LOCATION HAMBY TXEstablished Series
The Hamby series consists of very deep, well drained, moderately slowly permeable soils formed in loamy and clayey residuum from cretaceous sediments. These nearly level to gently sloping soils are on plains. Slopes range from 0 to 5 percent.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, active, thermic Typic Paleustalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Hamby fine sandy loam - native rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A1--0 to 6 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/3) fine sandy loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky; common fine roots; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (5 to 12 inches thick)
A2--6 to 10 inches; reddish brown 5YR 5/4) fine sandy loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, nonsticky; common fine roots; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
Bt1--10 to 30 inches; red (2.5YR 4/6) clay, dark red (2.5YR 3/6) moist; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; hard, firm, sticky; clay films on faces of prisms and peds; few fine roots; common fine pores; neutral; gradual smooth boundary. (10 to 30 inches thick)
Bt2--30 to 48 inches; red (2.5YR 5/6) clay, red (2.5YR 4/6) moist; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; hard, firm, sticky; clay films on faces of prisms and peds; few fine roots; common fine pores; neutral; gradual smooth boundary. (15 to 35 inches thick)
Bt3--48 to 66 inches; red (2.5YR 5/8) clay, red (2.5YR 4/8) moist; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; hard, firm, sticky; clay films on faces of peds; few fine pores; slightly alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (8 to 21 inches thick)
Bt4--66 to 83 inches; light red (2.5YR 6/8) clay loam, red (2.5YR 5/8) moist; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky; patchy clay films on faces of peds; few fine pores; slightly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Taylor County, Texas; about 17 miles southwest of Abilene, 2.1 miles southeast on Farm Road 89 from its intersection with U.S. 277, east on unpaved county road 0.3 mile and 100 feet north of road in rangeland.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness is more than 80 inches.
The A horizon has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 3 to 6. It is fine sandy loam or loamy fine sand. It has an abrupt smooth to wavy boundary.
The Bt horizon has hue of 2.5YR or 5YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 4 to 8. Pedons with Bt horizons of 2.5YR throughout have moist values of 4 or more in some part. The Bt1 and Bt2 horizons are sandy clay, clay, or clay loam with clay contents of 35 to 50 percent. The Bt3 and Bt4 horizons are sandy clay loam, sandy clay, or clay. Reaction is neutral or slightly acid in the upper Bt horizons and is neutral to moderately alkaline in the lower Bt horizons. Some pedons are calcareous at depths of 50 to 80 inches. A few pedons have gray or grayish brown mottles below a depth of 30 inches.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Castell, Pedernales, Voca, Weswind, Wichita and Winters series. Similar soils are the Acove, Bluegrove, Grandfield and Miles series. Castell soils are 20 to 40 inches thick over gneiss bedrock. Pedernales soils have calcic horizons within 60 inches. Voca soils have sola 40 to 60 inches thick over granite bedrock. Weswind soils have semiactive CEC activity class, sola less than 80 inches, and are moderately well drained. Wichita soils contain secondary carbonates within 28 inches of the surface and have a calcic horizon in the lower part of the argillic horizon. Winters soils contain secondary carbonates at a depth of 30 to 50 inches. Acove soils have a broken sandstone layer in the upper Bt horizon. Bluegrove soils are 20 to 40 inches thick to bedrock. Grandfield and Miles soils have fine-loamy control sections.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Hamby soils are on plains. Slopes are mostly less than 2 percent, but may range up to 5 percent on convex knobs and footslopes. The soils formed in residuum loamy and clayey cretaceous sediments or outwash from these materials. Mean annual rainfall ranges from 23 to 36 inches, and mean annual air temperature ranges from 60 to 68 degrees F. Frost free days range from 210 to 240 days and elevations range from 1,200 to 2,400 feet. Thornthwaite P-E indices range from 32 to 46.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Demona, Miles, Sagerton and Tillman soils. Demona soils have sandy surface layers 20 to 40 inches thick. Sagerton and Tillman soils have mollic epipedons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Runoff is medium. Permeability is moderately slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: Largely cultivated. The common crops are cotton, grain sorghum, and wheat. Native vegetation includes post oak, hooded windmillgrass, plains bristlegrass and little bluestem.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mainly in the Eastern Rolling Plains (78C) of Texas. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Taylor County, Texas; 1971.
REMARKS: These soils were formerly included in the Pedernales and Winters series.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the A horizons from 0 to 10 inches.
Argillic horizon - the Bt horizons from 10 to 83 inches.
Paleustalfs feature - the clay content of the 48 to 66 inch zone does not decrease more than 20 percent and the chroma is 8.