LOCATION MOSWELL TXEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Very-fine, smectitic, thermic Vertic Hapludalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Moswell loam, on a forested 4 percent slope.
A--0 to 2 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loam; weak medium granular structure; soft, friable; nonsticky; nonplastic; many coarse and medium roots; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary. (1 to 7 inches thick)
E--2 to 5 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) loam; massive; soft, friable; nonsticky; nonplastic; many medium and few coarse roots; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 5 inches thick)
Bt--5 to 12 inches; red (2.5YR 4/8) clay; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm; very sticky; very plastic; many fine and medium roots; common medium prominent grayish brown (10YR 5/2) iron depletions with sharp boundaries; many pressure faces; faint clay films; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (4 to 18 inches thick)
Btss1--12 to 23 inches; prominently variegated yellowish red (5YR 5/8) and grayish brown (10YR 5/2) clay; weak medium angular blocky structure; very hard, very firm; very sticky; very plastic; many fine roots; common slickensides; many pressure faces; few faint clay films; extremely acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Btss2--23 to 31 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/8) clay; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm; very sticky; very plastic; few fine roots; common slickensides; common pressure faces; few faint clay films; few gypsum crystals in lower part; very slightly saline; many fine and medium prominent grayish brown (10YR 5/2) iron depletions with sharp boundaries; many fine and medium prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation with clear boundaries; extremely acid; gradual wavy boundary. (combined Btss subhorizons are 10 to 40 inches thick)
Btssy1--31 to 37 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) and light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) clay; thin layers of red (2.5YR 5/8) clay; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm; very sticky; plastic; few fine roots; common slickensides; about 40 percent by volume gypsum crystals; slightly saline; extremely acid; gradual wavy boundary. (1 to 15 inches thick)
Btssy2--37 to 45 inches; equal amounts of grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2), light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2), and light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) platy clay; very hard, firm; sticky; plastic; few fine roots; common slickensides; few olive yellow streaks; about 25 percent by volume gypsum crystals; few fine masses of barite; slightly saline; extremely acid; gradual wavy boundary. (3 to 12 inches thick)
Cy--45 to 57 inches; horizontally bedded layers of olive (5Y 5/3), pale yellow (5Y 7/3) and red (2.5YR 4/8) shale with clay texture; few flattened roots between layers; few fractures have thin coats of albic materials; about 5 percent gypsum; few masses of barite; few thin vertical cracks filled with dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) clay; slightly saline; extremely acid; gradual smooth boundary. (5 to 20 inches thick)
C--57 to 70 inches; horizontally bedded layers of olive (5Y 5/3) and pale yellow (5Y 7/3) shale with clay texture; some layers coated with gypsum; some layers are coated with iron-manganese; few thin sheets of jarosite and natrojarosite; few masses of barite and other salts; slightly saline; extremely acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Angelina County, Texas; about 15 miles southeast of Lufkin; from intersection of FR 844 and FR 1818; 2 miles west on FR 1818, then 0.6 mile south on logging road and west of road 20 feet.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 40 to 60 inches. Weighted average clay content of the particle-size control section ranges from 60 to 65 percent. Depth to slickensides ranges from 10 to 20 inches. When dry the subsoil has cracks 1/2 inch wide that extend to a depth of more than 12 inches. The cracks are open for less than 90 cumulative days in most years. The salinity ranges from very slight to moderate from the mid-parts of the subsoil into the C horizon. The redox features are mainly relic or lithochromic. This soil does not have aquic soil conditions in most years.
The A horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 2 to 4. It is a fine sandy loam, very fine sandy loam, or loam. Reaction ranges from to very strongly acid to moderately acid.
The E horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 3 or 4. Some pedons have a few redox concentrations in shades of brown. Texture is fine sandy loam, very fine sandy loam, or loam. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid to moderately acid. Combined thickness of the A and E horizons is 4 to 12 inches.
The Bt horizon has hue of 2.5YR or 5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 6 or 8. Redox concentrations in shades of brown or yellow range from none to common and redox depletions range from none to common. Texture is clay. Reaction ranges from extremely acid to strongly acid.
The Btss or Btssy horizon typically is variegated in shades of gray, red, yellow, and brown; or it has a matrix with hue of 10YR to 2.5Y, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 1 to 3; or hue of 5YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 2 or 3. Texture is clay. Reaction is extremely acid or very strongly acid. Gypsum crystals in masses range from common to many in some pedons. Gypsum makes up 5 to 15 percent in the lower subhorizons of some pedons. Barite masses range from few to common in some pedons. SAR ranges from 4 to 12 percent.
The Cy or C horizon is shale with texture of clay. The colors are variable, but are mainly in shades of olive, gray, brown, or yellow. Reaction is extremely acid to strongly acid. Crystals or masses of gypsum, barite, jarosite and natrojarosite are in some pedons. SAR ranges from 4 to 16 in most pedons.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Chisca and Natchitoches series in the same family, and the Etoile, Lacerda, Lyerly, Naclina, Oktibbeha, Raylake, Vaiden, and Woodtell series in closely related families. Chisca soils are in limestone valleys, and have soft alkaline shale bedrock within a depth of 60 inches. Natchitoches soils formed from thick deposits of sediments high in glauconitic sand and are less acid in the substratum. Etoile and Woodtell soils have less than 60 percent clay in the upper 20 inches of the argillic horizon and are less acid in the subsoil and substratum. Lacerda and Raylake soils are vertisols and are less acid in the substratum. Lyerly soils have mixed mineralogy and have limestone bedrock within a depth of 40 inches. Naclina, Oktibbeha, and Vaiden soils are vertisols and are less acid in the lower part of the subsoil and in the substratum.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Moswell soils are on smooth, plane to slightly convex uplands. Slopes are mainly 2 to 8 percent but range from 1 to 15 percent. They formed in shale of the Caddell or Manning Formations (Jackson Group), and the Yegua Formation. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 42 to 52 inches. Frost-free rainfall ranges from 25 to 30 inches. Frost free days range from 235 to 245. The elevation ranges from 190 to 300 feet above sea level. Mean annual temperature ranges from 65 to 68 degrees F., and the Thornthwaite P-E indices range from 66 to 82.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the closely related Etoile, Naclina, and Raylake soils. These soils are on similar landscape positions.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moswell soils are well drained and very slowly permeable. Runoff is very high. The epipedon is saturated for brief periods (less than 30 cumulative days in normal years) following heavy rains on slopes less than about 5 percent.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used mainly for woodland. Loblolly and shortleaf pine, and various oak species predominate. Sweetgum and longleaf pine are in some areas. A few areas are cleared and are used for bermudagrass or bahiagrass pastures.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Coastal Plain (MLRA 133B) in eastern Texas. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Polk County, Texas; 1983.
REMARKS: These soils were formerly included with the Boswell, Susquehanna or Woodtell series.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in the type location pedon include:
Ochric epipedon --- 0 to 5 inches (A and E horizons).
Argillic horizon -- 5 to 45 inches (Bt, Btss, and Btssy horizons).
Slickensides ------ 12 to 45 inches (Btss and Btssy horizons).
ADDITIONAL DATA: NSSL S80TX-005-008, Angelina County, Texas