LOCATION STRINGTOWN TXEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, siliceous, semiactive, thermic Typic Hapludults
TYPICAL PEDON: Stringtown fine sandy loam, on convex slope of 10
percent in forest. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 5 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) fine sandy loam; few stains of very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) organic accumulation; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine, medium, and coarse roots; few ironstone gravel up to 1/2 inch in diameter; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
E--5 to 11 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) fine sandy loam; few pockets of dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) material; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine medium and coarse roots; about 10 percent by volume of ironstone gravel up to 1/2 inch in diameter; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (4 to 6 inches thick)
Bt1--11 to 26 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) sandy clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few medium and coarse roots; about 10 percent by volume of ironstone gravel; clay films on faces of peds; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (12 to 27 inches thick)
Bt2--26 to 34 inches; reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/8) sandy clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few coarse tree roots; few ironstone gravel up to 1/2 inch in diameter; clay films on faces of peds; common medium prominent red (2.5YR 5/8) masses of iron accumulation; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)
Bt3--34 to 45 inches; reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/8) sandy clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine prominent light gray (10YR 6/1) lithochromic mottles; about 4 percent by volume of plinthite; few clay films on faces of peds; common medium prominent red (2.5YR 4/8) masses of iron accumulation; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (8 to 12 inches thick)
BC--45 to 54 inches; variegated reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/8), red (2.5YR 4/8) and light gray (10YR 7/1) sandy clay loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fragments of purple and white shale; extremely acid; diffuse irregular boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)
C--54 to 80 inches; thinly bedded light gray (10YR 7/1), reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/8) and red (2.5YR 4/8, 2.5YR 3/6, and 10R 4/8) sandy clay loam, shale and soft sandstone; stratified with shale beds 1/4 inch to 2 inches thick; sandstone parts are weakly cemented; extremely acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Newton County, Texas; from Newton 4.1 miles northeast on Texas Highway 87, 4.6 miles east on Farm Road 1414, 2.15 miles southeast on county road, 120 feet north in forest.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 40 to 60 inches. Ironstone pebbles and angular fragments make up 1 to 20 percent by volume of the A and E horizons. A few ironstone cobbles up to 6 inches across occur in some pedons. Plinthite makes up 1 to 4 percent by volume of the lower Bt horizons. Base saturation ranges from 25 to 35 percent.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 3 through 5, and chroma of 2 to 4. Texture is fine sandy loam, loamy fine sand, gravelly fine sandy loam, or gravelly loamy fine sand. Reaction ranges from slightly acid through very strongly acid.
The E horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 3 or 4. Texture is fine sandy loam, loamy fine sand, gravelly fine sandy loam, or gravelly loamy fine sand. Reaction ranges from slightly acid through very strongly acid.
The Bt horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 6 or 8. Iron accumulations in shades of red, yellow, and brown, and lithochromic mottles in shades of gray are in the Bt1 and Bt2 horizon. Gray lithochromic mottles are due to weathered shale fragments. Texture is sandy clay loam or clay loam with clay content of the upper 20 inches of the Bt horizon ranging from 18 to 35 percent. The Bt horizon generally contains 1 to 15 percent by volume of pebbles and flattened fragments of ironstone. Reaction is medium acid to very strongly acid.
The BC horizon is variegated in shades of yellow, red, and gray. It commonly contains fragments of shale and sandstone. Reaction ranges from strongly acid through extremely acid.
The C horizon is sandy clay loam with strata of soft shale and sandstone in colors of gray, red, and brown. The strata of sandstone can be cut with a spade. Reaction ranges from strongly acid through extremely acid.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Apison, Biffle, Cahaba, Durham, Euharlee, Granville, Hartsells, Linker, Nauvoo, Oktaha, Olla, Pirum, Sipsey, Spadra, and Suffolk series in the same family, and the Emporia, Kempsville, Smithdale, and Wickham series in closely related families. Apison and Sipsey soils have soft shale or shale interbedded with thin layers of siltstone or fine-grained sandstone at a depth of 20 to 40 inches. Hartsells, Linker, Oktaha, and Pirum soils have hard acid sandstone bedrock at 20 to 40 inches deep. Biffle soils formed in residuum from cherty limestone and have a solum that is 20 to 40 inches thick. Cahaba soils have a redder argillic horizon and developed in very deep loamy and sandy alluvium on stream terraces. Durham soils formed in residuum weathered from acid crystalline rocks, chiefly granite and gneiss. Granville soils formed in residuum weathered from Triassic sandstone and shale and do not have plinthite segregations in the solum. Emporia, Kempsville, and Smithdale soils do not have weathered sandstone or shale within a depth of 6 feet and have a subactive activity class. Euharlee soils contain more silt and developed from cherty limestone. Nauvoo soils have a redder argillic horizon and do not have plinthite in the solum. Olla, Spadra, Suffolk, and Wickham soils do not have weathered shale or sandstone within a depth of 80 inches. In addition, Wickham soils have mixed mineralogy.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Stringtown soils are on sloping to steep uplands. They usually occur on narrow ridgetops and side slopes. Slopes range from 5 to 35 percent. The soil formed in weakly consolidated loamy sediments of late Tertiary or early Pleistocene age. The climate is humid; mean annual precipitation ranges from 46 to 58 inches and the mean annual temperature ranges from 66 to 70 degrees F. The Thornthwaite annual P-E index exceeds 72.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bonwier, Boykin, Doucette, Letney, Newco, Pinetucky, Tehran, and Urland series. Bonwier soils are on similar positions and more than 35 percent clay in the control section. Urland soils are on adjacent smoother areas and more than 35 percent clay in the control section. Boykin and Doucette soils have a sandy epipedon more than 20 inches thick, and are on lsee sloping sideslope positions. Letney and Tehran soils have a sandy epipedon more than 20 inches thick, and are on slightly higher ridgetop and shoulder positions. Newco soils have redox depletions and aquic conditions in the upper 24 inches of the argillic horizon. Pinetucky soils are on gently sloping areas, are more deeply developed, and contain more than 5 percent plinthite.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Stringtown soils are well drained; medium rate of runoff on slopes from 5 to 20 percent, and high rate of runoff on slopes more than 20 percent. Permeability is moderate.
USE AND VEGETATION: Stringtown soils are used mainly for woodland and pastureland. The principal trees are loblolly and shortleaf pines, and sweetgum, red oak, hickory, and other hardwoods. Pastures are of common and improved bermudagrass and bahiagrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western coastal plain (MLRA 133B) in southeast Texas and Louisiana. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Newton County, Texas; 1980.
REMARKS: The Stringtown series was assigned to a semiactive actiity class in 1999. Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in the type location pedon include:
Ochric epipedon --- 0 to 11 inches (A and E horizons).
Argillic Horizon -- 11 to 45 inches (Bt horizons).
Plinthite segregations -- 34 to 45 inches (Bt3 horizon).