LOCATION PURSLEY            TX
Established Series
Rev. GLL-SEB-ACT
10/97

PURSLEY SERIES


The Pursley series consists of very deep, well drained, moderately permeable soils that formed in loamy calcareous sediments. These soils are on nearly level to very gently sloping flood plains that have rare to common flooding. Slopes are dominantly less than 1 percent but range from 0 to 2 percent.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic Fluventic Haplustolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Pursley clay loam--cropland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

Ap--0 to 14 inches; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) clay loam, very dark grayish brown (2.5Y 3/2) moist; weak fine and medium granular structure; slightly hard, friable; few fine roots; many fine and very fine pores; common wormcasts; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (6 to 20 inches thick)

Bw--14 to 32 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky and granular structure; hard, friable; few fine roots; few fine pores; common wormcasts; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 20 inches thick)

C--32 to 40 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) clay loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; common fine faint pale brown layers associated with bedding planes; massive; hard, friable; few fine roots; common bedding planes; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (6 to 30 inches thick)

Ck--40 to 60 inches; stratified olive (5Y 5/3) silty clay loam and dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) silty clay with few pale brown layers along bedding planes; massive; very hard, firm; common threads of calcium carbonate along bedding planes; violently effervescent; moderate alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (0 to more than 30 inches thick)

C'--60 to 66 inches; olive gray (5Y 5/2) loam, olive gray (5Y 4/2) moist; massive with common bedding planes; hard, friable; few threads of calcium carbonate; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Navarro County, Texas. About 2.2 miles east of Dawson to intersection of FR 709 and county road; 1.3 miles east on county road, 265 feet south and 110 feet west of road.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Organic matter decreases irregularly with depth or is more than 0.3 percent at a depth of 50 inches below the surface. Bedding planes are visible within 40 inches of the surface. The soil is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline and calcareous.

The Ap or A1 horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 2 or 3. The mollic epipedon is 10 to 20 inches thick. Texture is loam, sandy clay loam, or clay loam.

The Bw horizon has hue of 10YR or 5Y, value of 4 to 7 and chroma of 2 to 4. Chroma of 2 is assumed to be inherited from the high lime content. Where present, the B horizon is loam, sandy clay loam, or clay loam. Clay content of the 10- to 40-inch control section ranges from 18 to 35 percent, with more than 15 percent material coarser than very fine sand.

The C horizons are stratified with sandy to clayey textures, but averages a loam or clay loam. In some pedons buried darker colored clay is below a depth of 40 inches.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Easpur (OK) and Spur (TX) series. Similar soils are the Asa, Asher, Bippus, Bosque, Colorado, Gageby, Gowen, Spur, and Toyah series. Easpur and Spur soils have hue dominantly redder than 7.5YR. Asa and Asher soils have fine-silty control sections. Bippus, Bosque, Gageby, and Gowen soils have mollic epipedons more than 20 inches thick. Colorado soils do not have mollic epipedons and have hue of 5YR and redder. Toyah soils have an electrical conductivity of more than 2 dS/m within the control section and are dry for longer periods of time.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: These soils are on nearly level flood plains of streams carrying calcareous loamy sediments. Slopes are 0 to 2 percent but dominantly less than 1 percent. The soil formed in loamy calcareous sediments. Flooding occurs at intervals of 1 or more times a year to once about every 5 years. Mean annual temperature ranges from 65 to 70 degrees F. and mean annual precipitation ranges from 30 to 40 inches. Frost free days range from 240 to 280 days and elevation ranges from 150 to 750 feet. Thornthwaite P-E indices range from 46 to 64.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Gowen soils of the competing series and the Trinity series. Trinity soils have more than 35 percent clay in the control section and have chromas of less than 1.5.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for bermudagrass pastures or for cotton, corn, and grain sorghums. Trees are mainly elm, pecan, and hackberry.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mainly in the mixed postoak and prairie areas of central Texas. The series is of moderate extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Hill County, Texas; 1975.

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

Mollic epipedon - 0 to 14 inches. (Ap horizon)

Cambic Horizon - 14 to 32 inches. (Bw horizon)

Fluventic feature - Stratification evident below 32 inches.


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.