LOCATION GRACEMONT OK+KSEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, calcareous, thermic Oxyaquic Udifluvents
TYPICAL PEDON: Gracemont fine sandy loam--pasture. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 14 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) fine sandy loam; weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable; calcareous; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (6 to 18 inches thick)
C1--14 to 34 inches; dark red (2.5YR 3/6) fine sandy loam; massive; slightly hard, friable; has strata up to 3 inches thick of darker loam that are separated from the mass with evident bedding planes; a few soft masses of calcium carbonate; calcareous; moderately alkaline; water table at 24 inches; clear smooth boundary. (10 to 30 inches thick)
C2--34 to 46 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) fine sandy loam; massive; very friable; highly stratified with browner material; common soft masses of calcium carbonate; calcareous; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)
Ab--46 to 64 inches; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) loam; massive; friable; common soft masses of calcium carbonate; calcareous; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Caddo County, Oklahoma; 1 mile north of Gracemont; 855 feet north and 2550 feet west of the southeast corner of sec. 33, T. 9 N., R. 10 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: These soils are moderately alkaline and calcareous throughout. In some pedons, the upper 10 inches of the soil is leached of lime and is neutral or slightly alkaline. Saline phases are recognized. The Ab horizon, where present, occurs at depths below 10 inches.
The A horizon has hue of 2.5YR to 10YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 2 to 6. Where the moist color value and chroma is less than 3.5, the thickness is less than 10 inches. Texture of the upper 10 inches of the A horizon is loamy fine sand, fine sandy loam, loam, and the overwash phase has silty clay loam, clay loam, silty clay or clay and below 10 inches is fine sandy loam or loam. The electrical conductivity of the saturation extract ranges from 0 to 16 dS/m (mmhos/cm).
The C horizon has hue of 2.5YR to 10YR, value of 3 to 6, and chroma of 2 to 8. Texture is fine sandy loam, very fine sandy loam or loam stratified with thin strata of coarser or finer material. The electrical conductivity of the saturation extract ranges from 0 to 16 dS/m (mmhos/cm).
The Ab horizon has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 2 to 4, and chroma of 1 to 4. Texture is fine sandy loam or loam. Below 40 inches clay loam is included. The Ab horizon is absent in some pedons.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in this family. Soils in similar families are Boggy (OK), Gracemore (OK), Kiomatia (TX), Norwood (TX), Oklared (OK), Pulaski (OK), Tribbey (OK), Tullahassee (OK), and Yahola (OK) series. Boggy, Tribbey, and Tullahassee soils are noncalcareous throughout the control section. In addition, Boggy soils have siliceous mineralogy. Kiomatia soils have a sandy control section and lack a water table within 40 inches of the surface. Gracemore soils have a sandy control section. Norwood soils are fine-silty. Oklared, Pulaski, and Yahola soils lack a water table above 40 inches most of the time. In addition, Pulaski soils are noncalcareous in the control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Gracemont soils are on nearly level to very gently sloping narrow flood plains of Central Rolling Red Prairies (MLRA-80A) and Central Rolling Red Plains (MLRA-78C). Slopes are 0 to 2 percent. The soil formed in calcareous sandy and loamy alluvium of Recent age. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 22 to 38 inches. Mean annual temperature ranges from 57 to 64 degrees F. Thornthwaite annual P-E indices range from 32 to 64. Frost free days range from 185 to 230. Elevation ranges from 700 to 2300 feet.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Clairemont, Gracemore, Lincoln, Pulaski, Westola and Yahola series. Clairemont soils have fine-silty texture control sections, and lack a water table within 40 inches of the surface. Gracemore soils have sandy texture control sections and are usually closer to the stream channel. Lincoln, Westola, Pulaski and Yahola soils are usually on slightly higher areas and lack a water table within 40 inches of the surface.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Gracemont soils are somewhat poorly drained. These soils have endosaturation within 40 inches of the surface most of the year and within 18 inches from November through May. Runoff is negligible. Permeability is moderately rapid or moderate. The soils are frequently or occasionally flooded; duration is brief or very brief during months of March through August.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for grazing beef cattle. Much of the soil is used for tame pasture. Occasionally flooded soils are suited to cultivated crops. Native vegetation is tamarisk, eastern cottonwood, alkali sacaton, inland saltgrass, switchgrass, sand bluestem, Indiangrass, and eastern gamagrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Rolling Red Plains (MLRA-78C) and Central Rolling Red Prairies (MLRA-80A) of Oklahoma. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Caddo County, Oklahoma; 1970.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and other features:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from the soil surface to a depth of 14 inches (A horizon).
Endosaturation. Oxyaquic - saturated with water within 100 cm of the mineral soil surface, for 1 month or more per year in 6 or more out of 10 years, but do not have redoximorphic depletions with a chroma of 2 or less.
Fluventic - irregular decrease in organic matter content.
Soil Interpretation Record: Series OK0073; Saline OK0074;
Variant OK0314; Loamy Saline OK0404; Loamy OK0405