LOCATION VICTORIA TX

Established Series
JKW-RM-SAK
10/2014

VICTORIA SERIES

The Victoria series consists of very deep, well drained, very slowly permeable soils that formed in clayey deltaic and marine sediments in the Beaumont Formation of Late Pleistocene age. These nearly level to very gently sloping soils are on the South Texas coastal plain. Slope ranges from 0 to 3 percent. Mean annual air temperature is about 22 degrees C (72 degrees F) and mean annual precipitation is about 737 mm (29 in).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, hyperthermic Sodic Haplusterts

TYPICAL PEDON: Victoria clay--0 to 1 percent slopes in cropland--in a microlow. Elevation is about 17.7 m (58 ft). (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

Ap--0 to 15 cm (0 to 6 in); very dark gray (10YR 3/1) clay, black (10YR 2/1) moist; weak medium angular blocky and moderate fine granular structure; extremely hard, extremely firm, very sticky, very plastic; common fine roots; common fine pores; slight effervescence; electrical conductivity is 0.9 dS/m; sodium absorption ratio is 1; calcium carbonate equivalent is 2.5; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (Thickness is 10 to 18 cm [4 to 7 in].)

Bss1--15 to 61 cm (6 to 24 in); very dark gray (10YR 3/1) clay, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; moderate fine and medium angular blocky structure; extremely hard, extremely firm, very sticky, very plastic; few fine roots; few fine pores; 15 percent distinct slickensides; common cracks filled with black (10YR 2/1) clay; strong effervescence; electrical conductivity is 0.8 dS/m; sodium absorption ratio is 4.4; calcium carbonate equivalent is 4.4; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary.

Bss2--61 to 94 cm (24 to 37 in); very dark gray (10YR 3/1) clay, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; weak fine and medium wedge structure parting to weak medium angular blocky; extremely hard, extremely firm, very sticky, very plastic; few fine roots; few fine pores;20 percent distinct slickensides; 1 percent fine light gray (10YR 7/2) carbonate masses; common cracks filled with black (10YR 2/1) clay; strong effervescence; electrical conductivity is 1.3 dS/m; sodium absorption ratio is 12; calcium carbonate equivalent is 5.2; strongly alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bss horizons is 46 to 107 cm [18 to 42 in].)

Bnss--94 to 127 cm (37 to 50 in); pale brown (10YR 6/3) clay, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; weak fine and medium wedge structure parting to weak medium angular blocky; extremely hard, extremely firm, very sticky, very plastic; few fine roots; few fine pores; 10 percent distinct slickensides; many cracks filled with dark gray (10YR 4/1) clay; strong effervescence; electrical conductivity is 2.4 dS/m; sodium absorption ratio is 24; calcium carbonate equivalent is 5.7; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (Thickness of the Bnss horizon is 20 to53 cm [8 to 21 in].)

Bkny1--127 to 158 cm (50 to 62 in); pale yellow (2.5Y 7/3) clay, very pale brown (10YR 7/3) moist; weak coarse angular blocky structure; extremely hard, extremely firm, very sticky, very plastic; 3 percent fine and medium calcium carbonate masses; 5 percent fine and medium gypsum crystals; common cracks filled with dark gray (10YR 4/1) clay; strong effervescence; electrical conductivity is 7.9 dS/m; sodium absorption ratio is 18; calcium carbonate equivalent is 6.3; slightly alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bkny horizons is 31 to 81 cm [15 to 32 in].)

