LOCATION PHANTOM                 TX+AZ

Established Series
Rev. RAC/JLR/ACT
10/2012

PHANTOM SERIES

The Phantom series consists of very deep, well drained, moderately slowly permeable soils formed in clayey sediments. These soils are on nearly level valley floors. Slopes range from 0 to 3 percent.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, thermic Torrertic Haplustolls

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

A1--0 to 8 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; compound weak coarse platy and subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable; common fine roots; few fine pores; few cracks about 1/2 inch wide; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary (3 to 12 inches thick).

A2--8 to 17 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; strong fine angular blocky structure; hard, firm; common fine roots; few fine pores; few cracks about 1/2 inch wide; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary (8 to 24 inches thick).

Bw1--17 to 24 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silty clay, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist, moderate medium angular blocky structure; very hard, very firm; few fine roots; few very fine pores; few very fine hard concretions of calcium carbonate; few cracks about 1/2 inch wide to at least 30 inches; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary (20 to 35 inches thick).

Bw2--24 to 60 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) clay loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak medium angular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable; few fine roots; few fine pores; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Jeff Davis County, Texas; from the intersection of Texas Highways 17 and 118 in Fort Davis, Texas; 24 miles north on Texas Highway 17 to Ranch Road 1832, 1.75 miles north on Texas Highway 17, 200 feet west in pasture. This site is about 2.3 miles south of the Reeves County line. Latitude: 30 degrees, 53 minutes, 34 seconds North; Longitude: 103 degrees, 47 minutes, 31 seconds West.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture: Aridic ustic moisture regime

Solum thickness: 60 to more than 80 inches

Mollic epipedon thickness: 20 to 50 inches

Organic matter: 1 to 3 percent

COLE value: 0.07 to 0.09

Cracking: when dry, cracks 0.25 to 2 inches wide extend 20 to about 36 inches depth; cracks stay open more than 3/4 of the time during most years

Clay content: 35 to 60 percent throughout

A horizon
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 3 through 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 2 through 3, dry or moist
Texture: clay loam, silty clay loam, silty clay, clay
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline

B horizons
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR
Value: 3 through 6 dry, 2 through 5 moist
Chroma: 2 through 4, dry or moist
Texture: clay loam, silty clay loam, silty clay, clay
Rock fragments: contains a few gravel, cobbles, and stones in some pedons
Reaction: moderately alkaline

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Ashcreek (AZ) Cazador (I-AZ) series. Ashcreek (AZ) soils have no accumulation of calcium carbonate and a pH of slightly acid to neutral. Cazador soils are inactive.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Phantom soils are on drainage flats at the base of hills and on flood plains of wide valleys. Slopes are nearly level with gradients of 0 to 3 percent. These soils have developed in clayey sediments. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 12 to 20 inches and mean annual temperature ranges from 59 to 66 degrees F. Frost free days range from 180 to 240 days and elevation ranges from 3,500 to 6,695 feet.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Pima series, and the Hodgins, Reagan, Stovall and Santo Tomas series. Hodgins, Reagan and Stovall soils are on similar position. They do dot have mollic epipedons and have less than 35 percent clay in the control section. Santo Tomas soils are on higher positions and have more than 35 percent by volume of coarse fragments and less than 35 percent clay in the control section.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Permeability is moderately slow. Runoff is negligible on slopes less than 1 percent, and very low on 1 to 3 percent slopes.

USE AND VEGETATION: The main use is livestock grazing and wildlife habitat. The soils support a grass cover mainly of Tobosa grass. Soils are well suited for rangeland and irrigated cropland.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: West Texas and Southeastern Arizona. MLRAs 41 and 42. The series is of moderate extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Jeff Davis County, Texas; 1971.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Mollic epipedon - the zone from 0 to 24 inches (A horizons)

Cambic horizon - the zone from 24 to 60 inches (Bw horizon)

Torrertic feature - Smectitic mineralogy, cracks wide and deep enough for vertic and the cracks are open for more than 6 months in most years.

Classified according to Soil Taxonomy, Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Eleventh Edition, 2010

Update and revisions for Recorrelation of Brewster County, Texas, Main Part, 2/12/08, CEM

Revised for the correlation of Presidio County, Texas ; Oct, 2012, WWJ

ADDITIONAL DATA: Laboratory data on texture, mineralogy, and COLE is available for the A3 horizon - LSL No. 66L171.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.