LOCATION GRUENE TXEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey, mixed, active, thermic, shallow Petrocalcic Paleustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Gruene clay--rangeland on low ridge.
(Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A1--0 to 13 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) clay, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; strong coarse blocky structure breaking to moderate fine blocky; very hard, very firm; common
fine roots; few chert pebbles and few limestone and chert cobbles
on the surface and within horizon; very gravelly clay layer about
2 inches thick in the lower part; noncalcareous; mildly alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (7 to 16 inches thick)
Ccam--13 to 22 inches; strongly cemented, massive caliche containing embedded rounded siliceous and limestone pebbles;
abrupt wavy boundary. (2 to 24 inches thick)
IIC--22 to 80 inches; stratified very pale brown (10YR 7/4)
very gravelly loam, becoming sandier with depth; some strata have rounded rock fragments up to 6 inches across.
TYPE LOCATION: Hays County, Texas; 4.9 miles north on Interstate Highway 35 from the intersection of Interstate Highway 35 and
State Highway 80 in San Marcos; 550 feet east of access road at
exit No. 210 in pasture.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 7 to 16
inches and corresponds to depth of the petrocalcic horizon. The A horizon is brown, dark brown, very dark gray, or very dark grayish brown in hues of 7.5YR and 10YR with values of 3 and 4 and chromas
of 1 and 2. It is clay or clay loam and contains 0 to 15 percent
by volume of siliceous and limestone pebbles. Structure is blocky
or subangular blocky. Reaction ranges from neutral through mildly alkaline, but is noncalcareous. The A horizon in some pedons has
a thin strata that is very gravelly and calcareous in the lower
part.
The Ccam horizon is massive strongly cemented or indurated caliche containing about 30 to 70 percent by volume of chert and
limestone. The IIC horizon is stratified very gravelly loams and sands. In some pedons there are strata of weakly cemented nongravelly caliche.
COMPETING SERIES: These include the
Slaughter series in the same family and the
Kavett,
Mereta,
Patrick,
Queeny,
Quihi, and
Stephen series. Slaughter, Mereta, and Kavett soils are drier for longer periods. In addition, Slaughter soils have a Bt horizon and
Mereta and Kavett soils are calcareous. Queeny soils are
calcareous and contain less than 35 percent in the control
section. Patrick and Stephen soils lack petrocalcic horizons and
are calcareous. Quihi soils have more than 35 percent coarse fragments in the control section, have a Bt horizon, and have a
solum more than 20 inches thick.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: These soils are on gently sloping ancient
stream terraces. Slopes are convex and are mostly 1 to 5 percent
but range up to 8 percent. The soils formed over thick beds of gravel deposited by streams of Pleistocene Age. The climate is
warm and subhumid; mean annual precipitation ranges from about 30
to 34 inches; mean annual temperature from about 65 degrees to 70 degrees F and the Thornthwaite P-E indices from 42 to 50.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing
Patrick series and the
Branyon,
Krum,
Lewisville, and
Sunev series. They
all lack Petrocalcic horizons and occur at slightly lower
elevations. In addition, Branyon, Krum, Lewisville and Sunev
soils have sola more than 20 inches thick.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained, medium run-off, permeability of the A horizon is moderately slow and of the Petrocalcic horizon very slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: Mainly used for rangeland and as a source of gravel. Local areas are cultivated and used for small grains and hay. Present grasses include Texas wintergrass, buffalograss, Wright's threeawn, pinhole bluestem, fall witchgrass, and silver bluestem. Woody plants include honey mesquite, hackberry, Texas persimmon, and live oak.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South Central Texas. These soils are moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Hays County, Texas; 1981.
REMARKS: The Gruene series was formerly included in the Queeny series.