LOCATION OWENS                   TX+OK

Established Series
Rev. TEC-SCP-WJG-ACT
11/2013

OWENS SERIES

The Owens series consists of shallow to moderately deep over claystone bedrock or dense clay well drained, very slowly Permeable soils that formed in residuum from claystone bedrock. These soils are on gently sloping to steep escarpments and plains. Slopes range from 1 to 45 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 813 mm (32 in) and the mean annual air temperature is about 18.3 degrees C (65 degrees F).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, active, thermic Typic Haplustepts

TYPICAL PEDON: Owens clay--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

A--0 to 15 cm (0 to 6 in); light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) clay, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm; common fine roots throughout; common fine vesicular and tubular pores; few coarse rounded iron concretions; strongly effervescent throughout (HCl, 1 normal); 1 percent subangular limestone gravel; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. Thickness is 8 to 25 cm (3 to 10 in).

Bk--15 to 41 cm (6 to 16 in); brown (10YR 5/3) clay, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium angular blocky structure; extremely hard, very firm; common fine roots throughout; common fine vesicular and tubular pores; few medium and coarse irregular masses of calcium carbonate throughout; strongly effervescent throughout (HCl, 1 normal); moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. Thickness is 10 to 76 cm (4 to 30 in).

BCk--41 to 74 cm (16 to 29 in); 40 percent yellowish brown (10YR 5/4), and 40 percent gray (5Y 5/1), and 20 percent brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) clay; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm; common very fine and fine roots throughout; common very fine and fine continuous tubular pores; few fine calcium carbonate threads between peds; slightly effervescent throughout (HCl, 1 normal); moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. Thickness is 10 to 61 cm (4 to 24 in).

Cd1--74 to 119 cm (29 to 47 in); 60 percent light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) clay, and 30 percent light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3), and 10 percent brownish yellow (10YR 6/8) dense clay; massive; extremely hard, very firm; few very fine and fine roots in cracks; Fractures that roots can enter are 1 to 4 inches apart horizontally; the horizon is densic material; few coarse rounded reddish yellow (7.5YR 7/6) extremely hard nonpedogenic iron concretions throughout; noneffervescent throughout (HCl, 1 normal); slightly alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. Thickness is 0 to 64 cm (0 to 25 in).

Cd2--119 to 203 cm (47 to 80 in); 45 percent gray (5Y 5/1) and 45 percent light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) and 10 percent brownish yellow (10YR 6/8) non cemented claystone bedrock; massive; extremely hard, extremely firm; few very fine and fine roots in cracks; Fractures that roots can enter are 4 to 10 inches apart horizontally; the horizon is densic material with a densic contact at the top; few coarse rounded reddish yellow (7.5YR 7/6) extremely hard nonpedogenic iron concretions throughout; noneffervescent throughout (HCl, 1 normal); slightly alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Erath County, Texas; from intersection of Interstate 20 and county road in Thurber, 6.1 miles south on county road, 0.15 mile west on private road and 30 feet north in rangeland. USGS Topographic Quadrangle: Reddy Mountain, TX; Latitude 32 degrees 26 minutes 6 seconds N; Longitude 98 degrees 27 minutes 15 seconds W. NAD 1983; UTM Easting 551312 m, UTM Northing 3588785 m, UTM Zone 14.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: Typic-ustic soil moisture regime
Depth to densic material: 36 to 76 cm (14 to 30 in)
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline throughout, but some pedons are noncalcareous in the upper part.
Surface fragments: limestone, ironstone, or sandstone cover 0 to 45 percent of the soil surface; fragments less than 25 cm (10 in) across cover 0 to 25 percent; fragments 25 to 61 cm (10 to 24 in) cover 0 to 20 percent with a few fragments that are more than 122 cm (48 in) across.
Coarse fragments: 0 to 10 percent in the solum, mainly less than 25 cm (10 in) across .

