LOCATION ESSEVILLE TX

Established Series
PDH-CKH-RM
08/2018

ESSEVILLE SERIES

The Esseville series consist of soils that are moderately deep to claystone, well drained soils that formed in very slowly permeable, moderately saline clayey fluviomarine sediments overlying clayey residuum derived from mudstone of tertiary age. These soils are on sideslopes of interfluves. Slopes range from 0 to 5 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 544 mm (22 in) and the mean annual air temperature is about 21 degrees C (72 degrees F).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, hyperthermic Sodic Gypsiusterts

TYPICAL PEDON: Esseville clay, on a west facing slope, 3 percent slope in pasture; elevation is 120 m (394 ft). (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated).

A-- 0 to 13 cm (0 to 5 in); very dark gray (10YR 3/1) clay, black (10YR 2/1) moist; moderate fine and medium angular blocky structure; extremely hard, extremely firm; many fine and medium roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; common pressure faces; common snail shell fragments; few fine siliceous pebbles; Sodium Adsorption Ratio about 2; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (10 to 30 cm [4 to 12 in] thick)

Bss--13 to 38 cm (5 to 15 in); very dark gray (10YR 3/1) clay, black (10YR 2/1) moist; moderate medium and coarse angular blocky structure; extremely hard, extremely firm; common fine and medium roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; common prominent slickensides; common snail shell fragments; few fine siliceous pebbles; Sodium Adsorption Ratio about 8; strongly effervescent moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (18 to 51 cm [7 to 20 in] thick)

Bkssyz1--38 to 46 cm (15 to 18 in); very dark gray (10YR 3/1) clay, black (10YR 2/1) moist; moderate medium angular blocky structure; extremely hard, extremely firm; common fine and medium roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; common prominent slickensides; common masses of calcium carbonate; few filaments of gypsum; slightly saline; few snail shell fragments; Sodium Adsorption Ratio about 11; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline; clear wavy boundary.

Bkssyz2--46 to 81 cm (18 to 32 in); dark gray (10YR 4/1) and pale brown (10YR 6/3) clay, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) and brown (10YR 5/3) moist; moderate fine and medium angular blocky structure; extremely hard, extremely firm; common fine and medium and few coarse roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; many prominent slickensides; common masses of calcium carbonate; common filaments and masses of gypsum; slightly saline; few snail shell fragments; few medium siliceous pebbles; Sodium Adsorption Ratio about 18; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bkssyz horizon is 25 to 76 cm [10 to 30 in]).

2BCssyz--81 to 91 cm (32 to 36 in); light gray (2.5Y 7/2) clay, light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) moist; moderate fine and medium angular blocky structure; very hard, very firm; few fine and medium roots; few very fine and fine tubular pores; 15 percent very dark gray (10YR 3/1) soil material infilling vertical cracks; few prominent slickensides; common masses of gypsum; few masses of oxidized iron; moderately saline; SAR about 21; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (8 to 30 cm [3 to 12 in] thick)

2Cdyz1--91 to 135 cm (36 to 53 in); light gray (5Y 7/2) noncemented claystone bedrock with texture of clay, light olive gray (5Y 6/2) moist; massive; very hard, very firm; few fine and medium roots; 10 percent light brown (7.5YR 6/4) and very dark gray (10YR 3/1) effervescent soil material infilling vertical cracks; common masses of gypsum; few masses of oxidized iron; moderately saline; Sodium Adsorption Ratio about 20; slightly alkaline; clear wavy boundary.

2Cdyz2--135 to 152 cm (53 to 60 in); pale yellow (5Y 8/2) noncemented claystone bedrock with texture of clay, light gray (5Y 7/2) moist; massive; very hard, very firm; few fine and medium roots; 4 percent dark gray (10YR 4/1) soil material infilling vertical cracks; few pressure faces; few masses of iron accumulation; few crystals of gypsum; moderately saline; Sodium Adsorption Ratio about 20; slightly alkaline; clear wavy boundary.

2Cdyz3--152 to 203 cm (60 to 80 in); pale yellow (5Y 7/3) noncemented claystone bedrock with texture of clay, pale olive (5Y 6/3) moist; few fine distinct light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) mottles; massive; very hard, very firm; few fine and medium roots; few crystals of gypsum; few medium and coarse strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) and yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) masses of iron accumulation; moderately saline; Sodium Adsorption Ratio about 21; slightly alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Live Oak County, Texas; from the intersection of U.S. Highway 281 and U.S. Highway 59 in George West, 15.8 miles north on U.S. Hwy 281 to Interstate Highway 37; 10.7 miles north on Interstate Highway 37; 6.0 miles east and north on Farm Road 99; 100 feet west in pasture.
USGS topographic quad: Peggy, TX;
Latitude: 28 degrees, 42 minutes, 32 seconds N;
Longitude: 98 degrees, 11 minutes, 45 seconds W.;
Datum: 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.
Mean annual soil temperature: 23 degrees C (74 degrees F)
Solum thickness: 51 to 102 cm (20 to 40 in) over noncemented claystone bedrock with texture of clay.
Depth to densic material/contact: 50 to 100 cm (20 to 40 in)
Depth to gypsic horizon: 30 to 89 cm (12 to 35 in)

Particle-size control section (weighted average)
Clay content: 45 to 60 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 2 to 15 percent throughout the solum
Vertic features: Maximum thickness is in the microlows. The soil cracks 1.2 to 5 cm (0.4 to 2 in) wide at the surface when dry. Undisturbed areas have gilgai mircorelief with microhighs 10 to 25 cm (4 to 10 in) higher than microlows. Distance from the center of the microhigh to the center of the microlow is 1 to 3 m (3 to 8 ft). Gilgai are linear in pattern in some pedons on slopes of 2 to 5 percent.

