LOCATION VOLENTE TXEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, active, thermic Pachic Haplustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Volente silty clay loam--pasture.
(Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A11--0 to 22 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silty clay
loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; strong fine
subangular blocky and granular structure; hard, friable; many fine
limestone fragments on surface, few within horizon; calcareous;
moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (10 to 30 inches
thick)
A12--22 to 36 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 4/2) silty clay, dark
brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular
blocky and granular structure; hard, firm but crumbly; few fine
fragments of limestone; some mixing of above materials in
earthworm channels; calcareous; moderately alkaline; clear smooth
boundary. (10 to 15 inches thick)
B--36 to 46 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) silty clay, dark brown
(7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak fine granular structure; hard, friable;
few fine fragments of limestone; calcareous; moderately alkaline;
clear smooth boundary. (8 to 20 inches thick)
C--46 to 54 inches; reddish yellow (5YR 7/6) clay loam,
reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) moist; massive; very hard, friable; many
fine fragments of limestone and strongly cemented concretions of
calcium carbonate; calcareous; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Travis County, Texas, approximately 8 miles north,
32 degrees west of the State Capitol in Austin, 100 feet west of
Ranch Road 2222 at a point 0.8 mile northwest of intersection of
Ranch Road 2222 and Lake Austin Metropolitan Park Road.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the solum ranges from 34
to about 50 inches. The mollic epipedon ranges from 20 to 40
inches in thickness. Texture of all horizons ranges from silty
clay loam, clay loam to silty clay, with a clay content ranging
from 35 to 50 percent. Fragments of limestone from 1/8 to 3 inch
range from few to common throughout the pedon. The matrix is
calcareous throughout.
The A horizon has values of 4 or 5, chromas of 2 or 3 in 7.5YR
hues or values of 3 or 4, chromas of 2, 3 or 4 in 10YR hues.
Structure ranges from fine granular in the upper part to fine
subangular blocky and granular in the lower part.
The B horizon has values of 5 or 6, chroma of 4 in 7.5YR hue or
values of 5 or 6, chromas ranging from 3 to 8 in 10YR hue.
Structure is weak fine granular to moderate fine granular and
subangular blocky.
The C horizon has values ranging from 4 to 7, chromas 3 to 8 in
5YR hue, or values ranging from 5 to 8 chromas, 2 to 8 in 7.5YR or
10YR hue. In some pedons it contains common limestone pebbles and
cobbles.
Competing Series: These include the Austin, Bippus, Crawford,
Dale, Denton, Frio, Krum, Lewisville, and San Saba series. Austin
soils have more than 40 percent calcium carbonate equivalent in
and immediately below the mollic epipedon. Bippus soils have
fine-loamy control sections. Crawford and San Saba soils have
intersecting slickensides and are less than 40 inches thick over
bedrock. Dale soils have fine-silty control sections. Denton and
Krum soils have coefficient of linear extensibility values of 0.09
or greater. Frio soils have organic matter contents that decrease
irregularly with depth.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Volente soils occur in valleys with slope
gradients of 0 to 8 percent. Surfaces are plain to concave. The
soil formed in calcareous clayey sediments 4 to 6 feet thick over
limestone. The climate is moist subhumid to dry subhumid. Mean
annual precipitation ranges from about 20 to 34 inches, mean
annual air temperature from 64 degrees to 70 degrees F, and
Thornthwaite P-E indices from 36 to 54.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include the competing
Crawford, Denton, Krum, Lewisville, and San Saba series, and the
Brackett, Eckrant, Tarpley, and Tarrant series. Brackett,
Eckrant, Tarpley, and Tarrant soils have sola less than 20 inches
thick.
Drainage and Permeability: Well drained; slow to rapid runoff;
moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used as rangeland, pastureland, and cropland.
Small grain and grain sorghums are the main crops grown. Native
vegetation consists mainly of mid and tall grasses. Live oak and
other hardwood overstory varies from scattered to dense.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Texas, possibly Oklahoma. Most areas
are in the valleys in the Edwards Plateau where drainage is
predominantly from the Brackett series. The series is of moderate
extent.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Travis County, Texas; 1969.
REMARKS: The series would have been classified in the Rendzina
great soil group. Volente soils were included in the Krum series.