LOCATION MITRE TXEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey-skeletal, mixed, superactive, thermic, shallow Petrocalcic Paleustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Mitre gravelly loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A-- 0 to 4 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/3) gravelly loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable; many very fine and fine roots; 20 percent angular igneous pebbles mostly 1/4 to 1 inch in diameter; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 7 inches thick)
Bt--4 to 14 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/3) very gravelly clay loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable; many very fine and fine roots; (can anyone identify any clay films to justification the Bt horizon) 60 percent angular igneous pebbles mostly 1/2 to 3 inches; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. (6 to 16 inches thick)
Bkm--14 to 22 inches; pink (7.5YR 8/4) caliche; indurated and platy in upper three inches, plates 1/2 to 1 inch thick; strongly cemented in lower part; 80 percent by volume angular igneous fragments; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (4 to 20 inches thick)
BCk--22 to 40 inches; pinkish white (7.5YR 8/2) caliche, weakly cemented; 80 percent by volume of angular igneous rock fragments; calcareous; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Jeff Davis County, Texas; approximately 5 miles southeast of Kent; 10 yards south of county road to the Bill Cowan Ranch and 2 1/4 miles south of Interstate Highway 10. (Latitude: 31 degrees, 02 minutes, 04 seconds North; Longitude: 104 degrees, 07 minutes, 30 seconds West.)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Aridic ustic moisture regime.
Depth to indurated caliche or petrocalcic horizon ranges from 10 to 20 inches.
A and Bt horizons
Hue: 5YR to 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 (check horizon soil colors and determine if pedon dry and moist colors are covered in the range in characteristics section)?
Chroma: 2 or 3.
Reaction: neutral or slightly alkaline
Texture of the A horizon is gravelly or very gravelly phases of loam, sandy loam, or sandy clay loam
Rock fragments: range from 15 to 50 percent by volume
Bt horizon
Texture: very gravelly phases of clay loam, sandy clay, or clay
Rack fragments: 35 to 80 percent by volume igneous fragments
Clay content: fine earth fraction ranges from 35 to 50 percent.
Bkm horizon
Hue: 5YR to 10YR
Value: 8
Chroma: 1 to 3
Other features: The upper 1/2 to 2 inches is laminar, and the lower part is strongly cemented to indurated caliche.
BCk horizon
Cementation: usually cemented to moderately cemented, very gravelly or extremely gravelly limy earths.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: These soils are on fans and terraces of valleys and outwash plains in regions of igneous bedrock. Slopes range from 0 to 5 percent. These soils formed in gravelly and stony igneous outwash materials several feet thick. They are in a region of semi-arid continental climate. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 14 to 20 inches and mean annual temperature ranges from 60 to 66 degrees F. Frost free days range from 210 to 240 days and elevation ranges from 3,500 to 4,500 feet.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are Boracho, Limpia and Musquiz soils. Boracho soils have less than 35 percent clay in the control section. Limpia and Musquiz soils lack a petrocalcic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; Runoff is medium; Permeability is moderate.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used as rangeland. Vegetation is mainly black grama grass with a few widely scattered mesquite trees.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Regions of igneous bedrock of The Trans Pecos of Texas (MLRA 42). The series is of minor extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Jeff Davis County, Texas; 1971.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - 0 to 14 inches. (A and Bt horizons)
Argillic horizon - 4 to 14 inches. (Bt horizon)
Petrocalcic horizon - 14 to 22 inches. (Bkm horizon)
Soil Taxonomy: Ninth Edition 2003