LOCATION TRAVIS TXEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, active, thermic Ultic Paleustalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Travis fine sandy loam--pasture. (Colors refer to dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 7 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) fine sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak fine granular structure; hard, very friable; many roots; few fine rounded siliceous pebbles; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
E--7 to 14 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; weak fine granular structure; hard, very friable; many roots; few fine rounded pebbles; slightly acid, clear smooth boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
Bt1--14 to 24 inches; red (2.5YR 4/6) sandy clay, dark red (2.5YR 3/6) moist; moderate, fine, and medium angular blocky structure; extremely hard, very firm; few roots; many continuous clay films on faces of peds; few pores; few pebbles; medium acid; clear wavy boundary. (8 to 15 inches thick)
Bt2--24 to 50 inches; red (2.5YR 5/8) sandy clay, red (2.5YR 4/8) moist; weak medium angular blocky structure; hard; firm; few patchy clay films on faces of peds; few fine rounded pebbles; medium acid; clear wavy boundary. (20 to 30 inches thick)
BCt--50 to 60 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) gravelly sandy clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; weak coarse angular blocky structure; hard, friable; few patchy clay films on faces of peds; contains 20 percent pebbles 1/4 to 1/2 inch in diameter; medium acid; gradual smooth boundary. (8 to 10 inches thick)
BC--60 to 75 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) gravelly sandy clay loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; hard friable; 20 percent of pebbles 1/4 to 1/2 inch in diameter; medium acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Travis County, Texas; 6.5 miles south, 85 degrees east of State Capitol in Austin; in a pasture 200 feet west of private road, from a point 1/4 mile southwest of junction of private road and Farm Market 969; this junction is 1.0 mile southeast of junction of Farm Market 969 and Decker Lane.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 60 to more than 80 inches. The boundary between the E and Bt horizon is abrupt or clear and there is more than 20 percent absolute clay increase between the E and Bt horizons.
The A horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 3 to 6. Texture of the A and E horizons are loamy fine sand, sandy loam or fine sandy loam. Coarse fragments in the form of siliceous pebbles range from 0 to 35 percent by volume. Reaction ranges from medium acid to neutral.
The B horizon, where present, has hue of 10R to 5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 4 to 8.
The Bt1 horizon is sandy clay, clay, or gravelly clay. Texture of the Bt2 horizon is sandy clay, or gravelly sandy clay. The upper 20 inches of the Bt horizon averages about 45 percent clay with a range of 35 to 50 percent. Reaction of the Bt horizon ranges from very strongly acid to medium acid.
The BC horizon ranges from reddish brown to yellowish red or light red in hue of 2.5YR or 5YR. Mottles in shades of brown, yellow or gray ranges from none to common. Texture is fine sandy loam, sandy clay loam or sandy clay. Siliceous pebbles in the BC horizons range from a few to 75 percent by volume. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid to slightly acid.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Birome, Bonti, Castell, Cona, Darst, Jedd, Rosanky, and Shatruce series. All of these soils, except Rosanky soils, have sola less than 40 inches thick. Rosanky soils are underlain by sandstone at depths of 60 to 80 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Travis soils occur mainly on high nearly level to gently sloping terraces. Slopes range from 0 to 8 percent, but are dominantly from 2 to 5 percent. The regolith consists of reddish clayey and loamy sediments assumed to be ancient terraces. The climate is dry to moist subhumid. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 32 to 36 inches, and mean annual temperature ranges from 65 to 69 degrees F. Frost free days range from 240 to 270 days and elevation ranges from 300 to 1200 feet. Thornthwaite P-E index ranges from 40 to 64.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bastrop, Dougherty, Edge, and Stidham series. Bastrop, Dougherty, and Stidham soils have less than 35 percent clay in the upper part of the Bt horizon. Edge soils have mottled Bt horizon and high shrink-swell in the upper part.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Runoff is medium. Permeability is slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for pasture, range, and cultivation. Cultivated crops are peanuts, grain sorghums, rye, vetch, and vegetables. Native vegetation is mostly bluestem and indiangrass with an overstory of post oak and some elm trees.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Occurs in central and east-central Texas in small bodies along major streams. Series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Travis County, Texas, 1904.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - 0 to 14 inches, the (A and E horizons)
Abrupt texture change from the E to the Bt horizon.
Argillic horizon - 14 to 60 inches (Bt horizons)
Ultic feature - the base saturation is less than 75 percent throughout the argillic horizon.