the Estes, Iulus, Laneville, and Owentown soils. All of these soils are on similar nearly level flood plains. Mathiston soils have an acid reaction class. Estes soils are clayey throughout. Iulus and Owentown soils have a coarse-loamy control section and typically are on slightly higher and narrower flood plains in the watershed. Laneville soils are moderately well drained and do not have aquic conditions within a depth of 20 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Dreka soils are somewhat poorly drained. Permeability is moderately slow. Runoff is negligible. This soil floods frequently, typically 2 to 5 times during most years for long or very long durations. A perched water table fluctuates within a depth of about 0.5 to 2.5 feet during the winter and spring months for a cumulative annual duration of 1 to 3 months.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of this soil are used for woodland and pasture. Native vegetation is mainly hardwood such as water oak, green ash, hackberry, willow oak, sweet gum and cypress. Waxleaf myrtle, bacharis and blackberrys are common in cleared areas. Herbaceous vegetation includes beak panicum, purpletop, long tom, longleaf uniola, Virginia wildrye, low panicums, and palmetto. Pastures are mainly common bermudagrass and/or bahiagrass interspersed with dallisgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern coastal plain of East Texas. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Rusk county, Texas, 1993. The name is from a nearby community.
REMARKS: These soils were previously included with the Nahatche series. The Dreka series classification was changed from an Aeric Fluvaquent to a Fluvaquentic Epiaquept in 2002 based on structure described in the Bg horizons and the presence of a clayey discontinuity that acts as an aquitard.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - The zone from the soil surface to a depth of about 10 inches. (A horizon)
Cambic horizon - The zone from 10 to 80 inches. (Bg and 2Bgb horizons)
Aquic conditions - saturation, reduction and redoximorphic features, including a depleted matrix in all layers below 10 inches. (Bg and 2Bgb horizon)
Irregular organic carbon distribution - Irregular distribution of organic matter with depth between 10 and 50 inches. (Bg horizons)
Lithologic discontinuity - at 49 inches (top of the 2Bgb1 horizon)
Episaturation - saturation in the layers above 49 inches during periods when the layer below 49 inches is not saturated (Bg horizons)
Soil Interpretation Record Number: TX1243