LOCATION THAGE TXEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, siliceous, semiactive, thermic Fragiaquic Paleudalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Thage loam--woodland. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated).
A--0 to 3 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) loam; weak medium granular structure; very friable, soft; many tree roots; few 2 to 5 mm concretions of iron; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary. (2 to 7 inches thick)
E--3 to 6 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) loam; common fine distinct mottles of yellowish brown; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly hard, many tree roots; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (2 to 13 inches thick)
Bt1--6 to 10 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) loam; many medium distinct mottles of light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) and pale brown (10YR 6/3); weak medium subangular blocky structure; clay bridging of sand grains; friable, slightly hard; few tree roots; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 10 inches thick)
Bt2--10 to 32 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) loam; common medium distinct mottles of gray (10YR 6/1) and pale brown (10YR 6/3); weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable, slightly hard; few tree roots; few clay films; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (15 to 25 inches thick)
Btx/E1--32 to 39 inches; prominently variegated gray (10YR 6/1) and strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) loam; weak coarse prismatic parting to weak and moderate subangular blocky structure; brittle in Btx parts with ped exteriors saturated with water, ped interiors are moist; 17 percent light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) and pale brown (10YR 6/3) intrusions of albic materials (E parts) about 2 to 5 cm. in width on vertical faces of peds with an average horizontal spacing of 2 to 3 inches between intrusions; common medium and coarse pores and voids; distinct pale brown (10YR 6/3) clay films lining pores and on faces of peds; 10 percent medium prominent yellowish red (5YR 5/8) masses of oxidized iron; about 3 percent coarse (5 to 8 mm.) yellowish red (5YR 5/8) plinthite segregations; few hard concretions of iron; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (5 to 12 inches thick)
Btx/E2--39 to 53 inches; distinctly and coarsely variegated strong brown (7.5YR 5/6), gray (10YR 6/1), and brown (10YR 5/3) loam; weak coarse prismatic parting to weak and moderate subangular blocky structure; very brittle in the Btx parts; 10 percent light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) and pale brown (10YR 6/3) intrusions of albic materials (E parts) about 2 to 5 cm. in width on vertical faces of peds with an average horizontal spacing of 2 to 3 inches between intrusions; distinct light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) clay films on faces of peds; common medium and coarse pores voids; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (8 to 20 inches thick)
Btx--53 to 70 inches; distinctly variegated yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) and light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) with gray (10YR 6/1) coatings on faces of peds; clay loam; weak coarse prismatic parting to weak subangular blocky structure; brittle; few clay films on faces of peds; strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Panola County, Texas; 4 miles east of De Berry on U.S. 79; 1.7 miles north on oiled road; 320 feet east on pipeline and 40 feet south of pipeline in forest; Latitude 32 degrees, 21 minutes, 38.86 seconds N.; Longitude 94 degrees, 7 minutes, 38.81 seconds W., De Berry, Texas USGS 7.5 Minute Quadrangle.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness exceeds 60 inches. Depth to the fragipan ranges from 25 to 40 inches below the surface. Combined thickness of the A horizons is 5 to 20 inches.
The A horizon is loam or fine sandy loam. It is strongly through slightly acid. The A1 horizon is very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2), dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2), or brown (10YR 4/3) or (10YR 5/3). Color of the A2 horizon is brown (10YR 5/3), pale brown (10YR 6/3), through yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) or light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4).
Texture of the upper 20 inches of the Bt horizon is loam, clay loam, fine sandy loam, or sandy clay loam. The clay content ranges from 18 to 30 percent. Silt content is more than 20 percent. Color of the Bt horizon ranges from strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) to yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) with few to many mottles of light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) or gray (10YR 6/1) and yellowish red (5YR 4/6 to 5/8) or red (2.5YR 4/8). It is very strongly or strongly acid.
The Btx horizon and the Btx parts of the Btx/E horizon has ped interiors of gray (10YR 6/1), brownish gray (10YR 5/2), or light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) with few to many yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) and (10YR 5/6), strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) and (7.5YR 5/6), red (2.5YR 4/8), and yellowish red (5YR 4/6 to 5/8) masses of oxidized iron and plinthite segregations. Ped exteriors are gray (10YR 6/1). Texture is loam, sandy clay loam, or clay loam. The E parts of the Btx/E horizon are gray (10YR 6/1), light brownish gray (10YR 6/2), or pale brown (10YR 6/3) loam or fine sandy loam. The E parts occupy up to 30 percent of the volume in some pedons, and horizontal spacing between these intrusions of albic material ranges from 2 to 4 inches. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid through moderately acid. Plinthite in the Bx horizon ranges from 0 to about 5 percent.
A BCtg or BCg horizon is below a depth of 50 inches in some pedons. It has matrix colors of gray (10YR 6/1) and (7.5YR 5/1), brownish gray (10YR 5/2), brown (7.5YR 5/2), pinkish gray (7.5YR 6/2), or light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) with few to many yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) and (10YR 5/6), strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) and (7.5YR 5/6), red (2.5YR 4/8), and yellowish red (5YR 4/6 to 5/8) masses of oxidized iron. Texture is loam, sandy clay loam, or clay loam. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid through moderately acid.
COMPETING SERIES: There no other serioes in the same family. The Bernaldo, Cart, Elysian, Erno, Longview, Olivier, Splendora, and Tippo series are in closely related families. Bernaldo and Elysian soils do not have fragic properties. Cart soils do not have aquic conditions or iron depletions with chroma of 2 or less in the upper 10 inches of the argillic horizon. Erno soils do not have aquic conditions or iron depletions with chroma 2 or less in the upper 10 inches of the Bt horizon. Longview soils do not have an fragic properties. Splendora soils do not have a 3 percent clay increase below the glossic horizon within a depth of 60 inches, and do not have aquic conditions in the upper 10 inches of the argillic horizon. Olivier and Tippo soils have less than 15 percent fine, medium or coarse sand in the control section, and have mixed mineralogy.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Thage soils are on level to nearly level terraces. Slopes range up to 4 percent but mainly are less than 2 percent. The soils formed in loamy windblown and alluvial sediments. The climate is humid. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 40 to 60 inches, the mean annual temperature from 63 degrees to 70 degrees F., and the Thornthwaite annual P-E index exceeds 64.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the closely related Cart and Erno series, and the Bowie series. Bowie soils do not have fragic properties and have more than 5 percent plinthite.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained; runoff rate is low to medium; permeability is moderately slow. The soils are seasonally wet within the upper 10 inches of the argillic horizon, and above the layers with fragic properties, mainly during the winter and spring months in normal years.
USE AND VEGETATION: Principal use is woodland and pasture. Forests are of shortleaf, loblolly, and slash pines, sweetgum and red oak.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern Texas and possibly Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Panola County, Texas; 1971.
REMARKS: The Thage series was reclassified from an Aquic Fragiudalf to a Fragiaquic Paleudalf in October, 2004 based on studies at the type location site and at typical pedon sites in other survey areas which indicated that structure and root penetration do not meet Fragipan criteria. Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - from the surface to a depth of 6 inches (A and E horizons).
Argillic horizon - the zone from a a depth of 6 to below 80 inches (Bt, Btx/E, and Btx horizons).
Fragic properties - the zone from a depth of 32 to 70 inches (Btx/E and Btx horizons); percent brittle peds may exceed 60 percent, however structure and root penetration do not meet fragipan criteria.
Glossic horizon - the zone from a depth of 32 to 39 inches (Btx/E1 horizon).
ADDITIONAL DATA: Panola County, Texas: TAMU Soil Characterization Lab. NO. S85TX203-003, and Lincoln NSSL No. S80TX203-003.