LOCATION SPRINGCREEK TXEstablished Series
The Springcreek series consists of moderately deep, over limestone bedrock, well drained, moderately permeable soils that formed in loamy residuum from limestone. These soils are on gently sloping to moderately sloping plains and ridges. Slopes range from 1 to 8 percent.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, carbonatic, thermic Typic Calciustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Springcreek clay loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 9 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate very fine subangular blocky and granular structure; hard, friable; common fine roots; common wormcasts; few limestone pebbles; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (7 to 12 inches thick)
Bk1--9 to 18 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable; few fine roots; common wormcasts; 20 percent pebbles coated with hardened calcium carbonate up to 3/4 inch thick; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary.
Bk2--18 to 30 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) gravelly clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable; few fine roots; 25 percent limestone pebbles coated with hardened calcium carbonate up to 3/4 inch thick; 5 to 10 percent calcium carbonate concretions; violentlyeffervescent; moderately alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary. (the Bk horizon is 15 to 30 inches thick)
R--30 to 40 inches; indurated, brown limestone bedrock; coarsely fractured; coatings of calcium carbonate up to 1/4 inch thick on surface of bedrock and in fractures.
TYPE LOCATION: Throckmorton County, Texas; 9.0 miles north on U.S. Highway 283 from its intersection
with U.S. Highway 380 in Throckmorton, 2.4 miles east on McWhorter road and 40 feet south in rangeland.
Latitude: 33 degrees, 18 minutes, 48 seconds south; Longitude: 99 degrees, 08 minutes, 36 seconds west.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness and depth to strongly cemented or indurated, fractured limestone bedrock ranges from 20 to 40 inches. Coarse fragments range from 5 to 30 percent by volume in the control section. Coarse fragments are coated with hardened calcium carbonate. A thin coating of calcium carbonate is on the bedrock and commonly seals fractures. Calcium carbonate equivalent of the control section ranges from 40 to 60 percent. Silicate clay content of the control section ranges from 25 to 35 percent.
The A horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 2 or 3. Texture is loam or clay loam.
Coarse fragments range from 0 to 15 percent by volume. Reaction is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
The Bk horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 to 8, and chroma of 2 to 6. Texture is gravelly loam,
gravelly clay loam or cobbly clay loam. Coarse fragments range from 10 to 25 percent gravel and 5 to 10 percent
cobbles. It is calcareous and slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
The R layer is fractured strongly cemented or indurated limestone bedrock that is grayish or brownish in color.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in this family. Similar soils are the
Bolar,
Carbengle,
Doss,
Set,
Somervell,
Sunev and
Topsey series. Bolar, Carbengle, Sunev and Topsey soils are dry in the moisture
control section for less than 120 cumulative days. In addition, Carbengle, Sunev and Topsey soils do not have a
lithic contact within 40 inches. Doss soils are shallow to a paralithic contact. Set soils have fine-silty control
sections. Somervell soils are skeletal.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Springcreek soils are on plains, and summits and footslopes of ridges. Surface gradients are 1 to 8 percent. The regolith is loamy materials between fractured beds of indurated limestone of the Permian System. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 22 to 25 inches, and mean annual temperature ranges from 64 to 68 degrees F. Frost free days range from 210 to 230 days, and elevation ranges from 1,350 to 1,700 feet. Thornthwaite annual P-E indices range from 32 to 44.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Leeray,
Lueders,
Nuvalde,
Owens,
Palopinto,
Rowden,
Swenson and
Throck series. Leeray, Owens,
Sagerton, and Throck soils have clayey control sections
and are on lower elevations. Nuvalde soils have fine-silty control sections and are on lower elevations. Lueders,
Palopinto and
Speck soils are shallow to limestone and are on similar positions.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Permeability is moderate. Runoff is medium on 1 to 3
percent slopes, high on 3 to 5 percent slopes, and very high on 5 to 8 percent slopes.
USE AND VEGETATION: Mainly used as rangeland, however, some areas are cultivated to small grains.
Native vegetation is mainly mid and short grasses. Mesquite, lotebush, and cactus have invaded most rangeland
areas.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Rolling Limestone Prairie of Texas. The series is of minor extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Throckmorton County, Texas; 1992. The name is derived from a community in the
northeast part of the county named Spring Creek.
REMARKS: These soils were formerly included in the Cho and Lueders series.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - 0 to 9 inches. (A horizon)
Calcic horizon - 9 to 30 inches. (Bk horizon)
Lithic contact - top of limestone bedrock (R layer) at 25 inches.