LOCATION GOWKER                  TX

Established Series
Rev. WRM-LCB-CLN-HLH
07/2021

GOWKER SERIES

The Gowker series consists of very deep, moderately well drained, slowly permeable soils that formed in loamy and clayey alluvium. These nearly level soils occur on flood plains of river valleys and dissected plains. Slope range is 0 to 1 percent. Mean annual temperature is 19.4 degrees C (67 degrees F) and mean annual precipitation is 1117.6 mm (44 in).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, siliceous, active, thermic Cumulic Hapludolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Gowker clay loam - pasture. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)

A1--0 to 23 cm (0 to 9 in); very dark gray (10YR 3/1) clay loam; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm; many fine roots; common fine and medium pores; few thin streaks and strata of dark brown clay loam; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary. (15 to 25 cm [6 to 10 in] thick)

A2--23 to 76 cm (9 to 30 in); black (10YR 2/1) clay loam; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm; common fine roots; common fine pores; few thin streaks and strata of dark brown clay loam; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (25 to 64 cm [15 to 25 in] thick)

A3--76 to 86 cm (30 to 34 in); very dark gray (10YR 3/1) clay; moderate medium blocky structure; very hard, very firm, sticky and plastic; common fine roots; few fine pores; neutral; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 25 cm [0 to 15 in] thick) (Combined thickness of A horizons is 61 to 114 cm [24 to 45 in] thick)

Bg1--86 to 112 cm (34 to 44 in); dark gray (10YR 4/1) clay; common fine distinct brown mottles; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, sticky and plastic; few fine roots; few fine pores; few 1-2 mm black concretions; slightly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (18 to 36 cm [7 to 14 in] thick)

Bg2--112 to 152 cm (44 to 60 in); grayish brown (10YR 5/2) sandy clay loam; common fine distinct reddish brown mottles; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and plastic; few fine roots; few fine pores; few fine 1-2 mm. black concretions; very slightly acid. (Combined thickness of B horizons is 61 to 114 cm [24 to 45 in] thick)

TYPE LOCATION: Walker County, Texas; from the Walker County Courthouse in Huntsville, Texas, 12.6 miles northeast on Texas Highway 19; then west on county road 2.35 miles and 125 feet south in pasture.

USGS topographic quadrangle: Riverside, TX;
Latitude: 30 degrees, 52 minutes, 17.30 seconds N;
Longitude: 95 degrees 43 minutes, 17.44 seconds W

Decimal Degrees
Latitude: 30.8714714
Longitude: -95.7215118
Datum: WGS84

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: Typic Udic soil moisture regime. The soil moisture control section is not dry in any part for as long as 90 days in normal years.
Soil Depth: very deep, 152 to greater than 203 cm (60 to greater than 80 in)
Depth to cambic horizon: 61 to 114 cm (24 to 45 in)
Depth to redox concentrations: 61 to 114 cm (24 to 45 in)
Thickness of the mollic epipedon: 61 to 114 cm (24 to 45 in)
Particle-size control section (weighted average)
Clay content: 28 to 35 percent, with clay strata commonly occurring within some part of the control section
Rock fragments: 0 to 3 percent

A1/A2 Horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 2 or 3
Chroma: 1 or 2
Texture: clay loam, sandy clay loam, or loam; some pedons containing thin strata of finer or coarser textures
Mottles: amount-1 to less than 20 percent, size-fine to medium, contrast-distinct, boundary-sharp or clear, location-in the matrix, shades of brown
Effervescence: None
Reaction (pH): moderately acid to slightly acid (5.6 to 6.5)

A3 Horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 2 or 3
Chroma: 1 or 2
Texture: clay, sandy clay, clay loam, loam, or sandy clay loam
Mottles: amount-1 to less than 20 percent, size-fine to medium, contrast-distinct, boundary-sharp or clear, location-in the matrix, shades of brown
Effervescence: None
Reaction (pH): moderately acid to neutral (5.6 to 7.3)

B Horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 3 to 6
Chroma: 1 to 4
Texture: clay, sandy clay, clay loam, loam, or sandy clay loam; some pedons have strata of fine sandy loam or sand
Mottles: none to less than 20 percent, size-fine to medium, contrast-distinct, boundary-sharp or clear, location-in the matrix, shades of brown
Iron-manganese concentrations: 0 to 1 percent
Effervescence: None
Reaction (pH): moderately acid to neutral (5.6 to 7.3)

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series in the same family. Similar soils are the Arrington, Bosque, Cannon, Elbon, Gowen, Gowton, Kanebreak and Staser series.
Arrington soils: have fine-silty control sections.
Bosque and Gowen soils: are dry for longer periods and have ustic moisture regimes.
Cannon soils: contain 15 to 30 percent coarse fragments in all horizons and have mixed mineralogy.
Elbon soils: have thinner mollic epipedons and are in a fine family. Gowton soils: lack slowly permeable clay layers in the control section and have mixed mineralogy.
Kanebreak soils: are wet for longer periods of time and have aquic moisture regimes.
Staser soils: contain mica flakes, are moist for longer periods of time, and have mixed mineralogy.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: loamy and clayey alluvium
Landscape: River Valleys and dissected plains
Landform: Floodplains
Slope: mainly less than 1 percent; some are as much as 2 percent
Mean annual precipitation: 1168 mm (46 in)
Thornthwaite P-E Index: 72
Mean annual air temperature: 20.0 degrees C (68 degrees F).

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Kanebreak, Kaufman and Trinity series.

Kanebreak soils: are wet for longer periods of time.
Kaufman and Trinity soils: have more than 35 percent clay throughout with a very-fine particle-size class.
Trinity soils: are calcareous.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY:
Drainage class: moderately well
Permeability class: slow
Runoff: slow to medium
Flooding: frequent frequency, 1 to 3 or more times annually
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are used for pasture or hardwood timber. Native vegetation is an overstory of cottonwood, sweetgum, green ash, and oak trees with an understory of panicums, Virginia wildrye, sedges, rustyseed paspalums, and switch cane.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mostly in east Texas along streams that contain a mixture of sediments from the Blackland Prairies (MLRA 86) and the Coastal Plain (MLRA 133). Series is of moderate extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Walker County, Texas; 1975.

REMARKS: These soils were formerly included in the Gowen series.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle-size control section: 25 to 100 cm (10 to 40 in) (A2, A3, and Bg1 horizons)

Mollic epipedon - 0 to 86 cm (0 to 34 in) (A horizons).

Cambic horizon - 86 to 152 cm (34 to 60 in) (B horizons)

Redox concentrations - 86 to 152 (34 to 60 in) (B horizons)

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.