LOCATION SASPAMCO TXEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, active, hyperthermic Typic Haplustepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Saspamco fine sandy loam - cultivated. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 8 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; hard, friable; many fine roots; few fragments of snail shell; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
A--8 to 18 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) fine sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine granular structure; hard, friable; common fine roots; few fragments of snail shell; few fine pores; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick)
Bw1--18 to 30 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) fine sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; moderate very fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable; few films, threads and fine concretions of calcium carbonate; few fragments of snail shell; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (6 to 18 inches thick)
Bw2--30 to 50 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/4) fine sandy loam, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable; few films, threads and fine concretions of calcium carbonate; few fragments of snail shell; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (8 to 24 inches thick)
BCk--50 to 62 inches; yellow (10YR 7/6) loamy fine sand, brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable; 5 percent masses and concretions of calcium carbonate; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Wilson County, Texas. About 2.25 miles west from intersection of Texas Highway 181 and Farm Road 536 in Floresville by way of Farm Road 536; 0.75 mile west on unpaved county road; site is 20 feet west of gate and 75 feet south.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the solum over sandy sediments ranges from 40 to more than 60 inches. Calcium carbonate equivalent in the 10- to 40-inch particle size control section is 0 to 25 percent by weight. Pebbles and cobbles comprise 0 to 5 percent by weight of any horizon.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 4 to 6 and chroma of 2 or 3. Texture is fine sandy loam or loam.
The Bw or Bk horizons have hue of 10YR, value of 5 to 7 and chroma of 3 or 4. Texture is fine sandy loam or loam. The silicate clay content of the 10- to 40-inch particle size control section is 12 to 18 percent. Carbonate clay is 1 to about 6 percent. Visible carbonates in the form of threads, films, masses, and concretions range from 1 to 10 percent.
The BCk horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 6 to 8 and chroma of 3 to 6. Texture is fine sandy loam or loamy fine sand. Visible carbonates in the form of threads, films, masses, and concretions range from 1 to 15 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the tentative Cayo series. Similar soils are the Colibro, McAllen, and Lagloria series. Cayo soils are moderately well drained and have an SAR of greater than 13 below a depth of 20 inches. Colibro and McAllen soils are in the fine-loamy family. Lagloria soils are in the coarse-silty family and have fluventic features.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Saspamco soils occupy sloping terraces and footslopes below ridges. Slopes range from 0 to 8 percent and are dominantly less than 3 percent. The soil formed in calcareous loamy sediments. Mean annual precipitation ranges from about 26 to 34 inches. The mean annual temperature is 70 to 74 degrees F. The annual Thornthwaite P-E indices range from 38 to 46. Frost free days range from 275 to 300. Elevation ranges from 250 to 450 feet.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Colibro and Coy series. Coy soils have a mollic epipedon and an argillic horizon. Colibro soils occur on similar surfaces. Coy soils occur at higher elevations.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Permeability is moderately rapid. Runoff is negligible on slopes less than 1 percent, very low on 1 to 5 percent slopes, and low on 5 to 8 percent slopes.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for cropland and range. Cultivated crops are small grains used mostly for grazing, cotton, grain sorghum, and corn. Present range vegetation consists of Arizona cottontop, feathery bluestem, plains bristlegrass, white tridens, hooded windmillgrass, Texas Bristlegrass, pink pappasgrass, slim tridens, mesquite, whitebrush, lote, spiny hackberry, and pricklypear.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Rio Grande Plain of south Texas. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Wilson County, Texas; 1972.
REMARKS: The series was formerly included with the Karnes series.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - 0 to 18 inches. (A horizon)
Cambic horizon - 18 to 50 inches. (Bw horizon)
Calcic horizon - 50 to 62 inches. (BCk horizon)