LOCATION GALVESTON TX

Established Series
GC-RM-AKS
08/2025

GALVESTON SERIES

Depth class: Very deep
Drainage class: Moderately well drained
Flooding frequency and duration: Occasional, brief
Saturated hydraulic conductivity: High and very high
Parent material: Sandy eolian deposits
Slopes: 0 to 3 percent
Mean annual air temperature: 21 degrees C (70 degrees F)
Mean annual precipitation: 1016 millimeters (40 inches)

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Mixed, hyperthermic Aquic Udipsamments

TYPICAL PEDON: Galveston fine sand on a nearly level native rangeland at an elevation of 2.5 meters (8 feet). (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)

A1--0 to 9 centimeters; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) fine sand; single grain; loose; many fine roots and many very fine roots; many fine interstitial pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary.

A2--9 to 15 centimeters; brown (10YR 5/3) fine sand; single grain; loose; many very fine and fine roots; many fine interstitial pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.4); clear smooth boundary. (combined A horizons are 13 to 28 centimeters thick)

C1--15 to 28 centimeters; pale brown (10YR 6/3) fine sand; single grain; loose; common very fine and fine roots; common fine interstitial pores; neutral (pH 7.2); clear smooth boundary.

C2--28 to 61 centimeters; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) fine sand; single grain; loose; common very fine and fine roots; few fine interstitial pores; 1 percent fine prominent yellowish red (5YR 4/6) masses of oxidized iron; moderately alkaline (pH 7.9); gradual smooth boundary.

C3--61 to 82 centimeters; very pale brown (10YR 7/4) fine sand; single grain; loose; few very fine and fine roots; 5 percent fine prominent yellowish red (5YR 4/6) masses of oxidized iron; 1 percent shell fragments; moderately alkaline (pH 8.2); gradual smooth boundary. (39 to 128 centimeters, combined thickness of C horizons)

Cg1--82 to 103 centimeters; 70 percent gray (10YR 6/1) and 30 percent very pale brown (10YR 7/3) fine sand; single grain; loose; few very fine roots; 3 percent fine prominent olive yellow (2.5Y 6/6) masses of oxidized iron; 1 percent shell fragments; strongly alkaline (pH 8.5); gradual smooth boundary.

Cg2--103 to 132 centimeters; gray (2.5Y 6/1) fine sand; single grain; loose; few very fine roots; 2 percent fine prominent olive yellow (2.5Y 6/6) masses of oxidized iron; 1 percent shell fragments; strongly alkaline (pH 8.9); gradual smooth boundary.

Cg3--132 to 146 centimeters; gray (N 5/) fine sand; single grain; loose; few very fine roots; 3 percent fine prominent olive yellow (2.5Y 6/6) masses of oxidized iron; 1 percent shell fragments; strongly alkaline (pH 9.0); gradual smooth boundary.

Cg4--146 to 180 centimeters; gray (N 5/) fine sand; single grain; loose; 1 percent shell fragments; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.2); gradual smooth boundary.

Cg5--180 to 200 centimeters; gray (N 5/) fine sand; single grain; loose; 1 percent shell fragments; very strongly alkaline (pH 9.3).

TYPE LOCATION: Galveston County, Texas; approximately 213 meters (699 feet) east of the intersection of South Sunset Bay Drive and East Sunset Bay Drive, approximately 253 meters (830 feet) northeast of the intersection of West Sunset Bay Drive and FM 3005; USGS quadrangle: Sea Isle, TX

Latitude: 29.1497123
Longitude: -95.0285053
Datum: WGS84
Coordinate source: From hand-held GPS

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to bedrock: Greater than 200 centimeters
Moisture regime: Udic
Depth to redox features: 28 to 82 centimeters
Electrical conductivity throughout: 0 to 2 dS/meter
Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content-0 to 5 percent
Sand content-90 to 99 percent

A horizon:
Hue-10YR or 2.5Y
Value-4 to 7
Chroma-1 to 3
Texture-sand, fine sand, or loamy fine sand
Reaction-moderately acid to moderately alkaline (pH 5.6 to 8.4)
Sodium adsorption ratio-0 to 5

C horizon:
Hue-10YR
Value-5 to 8
Chroma-1 to 3
Texture-fine sand
Redox concentrations-0 to 2 percent
Reaction-slightly acid to moderately alkaline (pH 6.1 to 8.4)
Sodium adsorption ratio-4 to 10

Cg horizon:
Hue-10YR or N
Value-5 to 8
Chroma-0 to 2
Texture-fine sand
Redox concentrations-0 to 10 percent
Reaction-neutral to strongly alkaline (pH 6.6 to 9.3)
Sodio adsorption ratio-13 to 23

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Felicity soil series. Similar soils are Cheniere, Felicty, and Falfurrias.
Cheniere soils: have carbonatic mineralogy.
Falfurrias soils: are dry for longer periods of time.
Felicity soils: have a broader range of textures throughout, have lower color values and occur on slightly lower positions on the landscape.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: Sandy eolian deposits
Landscape: Barrier islands
Landform: Back-barrier flats or foredunes
Slope: 0 to 3 percent
Mean annual air temperature: 20 to 23 degrees C (69 to 71 degrees F)
Mean annual precipitation: 609 to 1499 millimeters (24 to 59 inches)
Frost-free period: 330 to 365 days
Elevation: 0 to 8 meters (0 to 25 feet)

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
These are Brazosport, Drumbay, Mustang, Nass, Sanluis, and Satatton soils.
Brazosport and Satatton soils: are sodic throughout, wetter, and on a lower landscape position.
Drumbay soils: are somewhat poorly drained, on similar landforms, but in lower water receiving areas.
Mustang soils: are on lower interdune landscape positions.
Nass soils: have higher percentages of clay throughout and are in depressions.
Sanluis soils: are drier, have Cg horizons lower in their profiles and are slightly higher on the landscape.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class: Moderately well drained
Saturated hydraulic conductivity: High and very high
Flooding frequency and duration: Occasional, brief
Seasonal water table: 28 to 82 centimeters
Surface runoff: Very low

USE AND VEGETATION:
Major uses: Native rangeland, wildlife habitat, and recreation land.
Native vegetation: Mainly bunch grasses such as switchgrass, seacoast bluestem, sea-oats, common reedgrass, and gulfdune paspalum. Forbs include soilbind morninglory. Some areas have clumps of sweetbay, redbay, and dwarf live oak.
Ecological sites: R150BY530TX-Northern Coastal Sand

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
General area: Mainly on barrier islands of the central coast of Texas.
Land Resource Region: T - Atlantic and Gulf Coast Lowland Forest and Crop Region
MLRA(s): 150B-Gulf Coast Saline Prairies
Extent: Moderate

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Special Projects Office

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Brazoria County, Texas, 1907

REMARKS:
Typical pedon taxonomic features:
Endosaturation: 82 to 200 centimeters (Cg horizons)
Ochric epipedon: 0 to 15 centimeters (A horizons)
Redox concentrations: 28 to 146 centimeters (some C and Cg horizons)
Reduced matrix: 82 to 210 centimeters (Cg horizons)
Taxonomic Version: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, 13th edition (2022)

ADDITIONAL DATA:
TAMU soil characterization lab data on S95TX167002 at the type location. Mixed sand mineralogy confirmed on similar soils.

OSD User Pedon ID: S1995TX167002
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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.