LOCATION VALERIAN                TX+NM

Established Series
Rev. TCB, TAC, WJG
06/2020

VALERIAN SERIES

The Valerian series consists of very deep, excessively drained, and rapidly permeable soils that formed in sandy eolian deposits of Holocene age. These soils occur on gently sloping to moderately steep hills or dunes. Slope ranges from 1 to 20 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 406 mm (16 in) and mean annual air temperature is about 12.2 degrees C (54 degrees F).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Mixed, mesic Ustic Torripsamments

TYPICAL PEDON: Valerian fine sand, on a west-facing, convex, undulating plain, 12 percent slope in rangeland at an elevation of about 1,300 m (4,265 ft.). (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 24 centimeters (0.0 to 9.4 inches); brown (7.5YR 5/4), brown (7.5YR 4/4), moist; fine sand; single grain; loose, loose; nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine, and few medium roots; noneffervescent; slightly alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (10 to 25 cm [4 to 10 in] thick)

C1--24 to 60 centimeters (9.4 to 23.6 inches); strong brown (7.5YR 5/6), strong brown (7.5YR 4/6), moist; fine sand; single grain; loose, loose; nonsticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine, and few medium roots; slightly alkaline; noneffervescent; gradual smooth boundary. (Total thickness of C horizons 178 to 193 cm [70 to 76 in] thick)

C--60 to 89 centimeters (23.6 to 35.0 inches); strong brown (7.5YR 5/6), strong brown (7.5YR 4/6), moist; sand; single grain; loose, loose; nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; slightly alkaline; noneffervescent; gradual smooth boundary.

C3--89 to 120 centimeters (35.0 to 47.2 inches); strong brown (7.5YR 5/6), strong brown (7.5YR 4/6), moist; fine sand; single grain; loose, loose; nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; 2 percent iron depletions; neutral; noneffervescent; few faint bands (5YR 5/6 dry) lamellae 1 to 2 mm thick with an estimated lfs texture; gradual wavy boundary.

C4--120 to 151 centimeters (47.2 to 59.4 inches); strong brown (7.5YR 5/6), strong brown (7.5YR 4/6), moist; sand; single grain; loose, loose; nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine and fine roots; 2 percent iron depletions; neutral; noneffervescent; few faint bands (5YR 5/6 dry) lamellae 1 to 2 mm thick with an estimated lfs texture; gradual wavy boundary.

C5--151 to 203 centimeters (59.4 to 79.9 inches); reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6), strong brown (7.5YR 5/6), moist; sand; single grain; loose, loose; nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; 2 percent iron depletions; neutral; noneffervescent, by HCL, 1N. few faint bands (5YR 5/6 dry) lamellae 1 mm thick with an estimated lfs texture.

TYPE LOCATION:
Hartley County, Texas; SW part of County - from intersection of US 54 and Ranch Road 3296; 1.3 miles SW on US 54, and west approximately 3.5 miles north in the sandhills.
Latitude: 35 degrees, 43 minutes, 34.00 seconds N; Longitude: 103 degrees, 0 minutes, 27.0 seconds W.
Decimal Degrees
Std Latitude: 35.7261111
Std Longitude: -103.0075000
Whiteaker Ranch, Texas USGS quad; WGS 84.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: An ustic moisture regime bordering on aridic. The soil moisture control section is dry in some or all parts for more than 180 but less than 220 days, cumulative, in normal years. November through March are the driest months. These soils are intermittently moist in April through October.
Mean annual soil temperature: 11 to 15 degrees C (52 to 59 degrees F)
Particle-size control section: 1 to 8 percent silicate clay
Solum thickness: more than 203 cm (80 in).

A horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 4 to 8, 3 to 7 moist
Chroma: 3 to 8
Texture: fine sand
Effervescence: none
Reaction (pH): neutral to slightly alkaline (7.0-8.4)

Upper C horizons:
Hue: 5YR to 10YR
Value: 5 to 8, 4 to 7 moist
Chroma: 4 to 8
Texture: fine sand, sand
Effervescence: none
Reaction (pH): neutral to slightly alkaline (7.0-8.4)

Lower C horizons (below 100 cm (40 in.) where present):
Hue: 7.5YR to 10YR
Value: 5 to 8, 4 to 7 moist
Chroma: 1 to 6
Texture: sand, fine sand
Lamella: few faint bands 1 to 2 mm thick
Effervescence: slight
Reaction (pH): slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline (6.6-8.4)

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Calladito, Dwyer, Karval, Mido, Orpha, Pensom, Pinavetes, Sandyranch, Tullock, Valent, and Wigton series in the same family. Similar soils include the Nara and Visa series.
Calladito, Dwyer, Karval, Mido, Orpha, Sandyranch, Tullock, Valent, and Wigton soils: occur in a cooler climate with an average MAAT less than 11.1 degrees C. (52 degrees F.)
Nara and Visa soils are on similar landscapes and have argillic horizons.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: sandy eolian deposits of Holocene age.
Landform: very gently sloping to moderately steep hills or dunes.
Slopes: 1 to 20 percent.
Precipitation Pattern: Precipitation is typically uniform throughout most of the year with rainfall the highest from April through October. Average snowfall is about 18 inches annually from November through April.
Mean annual precipitation: 381 to 432 mm (15 to 17 in)
Thornthwaite P-E Index: 22 to 28
Mean annual air temperature: 10 to 14 degrees C (50 to 58 degrees)
Frost-free period: 165 to 190 days
Elevation: 1158 to 1798 m (3,800 to 5,899 ft)

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
These are the Corlena, Dallam, Monia, Nara, Spurlock, Vingo, and Visa series.
Dallam soils are on nearly level to gently sloping plains have a fine-loamy particle size control section.
Corlena soils are on narrow floodplains of draws have a fine-silty particle-size class.
Nara and Visa soils: are on interdunes and dunes and have argillic horizons and do not have a calcic horizon.
Spurlock soils are on similar landscape positions and have argillic horizons and carbonatic mineralogy.
Vingo soils are on similar landscape positions and have argillic horizons.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY:
Drainage class: excessively
Permeability class: rapid
Runoff: negligible on less than 5 percent slopes and very low on 5 to 20 percent slopes

USE AND VEGETATION:
Mainly used for livestock grazing. Climax vegetation is a Tallgrass/Shrub community. The major tallgrass species are sand bluestem, giant sandreed, little bluestem, and taller dropseed species. The midgrasses are sideoats grama, sand lovegrass, sand paspalum, sand dropseed, blue grama, and perennial threeawns. A large variety of forbs exist but the amount varies greatly from year to year. Woody shrubs consist of sand sagebrush, skunkbush sumac, yucca, and the occasional sand plum thickets. This is a fragile site and is subject to severe wind erosion if not protected by cover. This soil has been correlated to the Sand Hills (R077BY020TX) ecological site in MLRA-77B, 12-17" PZ.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern High Plains of Texas and New Mexico
Land Resource Region: H - Central Great Plains Winter Wheat and Range Region
Major Land Resource Area: 77B - Southern High Plains, Northwestern Part
Extent: Minor

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas

SERIES ESTABLISHED: MLRA 77B; Hartley County Texas, 2015. The name is a variation from the Valentine series.

REMARKS: This series was previously included with the Valentine series.

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 24 centimeters (0.0 to 9.4 inches) A horizon
Lamellae: 89 to 203 centimeters (35 to 80 inches) C3, C4, C5 horizons

ADDITIONAL DATA: KSSL - S2018TX205001

TAXONOMIC VERSION: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Twelfth Edition, 2014.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.