LOCATION MARGIE             TX
Established Series
Rev. CLN-ACT
02/97

MARGIE SERIES


The Margie series consists of very deep, well drained, moderately slowly permeable soils that formed in residuum derived from marine sediments high in glauconite. These soils are on gently sloping to moderately sloping uplands. Slopes range from 1 to 8 percent.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, semiactive, thermic Udic Haplustalfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Margie fine sandy loam--on 2.5 percent slope in rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated).

A--0 to 10 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) fine sandy loam; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine and medium roots; common fine and medium pores; few fine ironstone pebbles; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary. (2 to 11 inches thick)

Bt1--10 to 14 inches; red (2.5YR 4/6) sandy clay loam; dark red (2.5YR 3/6) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, very firm, sticky and plastic; common fine roots; common fine pores; few thin clay films on surfaces of ped; few fine ironstone pebbles; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary. (4 to 5 inches thick)

Bt2--14 to 27 inches; red (2.5YR 5/6) clay; red (2.5YR 4/6) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; few fine roots; common fine pores; few thin clay films on surfaces of peds; few fine ironstone pebbles; slightly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (8 to 30 inches thick)

Bt3--27 to 46 inches; red (2.5YR 4/6) very gravelly sandy clay; dark red (2.5YR 3/6) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very hard; very firm, very sticky and very plastic; few fine roots; few fine pores; few thin clay films on surfaces of peds; 40 percent ironstone pebbles up to 1/2 inch in size; slightly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (8 to 25 inches thick)

Bt4--46 to 63 inches; red (2.5YR 5/8) sandy clay loam; red (2.5YR 4/8) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, sticky and plastic; few fine roots; few fine pores; few thin clay films on surfaces of peds; few ironstone pebbles; moderately acid; diffuse wavy boundary. (6 to 32 inches thick)

B/C--63 to 70 inches; red (2.5YR 5/8) fine sandy loam; red (2.5YR 4/8) moist; and weakly cemented yellowish red (5YR 5/8) sandstone; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm; few fine roots; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary. (12 to 21 inches thick)

C--70 to 80 inches; red (2.5YR 4/6) stratified shale and weakly cemented sandstone and partially weathered glauconite; dark red (2.5YR 3/6) moist; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) and pale brown (10YR 6/3) layers 1 to 2 cm thick; massive; hard, firm; strongly acid.

TYPE LOCATION: Leon County, Texas; from the intersection of Texas Highway 7 and Farm Road 1147; 3.0 miles south on Farm Road 1147 to the old Bowling Community; 0.4 mile south on county road; 0.5 mile southwest on field road; 400 feet east in old cultivated field.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 60 to 80 inches. Ironstone pebbles average from few to 35 percent throughout the soil.

The A horizon has hue of 2.5YR, 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 3 or 4, and chroma of 2 to 6. Where chroma are less than 3.5 moist, the horizon is less than 10 inches thick. The A horizon is fine sandy loam or loam. Reaction ranges from moderately acid to neutral.

The Bt1 horizon has hue of 2.5YR or 5YR, value of 3 or 4, and chroma of 4 to 6. Texture is sandy clay loam. Reaction ranges from moderately acid to neutral.

The lower Bt horizons have hue of 10R, 2.5YR or 5YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 4 to 8. Mottles in shades of brown and yellow range from none to common in the lower part. These features are considered to be inherited from the parent material. Moist color values are 4 or greater in some part of the argillic horizon. Texture is sandy clay loam, clay loam, clay, or their gravelly or very gravelly counterparts with an average clay content of 35 to 50 percent. Some thin horizons have as much as 45 to 50 percent ironstone pebbles from 5 to 15 mm in size, but weighted average of the control section is less than 35 percent. Reaction is strongly acid to neutral. Base saturation ranges from 75 to 85 percent throughout the Bt horizon.

The B/C or BC horizon has a hue of 2.5YR to 10YR, value of 3 to 6, and chroma of 6 to 8. Texture is fine sandy loam, Sandy clay loam, clay loam, or sandy clay. Reaction ranges from moderately acid to slightly acid.

The C horizon is variable and is mottled in shades of yellow, gray, brown, olive, or black, and ranges partially weathered glauconitic sandstone and greensand to clay loam or sandy loam material weathered from materials of the Weches formation. Marine shell fossils range from none to common. The reaction ranges from strongly acid to slightly alkaline.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Lexton and Lindy series. Similar soils include the Elrose, Flynn, Jedd, Kirvin, Nacogdoches, Redsprings, Rosanky, and Trawick series. Lexton soils have sola 40 to 60 inches thick. Lindy soils have a lithic contact between 20 and 40 inches. Elrose and Flynn soils have fine loamy control sections. Jedd soils have a paralithic contact between 20 to 40 inches. Kirvin soils have base saturation of less than 35 percent. Nacogdoches, Redsprings and Trawick soils are moist for longer periods of time. Rosanky soils have base saturations less than 75 percent throughout the Bt horizons.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Margie soils are on gently sloping to moderately sloping convex uplands. Slopes range from 1 to 8 percent. The soil formed in marine sediments that contain glauconite. Geology at the type location is the Weches Formation of the Tertiary age. Mean annual temperature ranges from 65 to 70 degrees F., and mean annual precipitation ranges from 35 to 40 inches. Frost free days range from 240 to 290 days, and elevation ranges from 300 to 500 feet. Thornthwaite annual P-E indices range from 52 to 64.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Flynn, Jedd, Lexton, and Rosanky series and the Hearne, Marquez, Silstid, and Padina series. Flynn soils are on similar landscape positions. Jedd soils are on steep sideslopes. Rosanky and Lexton soils are on gently to strongly sloping plane to slightly convex uplands. Hearne, Marquez, Silstid, and Padina soils usually are on positions slightly higher or slightly lower in the landscape and are formed from different geologic materials. In addition, Hearne and Marquez soils have base saturation less than 35 percent; and Silstid and Padina soils have loamy fine sand A horizons greater than 20 inches thick.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Permeability is moderately slow. Runoff is very low on 1 to 3 percent slopes, low on 3 to 5 percent slopes, and moderate on slopes of 5 to 8 percent.

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are mainly used for pasture or rangeland. Much of the acreage on gentle slopes was previously cropped and some areas are still cropped to cotton, corn, and grain sorghum. Native vegetation is a savannah of post oak, blackjack oak, and hickory trees with understory of longleaf uniola, little bluestem, indiangrass, and panicums.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Texas Claypan area of East Central Texas (MLRA 87A). The series is of moderate extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Leon County, Texas, 1985. The name is from a small community near the type location.

REMARKS: Classification change from Udic Paleustalfs to Udic Haplustalfs based on evaluation of laboratory data from the Type Location. This soil was formerly included with the Rosanky series. Semiactive cation exchange activity class.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Ochric epipedon - 0 to 10 inches. (A horizon)

Argillic horizon - 10 to 63 inches (Bt horizons).

ADDITIONAL DATA: NSSL data from type location, S82TX-289-029.

Soil Interpretation Record: TX1055


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.