LOCATION PAPAGUA TXEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, active, hyperthermic Typic Albaqualfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Papagua fine sandy loam--in a depression, rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 30 cm (0 to 12 in); light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure, hard, friable; common fine roots; few fine pores; neutral, pH 6.8; abrupt smooth boundary. (15 to 51 cm [6 to 20 in] thick)
Btg1--30 to 48 cm (12 to 19 in); grayish brown (10YR 5/2) sandy clay, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium and coarse blocky; extremely hard, firm, slightly sticky; common fine roots; common, distinct clay films on faces of peds; common, medium, distinct brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) and strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) redox concentrations; few black concretions less than 5 mm diameter; neutral, pH 7.0; gradual wavy boundary.
Btg2--48 to 104 cm (19 to 41 in); light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) sandy clay loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky; few fine roots; few faint clay films on faces of peds; few fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) redox concentrations and few fine faint gray (10YR 6/1) redox depletions; few black concretions less than 5 mm diameter; neutral, pH 7.2; gradual wavy boundary. (combined thickness of the Btg horizons is 36 to 81 cm [14 to 32 in])
Btkg--104 to 132 cm (41 to 52 in); light gray (10YR 7/2) sandy clay loam, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky; few faint clay films on faces of peds; few black concretions less than 3 mm diameter; few fine masses of calcium carbonate; slightly alkaline, pH 7.7; gradual wavy boundary. (18 to 48 cm [7 to 19 in] thick)
Btk--132 to 178 cm (52 to 70 in); very pale brown (10YR 8/3) sandy clay loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/3) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm; common masses and nodules of calcium carbonate; moderately alkaline, pH 8.2; gradual smooth boundary. (25 to 51 cm [10 to 25 in] thick)
BCk--178 to 203 cm (70 to 80 in); very pale brown (10YR 8/3) sandy clay loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm; common fine and medium nodules of calcium carbonate; common fine dark concretions of iron manganese oxides; moderately alkaline, pH 8.2. (13 to 51 cm [5 to 20 in] thick)
TYPE LOCATION: Brooks County, Texas; 5.5 miles east of Falfurrias on Texas Highway 285, 2.4 miles north and west on farm road 2191, and 1,000 feet south in pasture. Premont East USGS topographic quadrangle; Latitude 27 degrees 15 minutes 14 seconds N; Longitude 98 degrees 3 minutes, 49 seconds W, NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: an ustic moisture regime. The soil moisture control section is dry in some or all parts for more than 90 but less than 180 cumulative days in normal years. June through August and December through February are the driest months. These soils are intermittently moist in September through November and March through May.
Mean annual soil temperature: 22.2 to 23.3 degrees C (72 to 74 degrees F)
Depth to secondary calcium carbonates: 91 to 127 cm (36 to 50 in).
Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: 36 to 45 percent.
A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 4 to 6
Chroma: 2 to 3
Texture: loamy fine sand or fine sandy loam
Effervescence: none
Reaction: slightly acid or neutral
Btg horizon
Hue: 10YR
Value: 4 to 6
Chroma: 1 to 3
Texture: sandy clay loam or sandy clay
Redox concentrations: 5 to 30 percent, fine and medium, faint to prominent, clear and diffuse boundaries, throughout.
Effervescence: none
Reaction: slightly acid to neutral
Btk horizon
Hue: 10YR
Value: 6 to 8
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: sandy clay loam or sandy clay
Redox concentrations: 5 to 30 percent, fine and medium, faint to prominent, clear and diffuse boundaries, throughout.
Identifiable secondary carbonate: 2 to 8 percent, fine, masses and nodules throughout
EC (dS/m): 0 to 1
SAR: 0 to 4
Effervescence: slightly to strongly
Reaction: slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline
BCk horizon
Hue: 10YR
Value: 6 to 8
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: sandy clay loam or sandy clay
Redox concentrations: 0 to 20 percent, fine and medium, faint to prominent, clear and diffuse boundaries, throughout
Identifiable secondary carbonate: 2 to 8 percent, fine, masses and nodules throughout
EC (dS/m): 0 to 1
SAR: 0 to 5
Effervescence: slightly to strongly
Reaction: slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in this family. Similar soils are
Copano,
Eureka,
Inez,
Opelika,
Palobia,
Telferner,
Vidauri and
Wyick series.
Eureka soils: have lower chroma throughout, are in a semiactive family, and receive more than 127 cm (50 in) annual precipitation.
Copano and Vidauri soils: have vertic properties and smetitic clay mineralogy.
Inez, Telferner, and Wyick soils: have smectitic clay mineralogy.
Opelika and Palobia soils: have a fine-loamy particle-size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: eolian sediments of Holocene age over loamy alluvial sediments of Quaternary age
Landform: depression
Slope: 0 to 1 percent
Mean annual air temperature: 22 to 24 degrees C (72 to 75 degrees F)
Mean annual precipitation: 584 to 737 mm (23 to 29 in)
Frost-free period: 285 to 320 days
Elevation: 6 to 107 m (20 to 351 ft)
Thornthwaite annual P-E indices: 19 to 40
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Czar,
Colmena,
Delfina,
Edroy,
Leming,
Padrones,
Palobia, and
Papalote soils.
Czar soils: are on stream terraces and have less than 35 percent clay in the control sections.
Colmena and Delfina soils: are on convex shoulder positions on knolls and have less than 35 percent clay in the control section.
Edroy soils: occur in similar positions, have clayey surface layers, and do not have an argillic horizon.
Leming soils: are on convex shoulder positions and have a sandy epipedon more than 51 cm (20 in) thick.
Padrones soils: are on convex shoulder positions on knolls and have a loamy particle-size control section.
Palobia soils: are on convex shoulder positions on knolls and have less than 35 percent clay in the particle-size control section.
Papalote soils: are on convex shoulder positions and do not have an aquic moisture regime in most years.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained. Permeability is slow. Runoff is negligible. The soil ponds for short periods after heavy rains.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for livestock grazing and forage production. A few areas are used for crop production, mostly grain sorghum. Native grasses include plains bristlegrass, lovegrass tridens, witchgrass, and threeawns. Woody vegetation is mainly mesquite, huisache, and spiny hackberry. The ecological site is Lakebed, (R083EY721TX).
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Sandsheet Prairie (MLRA 83E in LRR I) of southern Texas. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Jim Wells County, Texas; 1976.
REMARKS: Papagua soils were formerly included in a depressional phase of the Papalote series. The typifying pedon was moved to the Brooks County type location in 2006. Local lab data is available at this site.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle-size control section: 30 to 81 cm (12 to 32 in). (Btg1 and Btg2 horizons)
Ochric epipedon: 0 to 30 cm (0 to 12 in). (A horizon)
Argillic horizon: 30 to 178 cm (12 to 70 in). (Btg1, Btg2, Btgk, and Btk horizons)
ADDITIONAL DATA: none
TAXANOMIC VERSION: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Tenth Edition, 2006.