LOCATION HYE                     TX

Established Series
Rev. WHD-ARG-GLL
01/2016

HYE SERIES

The Hye series consists of moderately deep to sandstone bedrock, well drained soils that formed in residuum from red colored Cambrian age sandstone bedrock. These soils are on gently sloping to moderately sloping footslopes of ridges. Slopes are 0 to 8 percent. Mean annual air temperature is about 18.9 degrees C (66 degrees F), and mean annual precipitation is about 737 mm (29 in).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic Typic Haplustalfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Hye fine sandy loam--in rangeland.
(Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

A1--0 to 30 cm (0 to 12 in); brown (7.5YR 5/4) fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, very friable, slightly sticky; common fine and medium roots; common fine pores; common fine wormcasts and burrows; few fine black concretions; neutral; gradual smooth boundary.

A2--30 to 46 cm (12 to 18 in); reddish brown (5YR 4/4) fine sandy loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, very friable, slightly sticky; common fine roots; few fine and medium pores; common wormcasts; few fine black concretions; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary. Combined thickness of the A horizon is 20 to 56 cm (8 to 22 in)

Bt1--46 to 66 cm (18 to 26 in); reddish brown (5YR 5/4) sandy clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine granular structure; hard, friable; sticky; common fine roots; common thin clay films on faces of peds; many clay films on fragments of sandstone; estimated 20 percent by volume angular fragments of sandstone oriented in a horizontal line 50 mm (2 in) thick; common fine and medium black concretions and darkened fragments of sandstone; slightly acid; gradual smooth boundary.

Bt2--66 to 91 cm (26 to 36 in); yellowish red (5YR 5/6) sandy clay loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; weak medium subangular and angular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky; common thin clay films on faces of peds; many clay films on fragments of sandstone; estimated 10 percent angular fragments of sandstone that are less than 3 mm (0.12 in) in diameter; common fine iron concretions; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary. Combined thickness of the Bt horizon is 25 to 56 cm (10 to 22 in)

R--91 to 116 cm (36 to 46 in); unweathered indurated sandstone bedrock.

TYPE LOCATION: Blanco County, Texas; from the intersection of U.S. Highway 281 and Ranch Road 962 in Round Mountain; 6.1 miles northwest on Ranch Road 962, 0.7 mile southwest on the Round Mountain to county road; and 150 feet southeast of the road in rangeland.
USGS topographic quadrangle: Howell Mountain, Texas;
Latitude: 30 degrees, 28 minutes, 22.7 seconds N;
Longitude: 98 degrees, 25 minutes, 53.4 seconds W.;
Datum: NAD83

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: A typic ustic moisture regime
Depth to Lithic contact: 50 to 100 cm (20 to 40 in)
Depth to argillic horizon: 20 to 56 cm (8 to 22 in)

Particle-size control section (weighted average)
Clay content: 18 to 35 percent

A horizon
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 4 or 5, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6, dry or moist
Other features: In pedons where moist value and chroma are 3 or less, the epipedon is not thick enough for a mollic epipedon.
Texture: Coarse sandy loam, sandy loam, or fine sandy loam
Clay content: 10 to 20 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent; gravels and cobbles; sandstone
Electrical conductivity (mmhos/cm): 0 to 2
Effervescence: none
Reaction (pH): slightly acid or neutral (6.1 to 7.3)

Bt horizon
Hue: 2.5YR to 7.5YR
Value: 4 or 5, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6, dry or moist
Texture: Fine sandy loam, sandy clay loam or clay loam, and gravelly modifier
Clay content: 18 to 35 percent
Fragments: 2 to 30 percent; gravels and cobbles; sandstone; some pedons have discontinuous stone lines 12 to 102 mm (0.5 to 4 in) thick of sandstone
Mottles: Some pedons have brown, yellow, and gray mottles below a depth of 76 cm (30 in)
Electrical conductivity (mmhos/cm): 0 to 2
Effervescence: none
Reaction (pH): slightly acid or neutral (6.1 to 7.3)

R layer
Kind: Sandstone bedrock
Cementation: Strongly cemented or indurated
Fracture interval: 0.6 to 3.6 m (2 to 12 ft)
Location: roughly parallels the surface

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Grandfield, Honeycreek, Rochelle, and Seagraves soils in the same family. Similar soils are the Campair, Cisco, Cobb, Lou, and Menard series.
Campair soils: have siliceous mineralogy and an active CEC class
Cisco soils: have siliceous mineralogy and no restrictive layer
Cobb soils: have an active CEC class and a paralithic contact
Grandfield, Rochelle, and Seagraves soils: have no restrictive layer
Honeycreek soils: deep to paralithic contact
Menard soils: have an active CEC class and no restrictive layer

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: loamy red residuum weathered from the Hickory Sandstone member of Upper Cambrian Age
Landscape: Dissected plateau
Landform: Footslopes of ridges
Slope: 0 to 8 percent
Slope shape: smooth and convex
Precipitation Pattern: The majority of the yearly amount occurs during the fall and spring months. The winter and summer months are normally drier.
Mean annual precipitation: 660 to 864 mm (26 to 34 in)
Thornthwaite P-E index: 40 to 46
Mean annual air temperature: 18.3 to 19.4 (65 to 67 degrees F)
Frost-free period: 215 to 235 days
Elevation: 274.3 to 609.6671 m (900 to 2,000 ft)

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Brackett, Click, Eckert, Harper, Hensley, Keese, Nebgen, Oben, and Pedernales soils.
Brackett, Eckert, Harper, and Hensley soils: occur on backslopes and summits of ridges and are underlain by limestone
Click soils: occur on backslopes and summits of ridges, have a loamy-skeletal particle size control section, lithic contact is below 100 cm (40 in), and are underlain by granite
Keese soils: occur on backslopes and summits of ridges, have clay content of less than 20 percent clay in the particle size control section, and shallow to moderately cemented granite
Nebgen soils: occur on backslopes and summits of ridges, lithic contact is less than 50 cm (20 in), and do not have Bt horizons.
Oben soils: occur on backslopes and summits of ridges and a paralithic contact is less than 50 cm (20 in)
Pedernales soils: occur on similar surfaces but have more than 35 percent clay in the particle-size control section, and have no restrictive layer within 150 cm (60 in)

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Permeability is moderate. Runoff is negligible on slopes less than 1 percent, low on 1 to 5 percent slopes, and medium on 5 to 8 percent slopes.

USE AND VEGETATION: Most is used for rangeland. Some is used for cropland. Crops grown are peanuts, small grain, and grain sorghum. Native vegetation is mainly little bluestem, sand lovegrass, and sideoats grama in a live oak and post oak savannah. The ecosite is Red Sandy Loam (R082AY369TX.)

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Texas; Southwest Plateaus and Plains Range and Cotton Region, LRR-I; MLRA 82A-Texas Central Basin. This series is of moderate extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Blanco County, Texas; 1977.

REMARKS: The Hye series was formerly included in the Cobb series which has a drier soil moisture regime.

Edited 01/2016 (RFG-THW): Added additional properties to the range-in-characteristics. Updated competing series, geographic setting, and associated soils sections.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: 0 to 46 cm (0 to 18 in) (A horizon).
Argillic horizon: 46 to 91 cm (18 to 36 in) (Bt horizon).
Lithic contact: 91 cm (36 in) (top of R layer)

ADDITIONAL DATA: None

Taxonomic Version: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Twelfth Edition, 2014.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.