LOCATION MOSHEIM TXEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, thermic Vertic Calciustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Mosheim silty clay, on a convex 2 percent slope in dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 8 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/2) silty clay, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky and moderate medium granular structure; hard, firm; common fine roots; few fine concretions of calcium carbonate; moderately alkaline, calcareous; abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
A12--8 to 22 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) silty clay, very dark brown (7.5YR 2/2) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm; few vertical cracks 12 inch wide and 10 inches long throughout the horizon; common fine roots; common fine pores; few fine concretions of calcium carbonate moderately alkaline, calcareous; clear smooth boundary. (12 to 18 inches thick)
B21ca--22 to 30 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) silty clay, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; moderate medium angular blocky structure; hard, very firm; dark brown soil extends through this horizon as vertical streaks 14 to 12 inch wide; few fine pores; about 5 percent weakly and strongly cemented concretions of calcium carbonate; moderately alkaline, calcareous; gradual wavy boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)
B22ca--30 to 36 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) silty clay, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; moderate medium angular blocky structure; hard, firm; few dark brown vertical streaks; common 8 to 10 percent cemented concretions of calcium carbonate; moderately alkaline, calcareous; clear wavy boundary. (5 to 8 inches thick)
B23ca--36 to 48 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) silty clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm; few fragments of limestone and shells; 15 to 20 percent concretions of calcium carbonate; moderately alkaline, calcareous; clear wavy boundary. (8 to 13 inches thick)
R--48 to 60 inches; limestone that is fractured in the upper part but continuous with depth; hardness of about 3 on Moh's scale.
TYPE LOCATION: Bosque County, Texas; about 12 miles south of Clifton. From the red light on Texas Highway 6 in Clifton, Texas; 3.95 miles south on Texas Highway 6 to the intersection with Farm Road 2602; then west and south 9.3 miles on Farm Road 2602 and 50 feet north of road in cropland field.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 40 to 60 inches. In dry seasons the soil has cracks 2 to 6 cm wide to depths of 50 to 80 cm. COLE is 0.07 to 0.10 in the upper 30 inches of the soil. Silicate clay in the 10 to 40 inch control section ranges from 35 to 55 percent. The soil is moderately alkaline and calcareous. The weighted average calcium carbonate equivalent ranges from 25 to 40 percent in the control section.
The A horizon is very dark brown (7.5YR 2/2), dark brown (7.5YR 3/2; 10YR 3/3), and brown (7.5YR 4/2, 5/2; 10YR 4/3, 5/3). The texture ranges from clay loam to silty clay.
The B21ca and B22ca horizons are dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4, 3/3), reddish brown (5YR 4/4, 5/4, 5/3, 4/3), and yellowish red (5YR 5/6, 4/6). The texture ranges from clay loam to silty clay and contains few to common fragments and pebbles of limestone.
The B23ca horizon is brown (7.5YR 5/4, 4/4), strong brown (7.5YR 5/6), and reddish brown (5YR 5/4, 4/4). Texture ranges from gravelly silty clay loam to silty clay. The B23ca horizon contains 5 to 25 percent fragments of limestone or concretions of calcium carbonate, 2 mm to 2 inches in diameter. Calcium carbonate equivalent ranges from 50 to 80 percent.
The R layer is platy to massive limestone that is fractured in the upper part and massive below. The upper 1 to 3 feet can be ripped.
COMPETING SERIES: These include the Bolar, Chatt, Denton, Knippa, Krum and Olmito series. Bolar soils have less than 35 percent silicate clay, carbonatic mineralogy and sola less than 40 inches thick. Chatt and Knippa soils have mixed mineralogy and lack a contact with limestone within 60 inches depth. Denton soils have sola 22 to 40 inches thick. Krum soils lack calcic horizons within 40 inches depth. Olmito soils have mean annual soil temperatures of more than 72 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Mosheim soils are on nearly level to gently sloping uplands. Slope gradients are 0 to about 3 percent. The soil formed in calcareous clayey sediments over limestone of Lower Cretaceous Age. Climate is moist subhumid. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 30 to 35 inches. Mean annual temperature ranges from 64 degrees to 68 degrees F. and the Thornthwaite P-E index ranges from 46 to 56.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include the competing Bolar and Denton series, as well as the Brackett, Crawford, Eckrant, San Saba, Searsville and Slidell series. Denton, Crawford, and Searsville soils occupy similar landscapes. Crawford soils have intersecting slickensides and sola less than 40 inches thick. Searsville soils have sola less than 20 inches thick. Bolar soils occupy slightly higher positions in the uplands. Brackett and Eckrant soils occupy more sloping shallow uplands and breaks. They have sola less than 20 inches thick. San Saba and Slidell soils have intersecting slickensides and occupy lower lying valley positions.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Mostly in small grain, grain sorghum, forage sorghums and cotton. Native vegetation is mainly big bluestem, little bluestem, indiangrass and sideoats grama.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Texas; mostly along the southern and eastern edge of the Grand Prairie Land Resource area. These soils are of minor extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Bosque County, Texas; 1977.
REMARKS: These soils were formerly classified in the Rendzina great soil group. They were previously included in the Denton series.