LOCATION SPIKEBOX                OK+TX

Established Series
DDR-CRC- WJG-ROG
09/2020

SPIKEBOX SERIES

The Spikebox series consists of very shallow and shallow, well drained, moderately permeable soils over moderately slowly permeable sandstone bedrock. These soils formed in residuum over cemented sandstone interbedded with thin strata of claystone of Permian age. These very gently sloping to strongly sloping soils are on summits, side slopes, and escarpments of ridges and hills of the Central Rolling Red Plains (MLRA 78C). Slope ranges from 1 to 40 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 635 mm (25 in) and mean annual air temperature is about 16.6 degrees C (62 degrees F).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, active, thermic, shallow Typic Haplustepts

TYPICAL PEDON: Spikebox fine sandy loam, on a 4 percent slope in cropland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

Ap--0 to 15 cm (0 to 6 in); reddish brown (5YR 5/4) fine sandy loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; weak fine and medium granular structure; hard, very friable; common very fine and fine roots; very slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (Thickness is 10 to 33 cm [4 to 13 in]).

Bw--15 to 33 cm (6 to 13 in); red (2.5YR 5/6) fine sandy loam, red (2.5YR 4/6) moist; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable; few very fine and fine roots; few fine and medium pores; 5 percent 2 to 25 mm paragravel of sandstone; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (Thickness is 15 to 25 cm [6 to 10 in])

Cr1--33 to 61 cm (13 to 24 in); light greenish gray (5GY 7/1) extremely weakly cemented sandstone bedrock, greenish gray (5GY 6/1) moist; massive; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary.

Cr2--61 to 101 cm (24 to 40 in); red (2.5YR 4/6) very weakly cemented sandstone bedrock, dark red (2.5YR 3/6) moist; massive; stratified with a few dark red (2.5YR 3/6) claystone layers less than 12 cm (5 in) thick; very slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Jackson County, OK; from the intersection of U.S. Highways 283 and 62 in Altus, about 8 miles south, 0.56 mile west, and about 2350 feet south in cropland; located about 716 meters (2350 feet) south and 701 meter (2300 feet) east of the northwest corner of Sec. 31, T.1 N., R.20 W.;USGS quadrangle: Altus SE; Latitude: 34 degrees, 30 minutes, 54 seconds N; Longitude: 99 degrees, 20 minutes, 36 seconds W; NAD 1927.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: Typic-ustic soil moisture regime
Mean annual soil temperature: 17 degrees C (64 degrees F)

Thickness of the solum and depth to bedrock: 20 to 51 cm (8 to 20 in).
Depth to paralithic contact: 20 to 51 cm(8 to 20 in) and corresponds to depth to sandstone.

Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 15 percent.

Particle-size control section (weighted average)
Clay content: 8 to 20 percent
Sand content: 15 to 85 percent.
Rock Fragments: 0 to 10 percent sandstone paragravel or siliceous gravel.

A Horizon
Hue: 2.5YR to 7.5YR
Value: 4 or 5
Chroma: 4 to 6
Texture: fine sandy loam or loam
Pararock fragments: 5 percent; gravels; sandstone
Effervescence: none to strong
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline

Bw or BC Horizon
Hue: 2.5YR to 10YR
Value: 4 to 6
Chroma: 4 to 6
Texture: fine sandy loam, very fine sandy loam, or loam
Effervescence: very slight to strong
Reaction: moderately alkaline

Cr Horizon
Hue: 10R to 5GY
Value: 4 to 8
Chroma: 1 to 8
Extremely weakly cemented to moderately cemented stratified sandstone that is interbedded with thin noncemented layers of claystone. The sandstone is typically fractured in the upper part and most strata are cemented, however, some strata are noncemented. Some fragments of the sandstone harden irreversibly when exposed, and are deposited as stones and boulders on lower slopes as erosion undercuts them.
Excavation difficulty: moderate to high.
Effervescence: very slight to strong
Reaction: moderately alkaline.

COMPETING SERIES: The Quinlan series is in the same family. Similar soils are the Burson, Cottonwood, Harmon, and Knoco series.
Quinlan soils: are shallow over noncemented sandstone bedrock of the Whitehorse and Quartermaster Formations on higher landscapes and have a superactive CEC class.
Burson soils: are very shallow over noncemented sandstone bedrock and occur at higher elevations in a slightly drier climate.
Cottonwood soils: are shallow over crystalline gypsum bedrock.
Harmon soils: have a loamy-skeletal particle-size class and carbonatic mineralogy.
Knoco soils: have a clayey particle-size class and are shallow over reddish-brown claystone bedrock.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: residuum derived from sandstone bedrock, mainly of the San Angelo Formation of Permian age
Landscape: dissected plains
Landform: summits, side slopes, and escarpments of ridges and hills
Slope: 1 to 40 percent
Mean annual precipitation range: 558 to 711 (22 to 28 in)
Thornthwaite P-E Indices: 34 to 44
Mean annual air temperature: 15.5 to 17.7 degrees C (60 to 64 degrees F)
Frost-free period: 200 to 230 days.
Elevation: 304.8 to 609.6 m (1000 to 2000 ft)

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Cobb, Cosh, Decobb, Knoco, Tilvern, and Vernon series.
Cosh soils: have an argillic horizon and are on similar positions.
Cobb and Decobb soils: have solum more than 51 cm (20 in) over sandstone bedrock, have an argillic horizon, and occur on lower positions.
Knoco soils: have a clayey particle-size class and are on similar positions
Tilvern and Vernon soils: have solum more than 51 cm (20 in) over claystone bedrock and have a clayey particle-size class.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY:
Drainage class: Well
Permeability: moderate in the solum and moderately slow in the parent material
Runoff: medium on 1 to 5 percent slopes and high on 5 to 12 percent slopes

USE AND VEGETATION:
Major uses: range for grazing animals. Some areas, on lesser slopes, are used for growing small grains and forage sorghums for livestock grazing.
Native vegetation is mainly little bluestems and gramas. Sand dropseed, buffalograss and yucca are also common. Mesquite and juniper have invaded most areas. Ecological sites assigned to phases and components of this series are listed below. Current ecological site assignments are in Web Soil Survey. Components of this series include the following ecological sites: Shallow Upland, Loamy Breaks

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
General location: Central Rolling Red Plains of north Texas and southwestern Oklahoma; MLRA: 78C- Central Rolling Red Plains, Eastern Part. Extent: moderate

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas.

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Jackson County, OK; 2000.

REMARKS: This series was formerly included in the Cosh, Latom, and Quinlan series.
Edited 08/2020 (LL-ROG): Converted to tabular format and added metric measurements.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle size control section: 0 to 33 cm (0 to 13 in) (Ap and BC horizons).
Ochric epipedon: 0 to 15 cm (0 to 6 in) (Ap horizon).
Cambic horizon: 15 to 33 cm (6 to 13 in) (Bw horizon).
Paralithic contact: The contact with sandstone at 33 cm (13 in) (Cr1 horizon).
The assignment of the cation-exchange activity class is inferred from lab data from Jackson County, OK.
Range Site: Shallow Sandstone - #078CY691TX.

ADDITIONAL DATA: none
Taxonomic Version: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Twelfth Edition, 2014

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.