Particle-size control section (weighted average)
Clay content: 35 to 60 percent

A Horizon
Hue: 7.5YR to 5Y
Value: 4 to 6
Chroma: 2 to 6
Texture: clay loam, clay, silty clay, or their stony counterparts
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 15 percent
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline

Bw or Bk Horizon
Hue: 7.5YR to 5Y
Value: 4 to 6
Chroma: 2 to 6
Mottles: Few to common in shades of brown, yellow, or red are in some pedons.
Texture: clay, clay loam, or silty clay.
Concentrations: 0 to 10 percent by volume, threads, films, masses, and concretions of calcium carbonate
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 2 to 15 percent
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline

BC or BCk Horizon (where present)
Color: shades of olive, brown, gray or yellow
Texture: clay, silty clay or clay loam
Concentrations: few to common, concretions, masses or threads of calcium carbonate
Gypsum: Some pedons contain a few crystals.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 2 to 15 percent
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline

Cd1 Horizon (where present)
Color: shades of olive, brown, gray or yellow
Texture: dense clay - This material is densic.
Concentrations: 0 to 5 percent by volume, concretions, masses or films of calcium carbonate mainly in the upper part along cleavage planes or fractures.
Excavation difficulty: low to moderate
Moist bulk density: 1.70 or higher
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 10 percent
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline

Cd2 Horizon
Color: shades of olive, brown, gray or yellow
Texture: claystone bedrock - This material is densic with rock like structure. Fractures may be more than or less than 10 cm apart and bulk density is high enough to be root restrictive. Some pedons contain thin discontinuous strata of limestone or sandstone. It is typically noneffervescent but along cleavage planes ranges to slightly effervescent.
Excavation difficulty: moderate to high and material slakes in water within 1 hour.
Moist bulk density: 1.85 to 2.35
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 5 percent

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Vernon series in the same family. Similar soils are the Brackett, Ellis, Harpersville, Knoco, Throck, and Wellsford series.
Vernon soils: have hue redder than 7.5YR.
Brackett soils: have carbonatic mineralogy and sola less than 20 inches thick.
Ellis soils: have smectitic mineralogy and vertic properties.
Harpersville soils: do not have cambic horizons and have sola less than 14 inches thick.
Knoco soils: have hue redder than 7.5YR.
Throck soils: have vertic properties and calcium carbonate equivalent greater than 15 percent in the subsoil. In addition, Throck soils typically have mollic colors in the surface layer.
Wellsford soils: are in a shallow family.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: Residuum derived from gray or olive claystone bedrock of Pennsylvanian or Permian age
Landscape: hills
Landform: escarpments, knolls, and ridges
Slope: 1 to 45 percent
Mean annual precipitation: 610 to 864 mm(24 to 34 in)
Thornthwaite annual P-E index: 36 to 50
Mean annual air temperature: 17.2 to 18.9 degrees C(63 to 66 degrees F)
Frost-free period: 210 to 240 days
Elevation: 304.8 to 731.5 m (1,000 to 2,400 ft)

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Vernon series and the Bonti, Callahan, Darnell, Harpersville, Knoco, Shatruce, Tarrant, Throck, and Truce series.
Bonti and Callahan soils: have clayey argillic horizons and occur mainly above on ridgetops
Darnell soils: have loamy particle-size control sections and occur above on ridgetops
Harpersville soils: occur on similar positions
Knoco soils: have sola less than 20 inches thick, hue redder than 7.5YR, and occur above on convex positions
Shatruce soils: have reddish argillic horizons and occur above on bouldery hillsides
Tarrant soils: have mollic epipedons, clayey-skeletal particle size control section and occur above on ridgetops
Throck soils: occur on lower positions
Truce soils: have reddish argillic horizons, sola thicker than 40 inches and occur on similar positions
Vernon soils: occur on similar positions.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: The principal use is for rangeland. Small acreage has been cultivated in the past but most cultivated areas are now abandoned and returned to rangeland. Native vegetation is mainly sideoats grama, silver bluestem, buffalograss, vine-mesquite, curlymesquite, Texas needlegrass, Arizona cottontop, hairy triden, bundleflower, engelmanndaisy, western ragweed, algerita, and lotebush. Tasajillo and mesquite have invaded in most areas.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Texas North-Central Prairies (MLRA 80B), and Rolling Limestone Prairie (MLRA 78A) of Texas. The Owens Series is extensive.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Brown County, Texas; 1938.

REMARKS: Observations of these soils in sampling pits show that the solum is thicker than previously supposed, with the solum in pedons being up to 1 meter thick.

Changed to tabular format and included metric values (RFG-10/2013)

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon -- 0 to 15 cm (0 to 6 in)ches. (A horizon)
Cambic horizon -- 6 to 74 cm(6 to 29 in)ches. (Bk horizon)
Densic material -- 74 to 203 cm (29 to 80 in)ches. (Cd1 and Cd2 horizons)
Densic contact -- 119 cm (47 in)ches. (top of Cd2 horizon)

ADDITIONAL DATA: NSSL Sample Nos. S84TX-429-002, S84TX-429-003.

Taxanomic version: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, 11th Edition, 2010.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.