LOCATION SIMELAKE TX

Established Series
JKW-ALS-RM
07/2014

SIMELAKE SERIES

The Simelake series consists of very deep, somewhat poorly drained soils that formed in clayey alluvial deposits of Holocene age. These soils are on flood plain flats. Slope ranges from 0 to 1 percent but mainly less than 1 percent. Mean annual temperature is about 19.5 degrees C (67 degrees F), and mean annual precipitation is about 1422 mm (56 in).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, thermic Aeric Dystraquerts

TYPICAL PEDON: Simelake silty clay-bottomland hardwood forest. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)

A--0 to 15 cm, (0 to 6 in); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2), silty clay; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; firm; common very coarse roots throughout and common coarse roots throughout and common medium roots throughout and common fine roots throughout; common very fine tubular andcommon fine vesicular pores; 1 percent fine faint dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) masses of oxidized iron with sharp boundaries lining pores and 1 percent fine faint grayish brown (10YR 5/2)iron depletions with clear boundaries in matrix surrounding redox concentrations; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (8 to 20 cm [3 to 8 in] thick)

Bw--15 to 54 cm, (6 to 21 in); grayish brown (10YR 5/2), silty clay; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very firm; common very coarse roots throughout and common coarse roots throughout and common medium roots throughout and common fine roots throughout; common fine tubular pores; 10 percent faint pressure faces; 1 percent fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) masses of oxidized iron with clear boundaries lining pores and 2 percent fine distinct dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) masses of oxidized iron with clear boundaries in matrix; extremely acid; clear smooth boundary. (30 to 61 cm [12 to 24 in] thick)

Bss--54 to 117 cm, (21 to 46 in); gray (10YR 6/1), clay; moderate medium angular blocky structure; very firm; common very fine roots throughout and common fine roots throughout; common fine tubular pores; 10 percent faint gray (10YR 6/1) slickensides (pedogenic); 2 percent medium distinct dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) iron-manganese masses with clear boundaries in matrix and 5 percent fine prominent dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) masses of oxidized iron with sharp boundaries lining pores; extremely acid; gradual wavy boundary. (28 to 63 cm [11 to 25 in] thick)

Bssg1--117 to 167 cm,(46 to 66 in); gray (2.5Y 6/1), clay; moderate medium angular blocky structure; very firm; common very fine roots throughout; common very fine tubular pores; 20 percent distinct slickensides (pedogenic); 2 percent medium prominent black (10YR 2/1) iron-manganese masses with sharp boundaries in matrix and 3 percent fine prominent yellowish red (5YR 4/6) masses of oxidized iron with diffuse boundaries lining pores and 10 percent medium prominent brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) masses of oxidized iron with diffuse boundaries in matrix; extremely acid; gradual wavy boundary. (combined thickness of the Bssg horizons is 58 to 127 cm [23 to 50 in])

Bssg2--167 to 203 cm, (66 to 80 in); gray (N 6/) gray (N 6/), clay; moderate coarse angular blocky structure; very firm; few very fine roots throughout; common very fine tubular pores; 25 percent distinct gray (6/) gray (6/) slickensides (pedogenic); 1 percent medium faint bluish gray (5PB 6/1) iron depletions with diffuse boundaries lining pores and 3 percent medium prominent brownish yellow (10YR 6/8) masses of oxidized iron with diffuse boundaries in matrix and 12 percent coarse prominent red (2.5YR 4/8) masses of oxidized iron with sharp boundaries in matrix; extremely acid.

TYPE LOCATION: Hardin County, Texas; from the intersection of FM 2937 and FM 92 north of Silsbee, Texas; 0.7 mile southeast on FM 2937 to McGallion Road; 1.5 miles east on McGallion Road to Gordon Road; 2.4 miles south on Gordon Road to the entrance of the Big Thicket National Preserve; 4 miles east on park road; 50 ft south in forest.; Latitude:30 degrees 29 minutes 46.50 seconds north; Longitude: 94 degrees 6 minutes 6.90 seconds west; Franklin Lake topographic quadrangle; NAD 83

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: An aquic soil moisture regime.
Mean Annual Soil Temperature: 20.6 to 21.7 degrees C (69 to 71 degrees F)
Particle-size control section (weighted average)
Clay content: 42 to 49 percent

