LOCATION SOLIS                   TX

Established Series
Rev. RAC/JLR/ACT
12/2010

SOLIS SERIES

The Solis series consists of shallow and very shallow, well drained, moderately permeable soils that formed in soft sandstone. These soils are on gently sloping to hilly uplands. Slopes range from 1 to 30 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 8 inches and the mean annual air temperature is about 65 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, calcareous, hyperthermic, shallow Ustic Torriorthents

TYPICAL PEDON: Solis fine sandy loam--rangeland (colors are for dry soils unless otherwise stated).

A--0 to 2 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) fine sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; weak medium granular structure; slightly hard, very friable; few fine roots; 5 percent sandstone gravel; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary (1 to 5 inches thick).

C--2 to 6 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; single grained; slightly hard, very friable; 10 percent sandstone gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary (3 to 15 inches thick).

Cr1--6 to 22 inches; fractured platy sandstone with hardness of less than 3 on Moh's scale; sandstone can be cut with spade and is breakable by hand; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary (10 to 30 inches thick).

Cr2--22 to 28 inches; coarsely fractured platy sandstone with hardness of less than 3 on Moh's scale; sandstone fractures out in very coarse blocks; thin coatings of calcium carbonate on some fracture surfaces; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary (2 to 8 inches thick).

2Cr--28 to 42 inches; finely fractured shale; common thin coatings of calcium carbonate on fracture faces; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Brewster County, Texas; from the headquarters of Big Bend National Park at Panther Junction; 15 miles southeast on paved park road; 10.3 miles southwest on River Road to junction of Glen Spring Road; 3.3 miles further southwest on River Road; 320 feet northwest of road in range. (Latitude: 29 degrees, 07 minutes, 33 seconds North; Longitude: 103 degrees, 03 minutes, 28 seconds West.)

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

Soil moisture - Ustic aridic soil moisture regime. Receives precipitation in all months. Driest period is November through April with peak rainfall occurring during May through October.

Soil Temperature: 72 to 78 degrees F.

Depth to soft sandstone: 4 to 20 inches

The soil is moderately alkaline and calcareous throughout

Clay Content: 5 to 15 percent

Texture: fine sandy loam, loam, gravelly fine sandy loam, gravelly loam

Rock fragments: 5 to 35 percent sandstone gravel

A and C horizons
Hue: 10YR, 7.5YR
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6, dry or moist

Cr horizons
Consists of fractured platy or massive sandstone that have a hardness of less than 3 on Moh's scale. Coatings of calcium carbonate range from none to common on fracture faces.

2Cr horizon (when present)
Consists of finely to coarsely fractured shale or clay
Thin layers of shale material that has clay texture occurs irregularly throughout this geological material
Thin coatings of calcium carbonate occur along fracture surfaces

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: These soils are on broad rolling uplands. The interbedded sandstone and shale materials from which these soils formed have been uplifted and tilted, forming ridges with common sandstone ledges and outcrops above badlands. Slopes are convex and are mostly 1 to 10 percent, but range up to 45 percent. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 10 to 13 inches, most of which occurs during the summer months. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 68 to 72 degrees F. Frost-free period ranges from 240 to 280 days. Elevation ranges from 1,800 to 4,100 feet.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Corazones, Studybutte, and Tornillo series. Corazones soils are very deep and occur on pediment remnants. Studybutte soiols contain more than 35 percent rock fragments and occur on hills and mountains. Tornillo soils are very deep and occur on alluvial flats.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Permeability is moderate. Runoff is low on 3 to 5 percent slopes, medium on 5 to 20 percent slopes, and high on slopes greater than 20 percent.

USE AND VEGETATION: The principal use is livestock grazing. Vegetation now growing on most areas is scattered plants of black grama, fluffgrass, threeawn, false grama, creosotebush, dog cacti, mariola, feather dalea, and tasajillo.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwest Texas. This soil occurs in LRR-D, MLRA 42. The series is moderately extensive.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Brewster County, Texas; 1982.

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

Paralithic contact - the boundary with soft sandstone at 6 inches (Cr1 horizon)

Entisol feature - the absence of diagnostic subsurface horizons

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

Moisture and temperature regime revised for TX622, Brewster County, TX, Main Part, recorrelation, Nov. 2007, CEM

Revised for the correlation of Big Bend National Park, TX, Oct. 2010, CEM

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.