LOCATION KERRICK TX+NM OKEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Petrocalcic Calciustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Kerrick loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 25 cm (0 to 10 inches); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable; many roots; common wormcasts; few calcium carbonate nodules up to 5 mm in size; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (20 to 36 cm thick)
Bk1--25 to 41 cm (10 to 16 inches); light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) clay loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; weak coarse prismatic parting to weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable; few roots; few fine pores; many wormcasts; about 10 percent by volume of calcium carbonate as masses and fine nodules; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (5 to 9 inches thick)
Bk2--41 cm to 79 cm (16 to 31 inches); brown (7.5YR 5/4) clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium granular structure; hard, very friable; common very pale brown (10YR 8/2) coatings of calcium carbonate on faces of peds; about 40 percent by volume of calcium carbonate as masses, nodules, and finely disseminated carbonates; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (combined thickness of the Bk horizons is 25 to 76 cm)
2Bkkm--79 to 97 cm (31 to 38 inches); very pale brown (10YR 7/3) indurated platy caliche; laminar in the upper 2 cm and strongly cemented below; plates are 2 to 15 cm thick; hardness of about 4 Mohs scale; moderately alkaline, clear wavy boundary. (10 to 76 cm thick)
2Bkk1--97 to 122 cm (38 to 48 inches); very pale brown (10YR 7/4) gravelly loam; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; massive; hard, very friable; about 30 percent petrocalcic fragments up to 4 cm across; about 60 percent by volume of calcium carbonates as masses, nodules, and finely disseminated carbonates; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (13 to 76 cm thick)
2Bkk2--122 to 203 cm (48 to 80 inches); light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; massive; hard, very friable; about 10 percent petrocalcic fragments up to 2 cm across; about 40 percent by volume of calcium carbonates as masses, nodules, and finely disseminated carbonates; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Dallam County, Texas; approximately 0.6 kilometers (0.4 mile) west of the northeast corner of Section 7, Block 11 of the FDW survey; about 20.9 kilometers (13.0 miles) east of Texline on Farm Road 296 and 1879 on county dirt road, and 3.2 kilometers (2.0 miles) south into pasture on the Panhandle National Grasslands; Latitude: 36 degrees, 21 minutes, 55 seconds N; Longitude: 102 degrees, 45 minutes, 28 seconds, Perico Texas USGS quad; NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: An ustic moisture regime bordering on aridic. The soil moisture control section is dry in some or all parts for more than 180 but less than 220 days, cumulative, in normal years. July through August and December through February are the driest months. These soils are intermittently moist in September through November and March through June.
Mean annual soil temperature: 13 to 15 degrees C (54 to 59 degrees F)
Depth to calcic horizon: 20 to 50 cm (10 to 30 in)
Depth to petrocalcic horizon: 50 to 100 cm (20 to 40 in)
Particle-size control section: 18 to 35 percent silicate clay
A horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 4 or 5, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: loam, clay loam
Effervescence: strong or violent
Reaction: moderately alkaline
Bk horizons:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 4 to 8, 3 to 7 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: loam, clay loam, silty clay loam
Visible calcium carbonates: 10 to 60
Effervescence: violent
Reaction: moderately alkaline
2Bkkm horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 7 or 8, 7 moist
Chroma: 1 to 3
This horizon has a laminar upper surface from 1 to 7 cm thick and caliche plates that are 2 to 15 cm thick. Hardness ranges from 2 to about 4 on Mohs scale.
2Bkk horizons:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 6 to 8, 5 to 7 moist
Chroma: 1 to 4
Texture: loam, clay loam, silty clay loam, and their gravelly counterparts
Coarse fragments: 5 to 35 percent petrocalcic fragments
Visible calcium carbonates: 40 to 70 percent by volume consisting of carbonate masses and nodules.
Effervescence: violent
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in this family. Similar soils include the
Laverne,
Plack, and
Potter series.
Laverne series: have a petrocalcic horizon less than 50 cm deep and soil temperatures more than 15 degrees C.
Plack series: have a petrocalcic horizon less than 50 cm deep.
Potter series: have a loamy-skeletal particle size control section and soil temperatures more than 15 degrees C.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: loamy eolian deposits of Pleistocene age over indurated caliche of Pliocene age.
Landform: nearly level to gently sloping eolian plain.
Slopes: 0 to 5 percent
Mean annual air temperature: 12 to 14 degrees C (54 to 57 degrees F)
Mean annual precipitation: 432 to 559 mm (17 to 22 in)
Frost-free period: 170 to 200 days
Elevation: 916 to 1,448 meters (3,000 to 4,759 ft)
Thornthwaite annual P-E Index Values: 25 to 36
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
These are the similar
Plack series and the
Conlen,
Oslo,
Potter,
Sunray, and
Texline series.
Plack soils: are on similar landscape positions.
Oslo, Sunray, and Texline soils: are on similar landscape positions and have an argillic horizon.
Conlen soils: are on similar landscape positions and have carbonatic mineralogy.
Plack soils: are on similar landscape positions.
Potter soils: are on slightly lower landscape positions.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained and moderate permeability. Surface runoff is negligible on 0 to 1 percent slopes and low on 1 to 5 percent slopes.
USE AND VEGETATION: Primarily used for livestock grazing. Where cultivated, the principal crops are grain sorghum, small grains, and forage crops. Native vegetation consists of buffalograss, blue grama and sideoats grama. This soil has been correlated to the Limey Upland (R-077AY006TX) ecological site in MLRA-77A.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern High Plains, Northern Part (MLRA 77A in LRR H) north of the Canadian River in Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. The series is of minor extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Dallam County, Texas; 1970.
REMARKS: Series revised MLRA-77 Soil Survey; Hansford County, Texas; 2006.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon: 0 to 25 cm (0 to 10 in). (A horizon)
Calcic horizon: 40 to 79 cm (16 to 31 in). (Bk2 horizon)
Petrocalcic horizon: 79 to 97 cm (31 to 38 in). (2Bkkm horizon)
ADDITIONAL DATA: none
TAXONOMIC VERSION: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Tenth Edition, 2006.