LOCATION HEALDTON OKEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, active, thermic Vertic Natraqualfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Healdton silt loam, tame pasture. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 6 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) silt loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; moderate medium platy structure parting to weak medium granular; hard, friable; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) coatings on faces of peds; slightly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
Btn1--6 to 10 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) silty clay, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; moderate coarse columnar structure parting to moderate medium blocky; extremely hard, very firm; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) silt coatings on faces of peds and columns; clay films on faces of peds; slightly alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (4 to 16 inches thick)
Btn2--10 to 26 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) silty clay, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; moderate medium blocky structure; extremely hard, extremely firm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) silt coatings on faces of peds; clay films on faces of peds; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (9 to 16 inches thick)
BC--26 to 45 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) silty clay, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak coarse blocky structure; extremely hard, extremely firm; dark gray (10YR 4/1) silt coatings on faces of peds; common films and soft masses of salts; few fine calcium carbonate concretions; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (15 to 29 inches thick)
C--45 to 80 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) silty clay, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; extremely hard, extremely firm; few fine soft masses and concretions of calcium carbonate; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Carter County, Oklahoma; about 2 miles west and 2 miles south of Gene Autry School; about 350 feet north and 25 feet east of the southwest corner of sec. 35, T. 3 S., R. 2 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 40 to 60 inches. Depth to secondary carbonates range from 40 to 65 inches.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 6, and chroma of 1 to 3. Texture is silt loam or silty clay loam. Reaction ranges from moderately acid to neutral. The boundary from the A to the Btn horizon is abrupt or clear.
The Btn1 horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 1 or 2. Some pedons have redoximorphic concentrations in shades of brown. Texture is clay or silty clay. The exchangeable sodium percentage ranges from 15 to 25. Most pedons have brownish or grayish silt coatings on faces of peds. Reaction ranges from neutral to moderately alkaline.
The Btn2 horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 1 to 3, or hue of 7.5YR, value of 4, and chroma of 2. Some pedons have redoximorphic depletions and concentrations in shades of gray or brown. Texture is clay or silty clay. The exchangeable sodium percentage ranges from 15 to 25 percent. Most pedons have brownish or grayish silt coatings on faces of peds. Reaction ranges from neutral to moderately alkaline.
The BC horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 1 to 3 or hue of 7.5YR, value of 5, and chroma of 4. Some pedons have redoximorphic concentrations and depletions in shades of brown or gray. Most pedons have dark gray silt coatings. Texture is clay or silty clay. Reaction is slightly or moderately alkaline.
The C horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 1 to 4 or hue of 7.5YR, value of 5, and chroma of 4 to 6. Texture and reaction are the same as the BC horizon.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in this family. Soils in similar families are the Carytown, Doolin, Drummon, Foard, Hinkle, Huska, Oscar, Pawhuska, Santanela, Seminole, Wakita, and Wing series. Carytown soils have more than 15 percent sodium saturation deeper than 6 inches of the upper boundary of the natric horizon, and the depth to the natric horizon is more than 16 inches from the soils surface. Doolin, Foard, and Seminole soils have mollic epipedons and are dry for longer periods. In addition, Doolin and Foard soils have montmorillonitic mineralogy. Drummon, Hinkle, Huska, Pawhuska, and Wing soils do not have an aquic moisture regime and do not have dominant chroma of 2 or less in coatings on the surface of peds and mottles within the argillic horizon. In addition, Hinkle soils have montmorillonitic mineralogy. Oscar and Wakita soils have fine-silty control sections and are dry for longer periods. Santanela soils have fine-loamy control sections.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Healdton soils are on nearly level flood plains in the Grand Prairie. Slopes range from 0 to 1 percent. They formed in silty alluvium of Recent age or Quaternary age. Climate is moist subhumid. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 30 to 40 inches. Mean annual temperature ranges from 60 to 64 degrees F. Thornthwaite annual P-E indices ranges from 48 to 64. Frost free days range from 200 to 230. Elevation ranges from 700 to 1200 feet.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Elandco and Watonga series. Elandco soils occur on similar areas, have fine-silty control sections, and do not have natric horizons. Watonga soils occur on similar areas and do not have natric horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Healdton soils are moderately well drained; runoff is high; and permeability is very slow. These soils have a perched water table that ranges from 0.5 to 1.5 feet of the soils surface for short periods of time during November to April. These soils are subject to flooding during March to October.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for rangeland or tame pasture. Some areas are cultivated to small grains or forage sorghums. Native vegetation is mainly salt tolerant grasses and scattered bottomland hardwood trees.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Grand Prairie of Oklahoma and possibly Texas. The series is of minor extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Carter County, Oklahoma; 1975.
REMARKS: Healdton soils were formerly included in the Oscar series.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of approximately 6 inches (Ap horizon).
Natric horizon - the zone from approximately 6 to 26 inches (Btn1 and Btn2 horizons).
Aqualfs features - matrix colors with chroma of 1 in the argillic horizon (Btn1 and Btn2 horizons).
ADDITIONAL DATA: Oklahoma State University; lab sample 74-OK-10-2.