LOCATION MALOTERRE TX
Established Series
Rev. BJW
04/2022
MALOTERRE SERIES
The Maloterre series consists of very shallow, somewhat excessively drained, moderately slow permeable soils that formed in residuum weathered from Lower Cretaceous age limestone. These soils occur on summits, shoulders, and backslopes of ridges and hills. The slope range is 1 to 20 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 711 to 889 mm (28 to 35 in) and mean annual air temperature is about degrees 17.8 to 20 degrees C (64 to 68 degrees F).
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, carbonatic, thermic Lithic Ustorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Maloterre gravelly clay loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 20 cm (0 to 8 in); grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly clay loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky and granular structure; hard, firm; contains 25 percent by volume of fragments of fine shell and limestone; a few fragments of limestone from 8 to 20 cm (3 to 8 in) in diameter occur on the surface; moderately alkaline; calcareous; abrupt smooth boundary Thickness is 8 to 25 cm (3 to 10 in.)
R--20 to 25 cm (8 to 10 in); indurated limestone containing many imbedded fossil shell, massive and unfractured, hardness of about 3 on Moh's scale.
TYPE LOCATION: Erath County, Tx; from the Erath County Courthouse in Stephenville, Texas, about 17 miles southeast on Texas Highway 67 to the intersection of Texas Highways 67 and 220; then 0.1 mile northwest on Texas Highway 67 and 60 feet north of highway fence in rangeland. USGS topographic quadrangle: Chalk Mountain, Texas; Latitude: 32 degrees, 9 minutes, 10.64 seconds N; Longitude: 97 degrees, 55 minutes, 19.86 seconds W; Datum: WGS84. UTM Easting 601638.72 m, UTM Northing 3557898.74 m, UTM Zone 14.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: Ustic soil moisture regime. The soil moisture control section is dry in some or all parts for more than 90, but less than 120 days in normal years.
Depth to lithic contact: 8 to 25 cm (3 to 10 in)
Particle-size control section (weighted average)
Clay content: 30 to 45 percent
Rock fragments: 5 to 35 percent
A horizon
Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y, 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 7
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: gravelly clay loam, gravelly clay, clay loam, or clay
Clay content: 30 to 45 percent
Non-Carbonate Clay content: less than 35
Rock fragments: 5 to 35 percent; 2 to 75 mm; indurated limestone
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 40 to 80 percent
Effervescence: strong to violent
Reaction(pH): moderately (7.9 to 8.4)
.
R layer
Indurated white limestone to conglomerate limestone with many imbedded fossil shells.
COMPETING SERIES: Similar soils are the
Brackett,
Dugout,
Ector,
Eddy,
Latom,
Nebgen,
Tarrant, and
Yates series.
Brackett and
Dugout soils: are deeper and have cambic horizons.
Ector,
Eddy, and
Yates soils: contain more than 35 percent coarse fragments. In addition, Ector soils have dark A horizons and Eddyand
Brackett soils, lack lithic contacts.
Latom and
Nebgen soils: contain less than 40 percent calcium carbonate and have a lithic contact with sandstone.
Tarrant soils: have mollic epipedons, montmorillonitic mineralogy and contain more than 35 percent rock fragments.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: Residuum derived from limestones of Lower Cretaceous Age
Landscape: Hills
Landform: Summits, shoulders, and backslopes of ridges
Slope: 1 to 20 percent
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: 711 to 889 mm (28 to 35 in)
Thornthwaite P-E Index: 44 to 54
Mean annual air temperature: 17.8 to 20 degrees C (64 to 68 degrees F)
Frost-free period: 197 to 263 days
Elevation: 190.5 to 472.4 m (625 to 1550 ft)
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing
Brackett and
Dugout series and the
Bolar,
Denton,
Purves, and
Somervell series.
Bolar,
Denton, and
Somervell soils: have mollic epipedons and sola thicker than 20 inches.
Purves soils: have mollic epipedons and montmorillonitic mineralogy.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained. Permeability is moderately slow. Runoff is rapid.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used as rangeland. Vegetation is mainly hairy tridens, a few forbs and some scattered midgrass plants. It is common for the surface to have less than 60 percent ground cover of any vegetation. Juniper is the main woody plant growing on this soil.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mainly in very shallow limestone areas of central and north-central Texas; LRR J; MLRA 85. The series is moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Parker County, Texas; 1973.
REMARKS: These soils formerly were classified as Lithosols and included in the Tarrant series.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle size control section: 0 to 20 cm (0 to 8 in). (A horizon)
Ochric epipedon: 0 to 20 cm (0 to 8 in). (A horizon)
Lithic contact: The contact with limestone bedrock at 20 cm (8 in). (top of R layer)
Additional Comments: This update is a format update only. It was performed by the NSSQA staff on 8/89 because of previous storage problems at Ames, Iowa.
Additional DATA: S2010TX0350005
Taxonomic Version: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Twelfth Edition, 2014
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.