Bkny2--158 to 228 cm (62 to 91 in); pale yellow (2.5Y 8/3) clay, very pale brown (10YR 7/3) moist; weak very coarse subangular blocky structure; extremely hard, extremely firm, very sticky, very plastic; 3 percent faint grayish brown (10YR 5/2) organic stains on vertical faces of peds; 1 percent fine spherical black (10YR 2/1) iron-manganese nodules; 2 percent medium distinct brown (10YR 5/3) iron-manganese masses with sharp boundaries on faces of peds; 1 percent fine and medium gypsum crystals; 1 percent fine and medium calcium carbonate masses; strong effervescence; electrical conductivity is 9.1 dS/m; sodium absorption ratio is 20; calcium carbonate equivalent is 7.3; slightly alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Nueces County, Texas; from the intersection of Farm Road 665 and Farm Road 892 west of Petronila; 1.0 mile north on Farm Road 892 to County Road 24; 0.9 mile west on County Road 24; 150 ft north in cropland. Driscoll East, Texas USGS topographic quadrangle; Latitude 27 degrees, 41 minutes, 15 seconds N.; Longitude 97 degrees, 40 minutes, 58.7 seconds W.; NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil Moisture: An ustic soil moisture regime. The soil moisture control section is from 10 to 31 cm (4 to 12 in) below the surface. These soils have cracks due to dryness for 90 or more cumulative days per year. The majority of the dry conditions occur from July to September. When dry, these soils have cracks 10 mm to 76 mm (0.4 in to about 3 in) wide that extend from the soil surface or from the base of an Ap horizon to a depth of 152 cm (60 in) or more.
Solum thickness is more than 203 cm (80 in).
Thickness of the mollic epipedon ranges from 76 to 127 cm (30 to 50 in) or more in the microlows and 31 to 76 cm (12 to 30 in) in the microhighs.
The soils are calcareous throughout, except for the A horizon which is noncalcareous in microlows in some pedons that are not cultivated.
Mean annual soil temperature: 22.2 to 22.8 degrees C (72 to 73 degrees F)
Depth to salt and gypsum accumulations: 127 to 165 cm (50 to 65 in)
Depth to Sodium absorption ratio of 13 or more ranges from 76 to 102 cm (30 to 40 in) from the surface in the microlow and 51 to 76 cm (20 to 30 in) from the surface in the microhigh.

Particle-size control section (weighted average)
Clay content: 45 to 60 percent

Ap horizon
Hue: 10YR
Value: 2 to 4
Chroma: 1
Texture: clay
Clay content: 40 to 57 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 9 percent
Identifiable secondary carbonate: amount- none in the microlows to few in the microhighs, size-fine
Electrical conductivity (dS/m): 0.5 to 2
Sodium absorption ratio: 1 to 10
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline

Bss horizon
Hue: 10YR
Value: 2 to 4
Chroma: 1 or 2
Texture: clay
Clay content: 40 to 62 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 14 percent
Identifiable secondary carbonate: amount- none in the microlows and few in the microhighs, size-fine
Electrical conductivity (dS/m): 0.4 to 4
Sodium absorption ratio: 1 to 20
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline

Bnss horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 4 to 6
Chroma: 1 or 2
Texture: clay
Clay content: 50 to 63 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 15 percent
Identifiable secondary carbonate: amount- none to few in the microlows and few in the microhighs, size-fine
Electrical conductivity (dS/m): 0.5 to 10
Sodium absorption ratio: 7 to 29
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline

Bkny horizons
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 5 to 8
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: clay or silty clay
Clay content: 45 to 65 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 3 to 19 percent
Identifiable secondary carbonate: amount- few to common in the microlows and common to many in the microhighs, size-fine or medium
Electrical conductivity (dS/m): 0.5 to 14.5
Gypsum: trace to 5 percent
Sodium absorption ratio: 9 to 27
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Arroyada, Catarina, Coquat, Cotulla, Dosrios, , Lasalle, Mercedes, Montell, Monwebb, and Victine series.
Arroyada and Coquat soils: are somewhat poorly drained, have an ochric epipedon, and formed in Holocene age alluvium on flood plains.
Catarina soils: are moderately well drained, have an ochric epipedon, and formed in clayey alluvium and colluvium derived from sediments of Eocene age.
Cotulla soils: have an ochric epipedon, formed in thick beds of calcareous, saline, clayey sediments that are, in places, interbedded with shale and sandstone, and occur in areas with mean annual precipitation ranging from 48 to 66 cm (19 to 26 in).
Dosrios soils: are moderately well drained, have a densic layer, and are formed in moderately saline clayey marine sediments overlying clayey residuum derived from mudston of Tertiary age.
Lasalle soils: are moderately well drained, have an ochric epipedon, and have hue of 7.5YR or redder in the B horizons.
Mercedes soils: are moderately well drained and have an ochric epipedon.
Montell soils: are moderately well drained, and have an ochric epipedon and a gypsic horizon.
Monwebb soils: are moderately well drained and are formed in saline, clayey alluvium derived from the Tertiary age.
Victine soils: are somewhat poorly drained and have higher SAR in the upper 102 cm (40 in).