A Horizon
Hue: 10YR
Value: 4 or 5
Chroma: 2 to 4
Clay content: 41 to 47 percent
Texture: clay or silty clay
Redox concentrations: amount-1 to 5 percent, shades- brown or yellow
Redox depletions: amount-1 to 10 percent, shades- gray
Reaction: extremely acid or very strongly acid

Bw Horizon
Hue: 10YR
Value: 5 or 6
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: clay, silty clay, or clay loam
Clay content: 35 to 56 percent
Redox concentrations: amount- 2 to 50 percent, shades- brown, red, or yellow
Redox depletions: amount- 0 to 10 percent, shades- gray
Reaction: extremely acid or very strongly acid

Bss Horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 5 or 6
Chroma: 1 or 2
Texture: clay or silty clay
Clay content: 41 to 57 percent
Redox concentrations: amount- 5 to 35 percent, shades- brown, red, or yellow
Redox depletions: amount- 0 to 2 percent, shades- gray
Reaction: extremely acid or very strongly acid

Bssg Horizon
Hue: N, 10YR, or 2.5Y
Value: 5 to 7
Chroma: 1 or 2
Texture: clay or silty clay
Clay content: 42 to 57 percent
Redox concentrations: amount- 10 to 25 percent, shades- brown, red, or yellow
Redox depletions: amount- 0 to 5 percent, shades- gray, green, blue
Reaction: 4.3 to 6.2 extremely acid to moderately acid

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Estes (TX) and Ozias (TX) series in the same family. Similar soils are the Gladewater (TX), Una (MS), Urbo (MS) series.

Estes soils: do not have a silty clay surface texture; do not have redox depletions in the surface; have an electrical conductivity range up to 4 dS/m; are located at elevations above 18 m (60 ft) above sea level
Ozias soils: have electrical conductivity of more than 4 dS/m within a depth of 102 cm (40 in)
Gladewater soils: have more than 60 percent clay in the particle-size control section; have a pH value of more than 5.0 throughout the upper 50 cm (20 in)
Una and Urbo soils: have a mixed mineralogy

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: clayey alluvial deposits of Holocene age.
Landscape: River valley
Landform: flood plains
Slope: 0 to 1 percent, but less than 0.5 percent is dominant
Mean annual air temperature range: 19.5 to 20.6 degrees C (67 to 69 degrees F)
Mean annual precipitation range: 1219 to 1575 mm (48 to 62 in)
Precipitation Pattern: Rainfall is fairly uniform throughout the year
Frost-free period: 240 to 300 days
Elevation: 6 to 46 m (20 to 150 ft)
Thornthwaite annual P-E indices: 76 to 82

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Hatliff (TX), Kian (TX), and Pluck (TX) soils.
Hatliff soils: are loamy throughout; are on natural levees
Kian soils: are loamy throughout; are in channels
Pluck soils: are loamy throughout; on a similar landform

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: somewhat poorly drained. Runoff is high. Frequently flooded for long periods in normal years.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for wildlife habitat. Native vegetation consists of water oak, black maple, and green ash, and poison ivy.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern coastal plains of southwest Louisiana and southeast Texas; Land Resource Region T; MLRA 152B; the series is of large extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas

SERIES PROPOSED: Hardin County, Texas, 2013, MLRA 152B Soil Survey Update, Texas, 2013. The name is from Sime Lake, a small lake in Hardin County, Texas.

REMARKS: The series was formerly included in the Estes and Urbo series. The Estes series is in MLRA 133B, at a higher elevation and in a shorter period of frost free days. The Urbo series is Southern Coastal Plain and the Blackland Prairie Major Land Resource Areas.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle size control section: 25 to 100 cm (10 to 40 in).
Ochric epipedon: 0 to 15 cm (0 to 6 in). (A horizon)
Cambic horizon: 15 to 54 cm (6 to 21 in) (Bw horizon)
Slickensides: 54 to 203 cm (21 to 80 in) (Bss, Bssg1, Bssg2 horizons)
Aquic conditions: 15 to 203 cm (6 to 80 in)

Additional Comments: The mineralogy is based on lab data from the type location.

ADDITIONAL DATA: NSSL data available on pedon S12TX1991026. Particle-size analysis and pH tests were performed at the project office on 8 pedons.

Taxonomic Version: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Eleventh Edition, 2010

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.