LOCATION GOLIAD TXEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, hyperthermic Petrocalcic Paleustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Goliad sandy clay loam--rangeland.(Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 28 cm (0 to 11 in); very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) sandy clay loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to weak medium subangular blocky; hard, friable, slightly sticky; common fine and medium roots; common fine pores; few worm casts; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (18 to 30 cm [7 to 12 in] thick)
Bt1--28 to 38 cm (11 to 15 in); brown (7.5YR 5/2) sandy clay, brown (7.5YR 4/2) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium blocky; hard, friable, slightly sticky; common fine roots; few fine pores; common distinct clay films on surface of peds; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (98 to 28 cm [3 to 11 in] thick)
Bt2--38 to 71 cm (15 to 28 in); reddish brown (5YR 5/4) clay, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to strong medium and coarse blocky; very hard, firm, sticky; few fine roots mostly between peds; few fine pores; many prominent clay films on surface of peds that are slightly darker in color than matrix; moderately alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary. (20 to 56 cm [8 to 22 in] thick)
Bkkm1--71 to 97 cm (28 to 38 in); very pale brown (10YR 8/2) and pinkish white (5YR 8/2) strongly cemented caliche that is fractured in the upper 3 to 5 cm (1 to 2 in) at intervals of 10 to 25 cm (4 to 10 in) horizontally; fracture interstices are filled with reddish brown (5YR 5/4) clay; cemented caliche fragments comprised 95 percent of the volume in the upper 5 cm (2 in); moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (13 to 51 cm [5 to 20 in] thick)
Bkkm2--97 to 203 cm (38 to 80 in); light gray (10YR 7/2) weakly cemented caliche that has hardness of about 3 on Moh's scale; about 8 percent by volume rounded nodules of calcium carbonate less than 3 in in diameter within caliche; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Jim Wells County, Texas; 3.0 miles west on State Highway 359 from its intersection with U.S. Highway 281 in Alice; north 10 miles and northwest 2.7 miles on County Road 236; west 2.7 miles on County Road 237 to iron gate; 60 feet southwest in pasture.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The solum thickness and depth to a petrocalcic horizon ranges from 20 to 40 in.
A Horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 3 to 5
Chroma: 1 to 4
Texture: fine sandy loam or sandy clay loam
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline
Bt1 Horizon
Hue: 2.5YR, 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 3 to 6
Chroma: 2 to 6
Texture: sandy clay loam, sandy clay, clay loam, or clay
Clay content: 33 to 50 percent
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline
Bt2 horizon (where present)
Hue: 2.5YR or 5YR
Value: 4 to 6
Chroma: 3 to 6
Texture: clay loam, sandy clay, or clay
Clay content: 37 to 50 percent
Effervescence: none to slight
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline
Btk or Bk Horizon
(where present and is 3 to 10 cm [1 to 4 in]thick)
Hue: 2.5YR to 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 6
Chroma: 3 to 6
Texture: sandy clay, clay, or clay loam
Clay content: 37 to 50 percent
Identifiable secondary carbonate: amount-1 to 15 percent, kind-masses and nodules,
Effervescence: slight to violent
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline
Bkkm Horizons
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 6 to 8
Chroma: 1 to 4
Texture: weakly to strongly cemented calcium carbonate with decreasing cementation with depth
Effervescence: strong or violent
COMPETING SERIES: There are no series in the same family. Similar soils include the Mitre (TX), Parrita (TX), Quihi (TX), Stegall (TX), Tricon (TX) and Yologo (TX) series.
Miter soils: are shallow over petrocalcic; in a thermic soil temperature regime
Parrita soils: are shallow over petrocalcic; have a loamy particle-size control section
Quihi soils: have gravelly surface layer and gravelly argillic horizon
Stegall soils: have a loam surface layer; are in a thermic soil temperature regime
Tricon soils: have a silt loam surface layer; are in a mesic soil temperature regime
Yologo soils: are in a loamy-skeletal particle-size family; are shallow over petrocalcic
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: loamy residuum weathered from sandstone of the Goliad Formation.
Landscape: inland dissected coastal plains
Landform: shoulders of hills
Slope: 0 to 5 percent
Mean annual air temperature range: 21 to 24 degrees C (70 degrees to 75 degrees F).
Mean annual precipitation range: 584 to 838 cm (23 to 33 in)
Precipitation Pattern: Precipitation falls mostly during the months of May through July and September through October. December and January are the driest months.
Frost-free period: 280 to 290 days
Elevation: 61 to 137 m (200 to 450 ft)
Thornthwaite annual P-E indices: 25 to 44
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Clareville(TX),
Delmita (TX),
Olmedo (TX),
Parrita (TX),
Randado (TX),
Runge (TX), and
Weesatche (TX) series.
Claerville and Weesatche soils: are very deep; do not have a petrocalcic horizon; on a landform that is lower on the landscape
Delmita, Parrita, and Randado soils: have a loamy argillic horizon; are on a similar landform
Olmedo soils: do not have an argillic horizon; are very to extremely gravelly throughout; are on a slightly higher landform
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Permeability is moderately slow. Runoff is negligible on 0 to 1 percent slope, very low on 1 to 3 percent slope, and low on 3 to 5 percent slope.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for cropland and rangeland. The principal crops are grain sorghum and cotton. Native grasses include feather bluestem, Arizona cottontop, plains bristlegrass, hooded windmillgrass, gramas, and threeawns. Woody vegetation is mainly mesquite, spiny hackberry, huisache, and some blackbrush. (Clay Loam 25 to 35 in PZ (R083AY629TX) ecological site for sandy clay loam phases; Sandy Loam 25 to 35 in PZ (R083AY407TX) ecological site for fine sandy loam phases).
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central and eastern part of the Rio Grande Plain of Texas; Land Resource Region I; MLRA 83A; the series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Goliad County, Texas; 1910.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon--0 to 28 cm (0 to 11 in) (A horizon).
Argillic horizon--28 to 71 cm (11 to 28 in) (Bt1 and Bt2 horizon).
Petrocalcic horizon--71 to 203 cm (28 to 80 in) (Bkm1 and Bkm2 horizon).