LOCATION GRUVER TX+OK NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, superactive, mesic Aridic Paleustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Gruver clay loam, on a nearly level plain, 0.5 percent slopes in cultivated field. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 20 cm (0 to 8 inches); brown (10YR 5/3) clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine granular structure; hard, friable; slightly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (15 to 25 cm thick)
Bt1--20 to 36 cm (8 to 14 inches); brown (10YR 4/3) clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable; few fine root pores; few distinct clay films on ped surfaces; few wormcasts; slightly alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
Bt2--36 to 64 cm (14 to 25 inches); brown (10YR 5/3) clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium blocky structure; very hard, firm; few very fine root pores; few distinct clay films on ped surfaces; slightly alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (8 to 14 inches thick)
Bt3--64 to 132 cm (25 to 52 inches); reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) clay loam, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable; few very fine root pores; few distinct clay films on ped surfaces; few films and filaments of calcium carbonate on ped surfaces and in pores; moderately alkaline; slightly effervescent; gradual wavy boundary. (combined thickness of the Bt horizons is 70 to 100 cm)
Btk1--132 to 173 cm (52 to 68 inches); pink (7.5YR 7/4) clay loam, reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable; few faint clay films on ped surfaces; estimated 15 to 20 percent calcium carbonate by volume in the form of filaments, masses, and nodules; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (50 to 100 cm thick)
Btk2--173 to 213 cm(68 to 84 inches); reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) clay loam, yellowish red (5YR 5/6) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable; few faint clay films on ped surfaces; estimated 1 to 3 percent calcium carbonate by volume in the form of films, filaments, and masses; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Sherman County, Texas; from the intersection of FM 1593 and U.S. Highway 287 approximately 22.5 kilometers (14 miles) south of Stratford; 20.9 kilometers (13 miles) east on FM 1573; 0.8 kilometers (0.5 miles) north on county road; 30 meters (100 feet) northwest in cultivated field; or (0.5 mile) south and 30 meters (100 feet) northwest of the northeast corner of sec. 64, Block 3B, GH&H RR Survey; Latitude: 36 degrees, 08 minutes, 48.4 seconds North; Longitude: 101 degrees, 47 minutes, 22.1 seconds west; Pleasure Pond, Texas USGS quad; NAD 83.
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 180 but less than 205 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: 13 to 15 degrees C (55 to 59 degrees F)
Thickness of the mollic epipedon: 20 to 50 cm (8 to 20 in)
Depth to argillic horizon: 15 to 25 cm (6 to 10 in)
Depth to secondary carbonates: 50 to 150 cm (20 to 60 in)
Depth to calcic horizon: 76 to 150 cm (30 to 60 in)
Solum thickness: more than 203 cm (80 in)
Particle-size control section: 35 to 45 percent silicate clay
Linear Extensibility: averages less than 6 cm to a depth of 100 cm
A horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 4 or 5, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: loam or clay loam
Effervescence: none
Reaction: neutral or slightly alkaline
Upper Bt horizons:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 4 or 5, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4
Texture: clay loam or clay
Effervescence: none or very slight
Reaction: slightly alkaline
Lower Bt horizons:
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 5 or 6, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6
Texture: clay loam or clay
Visible secondary calcium carbonate: less than 2 percent by volume in the form of films and filaments
Effervescence: none or slight
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline
Btk horizons:
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 5 to 7, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 4 to 6
Texture: clay loam or clay
Visible secondary calcium carbonate: 3 to 49 percent by volume in the form of films, filaments, masses, nodules, and finely disseminated carbonates
Effervescence: strong or violent
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline
Btkk horizons (where present):
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 6 to 8, 5 to 7 moist
Chroma: 1 to 4
Texture: clay loam or clay
Visible secondary calcium carbonate: 50 to 70 percent by volume in the form of filaments, masses, nodules, and finely disseminated carbonates
Effervescence: violent
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in this family. Similar soils include the
Dumas,
Hugoton,
Olton,
Oslo,
Perryton,
Sherm,
Texline, and
Zella series.
Perryton and Sherm series: have linear extensibility averaging 7 to 9 cm to a depth of 100 cm.
Dumas and Texline series: have 18 to 35 percent silicate clay in the particle-size control section.
Hugoton and Oslo series: have 18 to 35 percent silicate clay in the particle-size control section and less than 15 percent (by weight) fine sand or coarser in the particle-size control section.
Olton series: have mean annual soil temperature of 15 degrees C or more.
Zella series: have a 20 percent decrease in clay within 150 cm and chroma of less than 5.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: loamy, calcareous eolian sediments of Pleistocene age.
Landform: nearly level to very gently sloping eolian plains.
Slopes: 0 to 3 percent.
Mean annual air temperature: 12 to 14 degrees C (54 to 57 degrees F)
Mean annual precipitation: 432 to 559 mm (17 to 22 in)
Frost-free period: 170 to 200 days
Elevation: 916 to 1,448 meters (3,000 to 4,750 ft)
Thornthwaite annual P-E Index Values: 25 to 36
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the similar
Dumas,
Oslo,
Perryton,
Sherm, and
Texline soils, and the
Conlen,
Dalhart,
Dallam,
Hansford,
Knoblaw,
Lautz,
Plack, and
Sunray soils.
Dumas, Oslo, Perryton, Sherm, and Texline soils: are on similar landscape positions.
Conlen soils: are on summit slopes along draws and have carbonatic mineralogy.
Dalhart and Dallam soils: are on slightly higher landscape positions and have an ochric epipedon.
Hansford, Knoblaw, and Lautz soils: are on the floor of playa basins and are intermittently ponded and have a linear extensibility of more than 6 cm to a depth of 100 cm.
Plack soils: are on landscape positions adjacent to draws and have a petrocalcic horizon.
Sunray soils: are on plains and summit slopes along draws and have 18 to 35 percent silicate clay in the particle-size control section and less than 15 percent (by weight) fine sand or coarser in the particle-size control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained and moderately slow permeability. Runoff is low on 0 to 1 percent slopes and medium on 1 to 3 percent slopes.
USE AND VEGETATION: Mainly cultivated with grain sorghum, winter wheat, and corn the main crops. Climax vegetation is dominantly short grasses with a few mid grasses and includes blue grama and buffalograss, with lesser amounts of vine-mesquite, western wheatgrass, sideoats grama, silver bluestem, and prairie clover. This soil has been correlated to the Deep Hardland (R-077AY001TX) ecological site in MLRA-77A.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern High Plains, Northern Part (MLRA 77A in LRR H) of Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. The series is moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Sherman County, Texas; 1970.
REMARKS: This series revised during the MLRA-77 Update Soil Survey of Hansford County, Texas, 2006. Gruver soils were formerly included in the Richfield or Pullman series.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon: from 0 to 36 cm (Ap and Bt1 horizons)
Argillic horizon: from 20 to 213 cm (Bt1, Bt2, Bt3, Btk1, Btk2 horizons)
Calcic horizon: 132 to 173 cm (Btk1 horizon)
ADDITIONAL DATA: none
TAXONOMIC VERSION: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Tenth Edition, 2006.