LOCATION HOLLEBEKE               TX

Established Series
LEL/RD/ALS
07/2012

HOLLEBEKE SERIES

The Hollebeke series consists of very shallow and shallow, well drained, soils formed in gypseous residuum weathered from the Castile Formation with alluvial and eolian inputs of silicate material. Hollebeke soils are on low hills, and have slopes of 1 to 8 percent. Mean annual air temperature is about 65 degrees F. (18 degrees C) and the mean annual precipitation is about 13 inches (330 mm).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-gypseous, hypergypsic, thermic, shallow Ustic Petrogypsids

TYPICAL PEDON: Hollebeke loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 0.5 inches, (0 to 1 cm); pale brown (10YR 6/3) loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; 7 percent clay; weak medium platy parting to weak fine subangular blocky structure; loose, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine, fine, and medium roots; few very fine and fine pores; 3 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); clear wavy boundary. (0 to 2 inches [0 to 5 cm] thick)

Byy--0.5 to 4 inches, (1 to 10 cm); white (10YR 8/1) gypsiferous silt loam, very pale brown (10YR 8/3) moist; weak thick platy structure; slightly hard, very firm, nonsticky and nonplastic; brittle; few very fine, fine, and medium roots; few very fine and fine pores; 1 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; very slightly effervescent; 92 percent gypsum; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5); clear smooth boundary. (3 to 8 inches [8 to 20 cm] thick)

Byym--4 to 12 inches, (10 to 30 cm); white (10YR 8/1) gypsiferous cemented material, very pale brown (10YR 8/2) moist; massive; very weakly cemented; brittle; moderate excavation difficulty; few very fine, common fine, and common medium roots in cracks; common very fine, common fine, common medium, and common coarse roots on top of horizon; 1 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; very slightly effervescent; 95 percent gypsum; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); very abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 12 inches [10 to 30 cm] thick)

R--12 inches, (30 cm); gypsum bedrock; indurated; very high excavation difficulty; few fine and medium roots on top of bedrock ; 2 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; noneffervescent; 96 percent gypsum; slightly alkaline (pH 7.5).

TYPE LOCATION: Culberson County, Texas; from the intersection of U.S. Highways 62-180 and RM 652 at the New Mexico state line; 16.2 miles south and east on RM 652 to ranch gate; 0.25 mile south on ranch road; and 150 feet west in range. (Seven L Peak TX USGS 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; Latitude 31 degrees, 53 minutes, 0.85 seconds N, Longitude 104 degrees, 19 minutes, 37.67 seconds W, NAD83; UTM Easting 553081 m, UTM Northing 3503214 m, UTM Zone 13N, NAD83.)

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture: The soil is intermittently moist in some part of the soil moisture control section during July to September. It is driest during November to March. Most precipitation occurs as high intensity rain during afternoon convective thunderstorms from June to September. Ustic aridic soil moisture regime.

Soil temperature: 62 to 65 degrees F. (17 to 18 degrees C)

Depth to petrogypsic horizon: 2 to 10 inches (5 to 25 cm)

Depth to lithic contact: 10 to 20 inches (25 to 50 cm)

Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Gypsum equivalent: 80 to 100 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 10 percent
Reaction: slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline

A horizon
Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4, dry or moist
Texture: loam, silt loam
Gypsum equivalent: 0 to 10 percent

Ayy horizon (where present)
Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y, 5Y
Value: 7 or 8, dry or moist
Chroma: 2 to 4, dry or moist
Texture: gypsiferous loam, gypsiferous silt loam
Gypsum equivalent: 80 to 100 percent

Byy horizon
Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y
Value: 7 or 8 dry, 6 to 8 moist
Chroma: 1 to 4, dry or moist
Texture: gypsiferous silt loam, gypsiferous loam
Gypsum equivalent: 80 to 100 percent

Byym horizon
Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y
Value: 7 or 8 dry; 6 to 8 moist
Chroma: 1 to 5, dry or moist
Gypsum equivalent: 80 to 100 percent
Cementation class: extremely weak to moderate

R layer
Bedrock kind: rock gypsum
Cementation class: very strong cemented or indurated

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Pokorny (T) (TX) series. Pokorny soils do not have lithic gyprock within 20 inches (50 cm) of the soil surface.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Hollebeke soils are on low hills in karst. They formed in gypseous residuum weathered from rock gypsum of the Castile Formation, with alluvial and eolian inputs of silicate minerals. Slope range is 1 to 8 percent. Elevation is 4,000 to 5,500 feet (1,219 to 1,676 m). Mean annual precipitation is 12 to 16 inches (305 to 406 mm). The mean annual air temperature is 62 to 67 degrees F. (17 to 19 degrees C). The frost-free period is about 210 to 250 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Dellahunt (T) (TX), Elcor (T) (TX), Joberanch (T) (TX), Niemahr (T) (TX), Pokorny (T) (TX) and Walkerwells (T) (TX) soils. Dellahunt and Walkerwells soils are deep and occur on lower positions. Elcor soils do not have a petrogypsic horizon above the lithic contact and occur higher in the landscape. Joberanch soils have more than 6 inches (15 cm) of silicate material above a petrogypsic horizon and occur on similar landscapes. Niemahr soils have more than 6 inches (15 cm) of silicate material above a lithic contact and occur on lower positions. Pokorny soils do not have a lithic contact within 20 inches (50 cm) of the surface and occur on similar landscapes.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; slow runoff; moderate permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for livestock grazing, wildlife habitat, and oil and gas production. Vegetation physiognomy is very sparse desert grassland. Vegetation includes gyp grama, gyp dropseed, and rough coldenia.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: LRR-D, MLRA 42, Southern Desertic Basins, Plains, and Mountains, Desert Grassland LRU. Associated with rock gypsum outcrops of Castile and Salado Formations. The series is not extensive.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Hudspeth County, Texas; Soil Survey of Hudspeth County, Texas (Main Part), 2012. The series name is from a ranch in the area.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 4 inches (0 to 10 cm) (A and Byy horizons)

Petrogypsic horizon - the zone from 4 to 12 inches (10 to 30 cm) (Byym horizon)

Lithic contact - the boundary at 12 inches (30 cm) (12 in) (R horizon)

Classified according to Soil Taxonomy, Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Eleventh Edition, 2010

Revised for the correlation of Hudspeth County, Texas (Main Part) and Culberson County, Texas (Main Part); July, 2012, NMS

ADDITIONAL DATA: Characterization data from National Soil Survey Laboratory are available for one pedon, S83-TX109-001

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.