LOCATION MOTLEY TXEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic Typic Paleustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Motley loam - rangeland (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 9 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/3) loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine granular; slightly hard, very friable; many fine roots; few fine siliceous pebbles; neutral; gradual smooth boundary. (6 to 14 inches thick)
Bt1--9 to 17 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/3) sandy clay loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; hard, friable; few faint clay films on ped surfaces; many fine roots; many fine and very fine pores; few wormcasts; few fine siliceous pebbles; neutral; gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
Bt2--17 to 30 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) sandy clay loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; very hard, firm; few faint clay films on ped surfaces; few fine roots; common fine and many very fine pores; few fine siliceous pebbles; slightly alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (8 to 25 inches thick)
Bt3--30 to 43 inches; red (2.5YR 5/6) sandy clay loam, red (2.5YR 4/6) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; very hard, firm; few faint clay films on ped surfaces; few fine roots; common fine and many very fine pores; few fine siliceous pebbles; slightly alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (10 to 30 inches thick)
Bt4--43 to 56 inches; red (2.5YR 4/6) sandy clay loam, red (2.5YR 4/6) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; very hard, firm; few faint clay films on ped surfaces; few fine roots; common fine and many very fine pores; few fine siliceous pebbles up to 1 inch in diameter; few films and threads of calcium carbonate; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 24 inches thick)
Btk--56 to 84 inches; light red (2.5YR 6/6) sandy clay loam, red (2.5YR 4/6) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable; about 10 percent by volume of calcium carbonate in the form of films, threads, and masses; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Motley County, Texas; from the abandoned Q.A.P. Railroad, Russellville shipping point which is about 10 miles east of Roaring Springs, 6.5 miles generally east and south on county road to the South Pease River bridge: 1.5 miles south on county road and 0.3 mile south on private ranch road in rangeland; Latitude: 33 degrees, 51 minutes, 25 seconds N; Longitude: 100 degrees 35 minutes, 09 seconds W; Dumont, Texas USGS quad; NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: A typic-ustic soil moisture regime. The soil moisture control section is dry in some or all part more than 90 but less than 180 cumulative days in normal years. July through August and November through March are the driest months. These soils are intermittently moist in September through October and April through June.
Mean annual soil temperature: 62 to 68
Thickness of mollic epipedon: 10 to 20 inches
Depth to secondary calcium carbonate: 36 to 60 inches
Depth to calcic horizon: 50 to more than 80 inches
Solum thickness: more than 80 inches
Particle-size control section: 20 to 35 percent silicate clay
A horizon:
Hue: 5YR to 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: loam or sandy clay loam
Effervescence: none
Reaction: neutral or slightly alkaline
Upper Bt horizons:
Hue: 5YR to 7.5YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: loam or sandy clay loam
Effervescence: none
Reaction: neutral or slightly alkaline
Lower Bt horizons:
Hue: 2.5YR to 5YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 4 to 6
Texture: sandy clay loam or clay loam with clay content of 25 to 35 percent and silt content less than 40 percent
Visible secondary calcium carbonate: 0 to 3 percent in the form of films and threads
Effervescence: none to strong
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline
Btk horizon:
Hue: 2.5YR to 5YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 4 to 6
Texture: sandy clay loam or loam
Visible secondary calcium carbonate: 2 to 15 percent in the form of films, threads, and masses
Effervescence: slight to violent
Reaction: moderately alkaline
C horizon (where present):
Hue: 2.5YR to 5YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 4 to 6
Texture: fine sandy loam, loam, or sandy clay loam
Effervescence: slight to violent
Reaction: slightly to moderately alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: This is the
Bukreek series. Similar soils also include the
Altus,
Chickasha,
Frankirk,
Grandfield,
Miles,
Rotan,
Sagerton,
Tipton, and
Wichita series.
Bukreek series: have secondary calcium carbonate within 24 to 33 inches and a calcic horizon within 60 inches.
Altus, Rotan, and Tipton series: have a mollic epipedon more than 20 inches thick.
Chickasha series: have a decrease in clay from the maximum by more than 20 percent within a depth of 60 inches.
Frankirk, Sagerton, and Wichita series: have more than 35 percent clay in the particle-size control section.
Grandfield and Miles series: have an ochric epipedon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: loamy calcareous sediments of alluvial origin of Pleistocene age.
Landform: dissected stream terrace on an alluvial plain
Slopes: dominantly 0 to 3 percent but range from 0 to 5 percent.
Mean annual air temperature: 60 to 66 degrees F.
Mean annual precipitation: 21 to 28 inches.
Frost-free period: 210 to 240 days.
Elevation: 1,150 to 2,200 feet.
Thornthwaite annual P-E Index Values: 32 to 44.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing
Bukreek soils, and the
Altus,
Flomot,
Frankirk,
Grandfield,
Miles,
Enterprise, and
Woodward series.
Enterprise and Woodward soils have an ochric epipedon and a cambic horizon; in addition Woodward soils formed in noncemented sandstone of Permian age.
Altus, Flomot, Grandfield, and Woodward soils are higher in the landscape.
Bukreek, Frankirk, and Miles soils are on about the same to slightly higher landscape positions.
Enterprise soils are on slightly lower to about the same landscape positions.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; surface runoff is negligible on 0 to 1 percent slopes, very low on 1 to 3 percent slopes, and low on 3 to 5 percent slopes; permeability is moderate.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are cultivated. Wheat, cotton, and grain sorghum are the principal crops. Native vegetation is mainly buffalograss, grama grasses, little bluestem, and mesquite trees.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Rolling Plains of Texas and possibly southwestern Oklahoma (MLRA 78B and 78C in LRR H). The soil is moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Motley County, Texas; 1972.
REMARKS: Series Revised MLRA-77 Soil Survey update of Floyd County, Texas; 2004. The series classification was revised from fine-loamy, mixed, active, thermic Udic Paleustolls to fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic Typic Paleustolls in 2004 based on soil properties and updates to Soil Taxonomy. These soils have been included in the Miles series.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon: 0 to 17 inches. (A & Bt1 horizon)
Argillic horizon: 9 to 84 inches. (Bt1, Bt2, Bt3, Bt4, & Btk horizons)
Calcic horizon: 56 to 84 inches. (Btk horizon)
ADDITIONAL DATA: none.
TAXONOMIC VERSION: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Ninth Edition, 2003.