LOCATION RAYFORD OKEstablished Series
TYPICAL PEDON: Rayford cobbly loam--on a 10 percent slope in rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A11--0 to 11 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) cobbly loam; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; slightly hard; friable; common fine and medium roots; few fine pores; fragments of rounded limestone make up about 30 percent by volume; calcareous; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (4 to 11 inches thick)
A12--11 to 16 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) very cobbly clay loam; dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium granular structure; slightly hard; friable; few fine and medium roots; few fine pores; fragments of rounded limestone make up about 50 percent by volume; few soft bodies of calcium carbonate; calcareous; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 9 inches thick)
R--16 to 18 inches; indurated limestone conglomerate; tilted 15 degrees from horizontal.
TYPE LOCATION: Murray County, Oklahoma; about 1 mile south and 2 miles west of Sulphur near Veterans Lake; 4,900 feet west and 1,800 feet north of the southeast corner of sec. 10, T. 1 S., R. 3 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 8 to 20 inches. The average content of coarse fragments is more than 35 percent by volume. The A11 horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 2. Texture is cobbly loam, cobbly clay loam, or cobbly silty clay loam. Content of limestone fragments range from 25 to 35 percent by volume. About 10 to 15 percent by volume is less than 76 mm in diameter and 15 to 25 percent by volume is more than 76 mm in diameter.
The A12 horizon has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 2 or 3. Texture is cobbly loam, very cobbly loam, cobbly clay loam, very cobbly clay loam, very cobbly silty clay loam, or cobbly silty clay loam. Content of limestone fragments range from 45 to 55 percent by volume. About 10 to 20 percent by volume is less than 76 mm in diameter and 25 to 40 percent by volume is more than 76 mm in diameter. Films and soft bodies of calcium carbonate make up 0 to 5 percent by volume.
The R layer is indurated limestone conglomerate. It is tilted less than 20 degrees from horizontal.
COMPETING SERIES: These are Brewster, Eckert, Kiti, Lampshire, Palopinto, and Timhill series in the same family. Soils in similar families are Aledo, Atascosa, Renish, Santo Tomas, Shidler, Volco, and Woodford series. Aledo soils have carbonatic mineralogy. Atascosa soils have B2t horizons. Brewster, Eckert, Lampshire, and Palopinto soils are dry for longer periods during the year. Kiti soils have an irregular boundary over limestone tilted more than 20 degrees from horizontal. Renish and Shidler soils have less than 35 percent coarse fragments. Santo Tomas soils have a mollic epipedon more than 20 inches thick and do not have a lithic contact. Timhill soils have a wavy boundary over rhyolite tilted more than 20 degrees from horizontal. Volco soils have a calcic horizon. Woodford soils have siliceous mineralogy and are underlain with hard sandstone tilted more than 20 degrees from horizontal.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Rayford soils are on sloping to moderately steep side slopes of hills or ridges of the Arbuckle Mountains in the Grand Prairie. Slopes are 5 to 20 percent. They formed in material weathered from limestone conglomerates of Pennsylvanian age. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 34 to 40 inches. Mean annual temperature ranges from 62 to 64 degrees F. Thornthwaite annual P-E indices range from 54 to 64. Frost free days range from 210 230. Elevation ranges from 800 to 1200 feet.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Kiti, Shidler, and Timhill series. Kiti and Timhill soils usually occur on higher elevations. Shidler soils occur on similar areas.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; very high runoff; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for rangeland. Vegetation consists of native grasses.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Grand Prairie of Oklahoma. The series is of minor extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Murray County, Oklahoma; 1982.
REMARKS: Rayford soils were formerly included in the Kiti
series.