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: clayey deltaic and marine sediments in the Beaumont Formation of Late Pleistocene age
Landform: flat plains on the South Texas coastal plain
Slope: 0 to 3 percent, with the majority being less than 1 percent
Mean annual air temperature range: 21.7 to 22.8 degrees C (71 to 73 degrees F)
Mean annual precipitation range: 737 to 940 mm (29 to 37 in)
Precipitation pattern: Typically, most of the rainfall occurs during the months of April, May, June, September and October. December, January, February and March are the driest months.
Frost-free period: 301 to 365 days
Elevation: 4.6 to 30.5 meters (15 to 100 ft)
Thornthwaite P-E Index: 32 to 44

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Banquete, Calallen, Cranell, and Edroy series.
Banquete soils: do not have SAR of 13 or more within 100 cm (40 in) and are on lower-lying open ended swales and slight depressions.
Calallen soils: have a loamy surface layer and are on similar to slightly higher positions
Cranell soils: have a loamy surface layer and are on a similar to slightly higher positions
Edroy soils: are poorly drained and are in depressions

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Permeability is very slow. Runoff is highmedium on 0 to 1 percent slopes and very high on 1 to 3 percent slopes. Water enters the soil rapidly when it is dry and cracked and very slowly when it is moist.

USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are used for crop production with some areas used for livestock grazing and forage production. Some areas in crop production have supplemental irrigation where suitable water is available. Crops are mainly grain sorghum, cotton, and corn with some small areas in vegetables. Native grasses are mainly little bluestem, seacoast bluestem, fourflower trichloris, vine-mesquite, and indiangrass. Improved pasture is mainly coastal bermudagrass or Kleingrass. Native woody plants are invaders and consist mainly of mesquite trees, spiny hackberry, huisache, brazil, and lotebush. The ecological site is Blackland, PEZ 3124-44 (R150AY526TX).

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Gulf Coast Prairies (MLRA 150A in LRR T) in the Coastal Bend area of South Texas. The series is extensive.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Nueces County, Texas; 1908

REMARKS: This is a Benchmark Series.
Classification changed from Udic Pellusterts to Typic Haplusterts in 11/2000 based on typical pedon description. The series type location was moved in 05/2005 to a site with characterization data. Classification changed 05/2005 from Typic Haplusterts to Sodic Haplusterts based on characterization data from several pedons across the series province.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Mollic epipedon: 0 to 94 cm (0 to 37 in). (Ap, Bss1, and Bss2 horizons)
Slickensides: 15 to 127 cm (6 to 50 in). (Bss1, Bss2, and Bnss horizons)
Sodic feature: SAR of 24 at 94 cm (37 in)

ADDITIONAL DATA: Characterization data at the series type location by the Soil Characterization Laboratory at Texas A&M University on sample S82TX-355-002. Additional characterization data by the NationalKellogg Soil Survey Laboratory on samples Nos. K393-397, K383-387, K388-392, 5032-5039, 5018-5024, and from samples for microhighs and microlows on project CP00TX020 and I2001USTX165. In addition, data from Grumusols of the Coast Prairie of Texas in Vol. 27 No. 4, July-August 1963, pages 412-421 of Soil Science Society of America Proceedings.

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

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.