LOCATION GLENRIO TX+NM+OKEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey, mixed, superactive, thermic, shallow Ustic Haplocambids
TYPICAL PEDON: Glenrio clay, on an east-facing, convex, about 8 percent slope in rangeland at an elevation of about 3,780 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 4 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) clay, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
Bw--4 to 14 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) clay, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
Cr--14 to 80 inches; red (2.5YR 5/6) shale that has clay texture; massive; violently effervescent, moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Hartley County, Texas; Martha Houghton Road; From the intersection of U.S. Highway 54 and Farm Road 767; 9.3 miles east of Farm Road 767; 0.25 mile north of Farm Road 767 on paved road leading to ranch headquarters and 1.75 miles east in rangeland; Latitude: 41 degrees, 14 minutes, 30 seconds N; Longitude: 102 degrees, 44 minutes, 10 seconds W; Pedarosa Camp, Texas USGS quad; NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: An ustic moisture regime bordering on aridic. The soil moisture control section is dry in some or all parts for more than 205 but less than 270 days, cumulative, in normal years. July through August and December through February are the driest months. These soils are intermittently moist in September through November and March through June.
Mean annual soil temperature: 57 to 59 degrees F.
Depth to paralithic contact: 10 to 20 inches.
Depth to secondary calcium carbonate: 3 to 10 inches.
Solum thickness: 10 to 20 inches
Particle-size control section: 35 to 60 percent silicate clay
A horizon:
Hue: 2.5YR or 5YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 4 to 6
Texture: clay loam, silty clay, clay
Visible calcium carbonate: few films and threads
Coarse fragments: none to few siliceous gravel on the surface
Effervescence: slightly or strongly
Reaction: moderately alkaline
Bw horizon:
Hue: 2.5YR or 5YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 4 to 6
Texture: clay loam, silty clay, clay
Visible calcium carbonate: few films and threads
Effervescence: slightly or strongly
Reaction: moderately alkaline
Cr horizon:
Hue: 2.5YR or 5Y
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 1 to 8
Effervescence: slight to violent
Reaction: moderately alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series. Similar soils include the
Knoco,
Owens,
Quay, and
Vernon series.
Knoco series: does not have a cambic horizon.
Owens and Vernon series: are moist for longer periods, additionally, Vernon soils have a solum greater than 20 inches thick.
Quay series: has a solum greater than 20 inches thick and has a calcic horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: calcareous, clayey alluvium weathered from shale of Triassic and/or Permian age.
Landform: gently sloping to steeply sloping footslopes and low ridges and divides.
Slopes: 1 to 15 percent.
Mean annual air temperature: 55 to 57 degrees.
Mean annual precipitation: 15 to 20 inches.
Frost-free period: 180 to 190 days.
Elevation: 3,200 to 4,000 feet.
Thornthwaite annual P-E Index Values: 25 to 34
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Montoya,
Quay,
Redona,
San Jon, and
Tucumcari series.
Montoya and Tucumcari soils are on lower landscape positions, have a solum greater than 20 inches thick and do not have a cambic horizon.
Quay soils are on similar or slightly higher landscape positions, have a solum greater than 20 inches thick and contain 35 percent or less clay in the control section.
Redona and San Jon soils are on slightly higher landscape positions, have a solum greater than 20 inches thick and contain 35 percent or less clay in the control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Very slow permeability. Surface runoff is low on 0 to 1 percent slopes, medium on 1 to 3 percent slopes, and high on 3 to 5 percent slopes.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are not suited to cropland and are used entirely for rangeland. Native vegetation is principally blue grama, galleta, alkali sacaton, sideoats grama, black grama, buffalograss, four-wing saltbush, western wheatgrass, vine-mesquite, cholla cactus, ring muhly, and broom snakeweed. This series has been correlated to the Red Shale (070EY664TX) range site in MLRA-77.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Glenrio soils are found in the Canadian River Breaks of northwestern Texas and possibly eastern New Mexico (sub-MLRA-70E); The series is of minor extent
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Hartley County, Texas; 1973.
REMARKS: These soils were formerly included in the Owens and Vernon series.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric horizon: 0 to 10 inches. (A horizon)
Cambic horizon: 10 to 14 inches. (Bw horizon)
Paralithic contact: The contact with shale at 14 to 80 inches. (Cr horizon)
Soil interpretations record: TX0356
Taxonomic version: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Eight Edition, 1998.