LOCATION PALODURO TX+OK NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic Aridic Haplustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Paloduro clay loam, on southeast-facing, convex, 8 percent slope in rangeland at an elevation of about 1,080 meters (3,540 ft). (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 30 cm (0 to 12 in); brown (7.5YR 4/2) clay loam; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable; many fine roots; many fine pores; many wormcasts; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (20 to 30 centimeters thick)
Bw--30 to 81 cm (12 to 32 in); brown (7.5YR 5/4) clay loam; brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to weak fine subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable; common fine roots; common fine pores; common wormcasts; less than 2 percent by volume of calcium carbonate as films and filaments; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (18 to 56 centimeters thick)
Bk1--81 to 183 cm (32 to 72 in); brown (7.5YR 5/4) clay loam; brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to weak fine subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable; few fine roots; common fine pores; about 5 percent by volume of calcium carbonate as films, filaments, and finely disseminated carbonates; moderately alkaline; diffuse smooth boundary. (25 to 127 centimeters thick)
Bk2--183 to 203 cm (72 to 80 in); brown (7.5YR 4/2) clay loam; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to weak medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable; few fine pores; about 4 percent by volume of calcium carbonate as films, filaments, and finely disseminated carbonates; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Potter County, Texas; from the intersection of U.S. Highway 66 and Farm Road 1061 in northwest Amarillo, about 8 kilometers (5 miles) northwest on Farm Road 1061 (Tascosa Road), 0.8 kilometers (0.5 mile) west of Bishop Hills to ranch entrance gate, then 23 meters (75 feet) west and 6 meters (20 feet) south of gate in rangeland; Latitude: 35 degrees, 15 minutes, 36.2 seconds N; Longitude: 101 degrees, 58 minutes, 08.7 seconds W; Cliffside, Texas USGS quad; NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: An ustic moisture regime bordering on aridic. The soil moisture control section is dry in some or all parts for more than 180 but less than 205 days, cumulative, in normal years. October through March are the driest months. These soils are intermittently moist April through September.
Mean annual soil temperature: 16 to 18 degrees C.
Depth to secondary carbonates: 25 to 100 cm.
Depth to calcic horizon: 100 to more than 203 cm.
Solum thickness: more than 203 cm.
Particle size control section: 18 to 35 percent silicate clay.
Coarse fragments: 0 to 5 percent siliceous pebbles and 0 to 5 percent gravel-size caliche fragments throughout the solum.
A horizon:
Hue: 5YR to 10YR
Value: 4 or 5, 3 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: loam, sandy clay loam, clay loam
Effervescence: slight to strong
Reaction: moderately alkaline
Bw horizon:
Hue: 5YR to 10YR
Value: 5 to 7, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: loam, sandy clay loam, clay loam
Visible secondary calcium carbonate: less than 2 percent by volume in the form of filaments, films, and nodules
Effervescence: slight to strong
Reaction: moderately alkaline
Upper Bk horizons:
Hue: 5YR to 10YR
Value: 5 to 7, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4
Texture: loam, sandy clay loam, clay loam
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 14 percent
Visible secondary carbonates: 3 to 10 percent as films, filaments, and fine nodules.
Effervescence: slight to strong
Reaction: moderately alkaline
Lower Bk horizons (where present):
Hue: 5YR to 10YR
Value: 5 to 8, 4 to 7 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6
Texture: sandy clay loam or clay loam
Visible secondary calcium carbonate: 5 to 40 percent by volume as filaments, masses, nodules, and finely disseminated carbonates
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 30 percent by weight
Effervescence: violent
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: This is the
Zita series. Similar soils include the
Berda,
Berthoud,
Bippus,
Mansic,
Manson and
Texroy series.
Zita series: have a calcic horizon within 100 cm of the soil surface.
Berda series: have an ochric epipedon.
Berthoud series: have mean annual soil temperatures less than 15 degrees C. and do not have a mollic epipedon.
Bippus series: have a mollic epipedon more than 50 cm thick.
Manson and Texroy series: have an argillic horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: calcareous, loamy alluvium and colluvium derived mainly from the Ogallala Formation of Miocene-Pliocene age.
Landform: alluvial fan, valley flat, or valley side.
Slopes: Dominantly 0 to 5 percent but ranges to 12 percent.
Mean annual air temperature: 15 to 17 degrees C (57 to 63 degrees F).
Mean annual precipitation: 432 to 559 mm (17 to 24 in).
Frost-free period: 180 to 220 days
Elevation: 670 to 1,143 meters (1,800 to 4,000 ft)
Thornthwaite annual P-E Index Values: 25 to 36.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the similar
Berda,
Bippus,
Manson, and
Texroy soils and the
Ady,
Alibates,
Mobeetie,
Plemons,
Potter,
Tascosa, and
Veal soils.
Ady, Alibates, Plemons soils: are on slightly higher landscape positions and have a argillic horizon.
Berda soils: are on similar landscape positions.
Bippus soils: are on lower landscape positions.
Manson soils: are on slightly higher landscape positions.
Texroy soils: are on slightly lower landscape positions.
Mobeetie soils: are on similar landscape positions and have an ochric epipedon.
Potter and Tascosa soils: are on higher landscape positions and are loamy skeletal in the particle-size control section.
Veal soils: are on slightly higher landscape positions and have carbonatic mineralogy.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained and moderate permeability. Surface runoff is very low on 1 to 3 percent slopes, low on 3 to 5 percent slopes, and medium on 5 to 12 percent slopes.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are primarily used for livestock grazing but a few areas are farmed to grain sorghum, cotton, and wheat. This site is dominated by short grasses with a significant mid grass component. Major grass species are blue grama, buffalograss and sideoats grama. Yucca is the major woody species with relatively few forbs present. This soil has been correlated to the Hardland Slopes (R-077EY055TX) ecological site in MLRA-77E.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern High Plains, Breaks (MLRA 77E in LRR H) of western Texas, northwestern Oklahoma, and eastern New Mexico. This series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lipscomb County, Texas; 1971.
REMARKS: These soils were formerly included in the Berda or Bippus series.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon: 0 to 30 cm (A horizon)
Cambic horizon: 30 to 203 cm (Bw & Bk horizons)
Visible secondary calcium carbonate: 81 to 203 cm (Bk horizons)
ADDITIONAL DATA: none
TAXONOMIC VERSION: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Tenth Edition, 2006.