A horizon
Hue: 10YR
Value: 2 to 4
Chroma: 1 to 3
Texture: Clay or gravelly clay
Clay content: 40 to 55
Fragments: Siliceous pebbles and cobbles range from 0 to 30 percent by volume in the upper 38 cm (15 in).
Electrical Conductivity (dS/m): 0 to 4.
Sodium Adsorption Ratio: 0 to 5
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline

Bss horizons
Hue: 10YR
Value: 2 to 5
Chroma: 1 to 4
Texture: clay or gravelly clay
Clay content: 40 to 60
Identifiable secondary carbonate: 0 to 10 percent, fine and medium, masses and threads, throughout the matrix
Electrical Conductivity (dS/m): 4 to 16
Sodium Adsorption Ratio: 2 to 25
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline

Bkssyz horizon
Hue: 10YR
Value: 2 to 5
Chroma: 1 to 3
Texture: clay
Clay content:
Identifiable secondary carbonate: 5 to 20 percent, fine and medium, masses and threads, throughout the matrix
Gypsum equivalent: 5 to 20 percent
Electrical Conductivity (dS/m): 4 to 16
Sodium Adsorption Ratio: 10 to 25
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline

2BCssyz horizon
Hue: 2.5YR to 2.5Y
Values: 4 to 7
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: clay, silty clay
Clay content: 55 to 80 percent
Identifiable secondary carbonate: 0 to 20 percent, fine and medium irregular masses and threads throughout
Gypsum equivalent: 5 to 20 percent
Electrical Conductivity (dS/m): 8 to 16
Sodium Adsorption Ratio : 15 to 25
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline

2Cdyz horizon
Hue: 5YR to 2.5Y
Values: 4 to 7
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: clay or silty clay
Clay content: 55 to 80 percent
Identifiable secondary carbonate: 0 to 2 percent, fine, threads on surface of fractures
Gypsum equivalent: 0 to 5 percent
Electrical Conductivity (dS/m): 8 to 16
Sodium Adsorption Ratio: 15 to 25
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline.

COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in this family. Similar soils include Cochina (TX), Danjer (TX), Fashing (TX), Lattas (TX), Montell (TX), Monteola (TX), and Tordia (TX) series.
Cochina soils: have a value of 4 or more in the top 30 cm (12 in) of the soil
Danjer, Lattas, Monteola, and Tordia soils: do not have a gypsic horizon and have exchangeable sodium percentage of less than 15.
Fashing soils: are shallow to densic or paralithic materials and are lacking vertic properties
Montell soils: are on clay flats and do not have densic material within 100 cm

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: saline clayey fluviomarine deposits over clayey residuum derived from mudstone of tertiary age
Landform: sideslopes of interfluves
Slope: 0 to 5 percent
Mean annual temperature: 21.1 to 23.3 C (70 to 74 degrees F)
Mean annual precipitation: 559 to 737 mm (22 to 29 in)
Frost-free period: 265 to 300 days
Elevation: 54.9 to 152.4 m (180 to 500 ft)
Thornthwaite P-E indices: 25 to 34

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Campbellton (TX), Dosrios (TX), Fashing (TX), and Laparita (TX) series.
Campbellton soils: are on slightly higher positions and have an argillic horizon
Dosrios soils: are greater than 150 cm (59 in) to densic materials
Fashing soils: have sola less than 51 cm (20 in) thick over mudstone, sandstone and siltstone.
Laparita soils: are on slightly lower positions and have an argillic horizon.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY:
Drainage class: Well.
Permeability class: Very slow.
Runoff: high on 0 to less than 1 percent slopes and very high on 1 to 5 percent slopes.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for pasture and rangeland. Scattered areas are cultivated mainly to grain sorghum, small grain and introduced grasses. Native vegetation includes grasses such as alkali sacaton, sideoats grama, plains bristlegrass, twoflower trichloris, tobosagrass, vine-mesquite, pinhole bluestem, and buffalograss. Woody vegetation includes mesquite, agarita, and pricklypear cactus.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern Rio Grande Plain, Texas; LRR I, MLRA 83A; moderate extent.

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Live Oak County, Texas; 1997. The name is from a community in the county.

REMARKS: Esseville soils were formerly included with the Monteola series.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Mollic epipedon: 0 to 46 cm (0 to 18 in). (A, Bss, and Bsskyz1 horizon).
Gypsic horizon: 46 to 91 cm (18 to 36 in). (Bsskyz2 and BCssyz horizon).
Vertic properties: slickensides from 13 to 91 cm (5 to 36 in).
Sodic properties: Sodium Adsorption Ratio of more than 13 from 46 to 102 cm (18 to 40 in).

ADDITIONAL DATA: Type Location NSSL sample number: S92TX-297-004; NSSL Pedon Number: 93P-262. Additional data from NSSL sample number: 11N7190 and User Pedon ID: S11TX311107.

SOIL INTERPRETATION RECORD NUMBER: TX1307, TX1308 (gravelly).

TAXONOMIC VERSION: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Twelfth Edition, 2014.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.