LOCATION MIRASOL TX

Established Series
PDH-ACT-JLS
11/2010

MIRASOL SERIES

The Mirasol series consists of soils that are very shallow and shallow to indurated or strongly cemented duripans. They are well drained, moderately permeable soils that formed from tuffaceous sandstone of Miocene age. Slope ranges from 1 to 12 percent. Mean annual temperature is about 23 degrees C (73 degrees F), and mean annual precipitation is about 594 mm (24 in).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, hyperthermic, shallow Typic Durustepts

TYPICAL PEDON: Mirasol very gravelly sandy loam, on a north facing, 8 percent slope in rangeland; elevation is 162 meters (533 feet). (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

A--0 to 15 cm (0 to 6 in); brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine granular and subangular blocky structure; hard, friable; slightly sticky and nonplastic; common fine and few medium roots; about 35 percent noncalcareous sandstone fragments ranging in size from 3 to 13 cm (1 to 5 in) in diameter; noneffervescent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (thickness of the A horizon is 5 to 20 cm [2 to 8 in])

Bw--15 to 41 cm (6 to 16 in); yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) very gravelly sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common fine and few medium roots; about 45 percent noncalcareous sandstone fragments ranging in size from 3 to 13 cm (1 to 5 in) in diameter; about 5 percent calcrete fragments less than 8 cm (3 in) in diameter; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (thickness of the Bw horizon is 13 to 30 cm [5 to 12 in])

Bkqm--41 to 48 cm (16 to 19 in); light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) strongly cemented duripan, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) moist; massive; with plates 12 to 25 mm (1/4 to 1 in) thick that have patchy coating of calcium carbonate; extremely hard, extremely firm; many fine and medium roots matted on top of laminar cap; laminar cap is 6 to 12 mm (1/4 to 1/2 in) thick; many fine and very fine roots matted on top of laminar cap; violently effervescent along laminar cap; duripan material is noneffervescent; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (thickness of the Bkqm horizon is 5 to 10 cm [2 to 4 in])

Bqm--48 to 203 cm (19 to 80 in); light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) srongly cemented duripan, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) moist; massive; few fine and medium roots along cracks and fractures; noneffervescent; moderately alkaline (thickness of the Bqm horizon is 76 to 140 cm [60 to 71 in])

TYPE LOCATION: Duval County, Texas; from the intersection of Texas Highway 359 and Texas Highway 339 in Benavides, 21.0 miles northwest on Texas Highway 339, north 3.4 miles on Texas Highway 16; west 6.9 miles on U S Highway 59; north 1.4 miles on private ranch road; site is 40 feet east in rangeland. USGS Freer NW, Texas topographic quadrangle; Latitude: 27 degrees, 55 minutes, 58.0 seconds N; Longitude: 98 degrees, 42 minutes, 37.0 seconds W, NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: Ustic moisture regime bordering on aridic. The soil moisture control section remains moist in some or all parts less than 90 consecutive days, consecutive, in normal years June through August and December through February are the driest months. These soils are moist in September through November and March through May.

Mean annual soil temperature: 22 to 23 degrees C (72 to 74 degrees F)
Depth to duripan: 18 to 51 cm (7 to 20 in)
Particle-size control section (weighted average)
Clay content: 6 to 25 percent
Coarse Fragments: 35 to 80 percent

A Horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 4 to 7
Chroma: 3 or 4
Texture: sandy loam (gravelly and very gravelly counterparts)
Clay content: 10 to 15 percent
Coarse fragments: 15 to 40 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 5 percent
EC (dS/m): 0 to 2
Gypsum: 0 to 2 percent
SAR: 0 to 2
Effervescent: noneffervescent
Reaction: slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline

Bw Horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 5 to 7
Chroma: 4 to 6
Texture: sandy loam or sandy clay loam (gravelly and very gravelly counterparts)
Clay content: 15 to 25 percent
Coarse fragments: 35 to 60 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 25 percent
EC (dS/m): 0 to 4
Gypsum: 0 to 4 percent
SAR: 0 to 4
Effervescence: noneffervescent to slightly effervescent
Reaction: slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline

Bkqm and Bqm Horizons
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 5 to 7
Chroma: 4 to 7
EC (dS/m): 0 to 8
Gypsum: 0 to 4 percent
SAR: 0 to 8
Effervescence: noneffervescent to violently effervescent
Reaction: slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Puye (CO) series. Similar soils are the, Picosa (TX), Verick (TX), and Weigang (TX) series.
Puye soils are in the mesic temperature regime.
Picose, Verick and Weigang soils have a paralithic contact within 51 cm (20 in) of the surface, and average less than 35 percent coarse fragments in the particle size control section.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: loamy residuum derived from tuff
Landform: cuestas
Slope: 1 to 12 percent
Mean Annual air temperature: 22 to 23 degrees C (72 to 74 degrees F)
Mean Annual precipitation: 584 to 625 mm (22 to 25 in)
Frost-free period: 270 to 320 days
Elevation: 76 to 229 meters (245 to 750 feet)
Thornthwaite annual P-E indices: 19 to 31

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Houla, Lomart,
Salco and Tela series.
Houla soils: occur on lower sideslopes or broad flats and have calcic horizons
Lomart soils: occur on lower positions and have sola 51 to 102 cm (20 to 40 in) thick.
Salco soils: occur on lower sideslopes and have argillic horizons
Tela soils: occur in drains, have argillic horizons, and are rarely flooded

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Permeability is moderate. Runoff is very high.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for wildlife habitat and livestock grazing. Native vegetation consists of bluestems, plains bristlegrass, hooded windmillgrass, Arizona cottontop, fall witchgrass, slim tridens, pink pappusgrass, and sand dropseed. The ecological site is Shallow Ridge, PE 19-31 (R083CY485TX).

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Rio Grande Plain of Texas; LRR I; MLRA 83C; the series is of minor extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Duval County, Texas, 2000. The name is from a small creek in Duval County.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle size control section: 0 to 41 cm (0 to 16 in). (A and Bw horizons)
Ochric epipedon: 0 to 15 cm (0 to 6 in). (A horizon)
Cambic horizon: 15 to 41 cm (6 to 16 in). (Bw horizon)
Duripan: 41 to 203 cm (16 to 80 in). (Bkqm and Bqm horizons)

ADDITIONAL DATA: Particle size analysis was performed at the local project office for 2 pedons from Duval County.

TAXONOMIC VERSION: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Eleventh Edition, 2010

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.