LOCATION WICKETT TXEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, siliceous, superactive, thermic Ustalfic Petrocalcids
TYPICAL PEDON: Wickett loamy fine sand - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soils unless otherwise stated.)
A1--0 to 5 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) loamy fine sand, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine and medium granular; soft, very friable; common very fine and fine and few medium roots; few very fine and fine discontinuous tubular pores; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 10 inches thick)
A2--5 to 15 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) loamy fine sand, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure parting to fine and medium subangular blocky and granular; slightly hard, very friable; common very fine and fine roots; common very fine and fine continuous tubular pores; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (5 to 20 inches thick.)
Bt1--15 to 29 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) fine sandy loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine and medium subangular blocky; hard, very friable, common very fine and fine and few medium roots; common very fine and fine continuous tubular pores; faint patchy clay films on surfaces of peds and lining pores; slightly alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (8 to 26 inches thick)
Bt2--29 to 36 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) fine sandy loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure parting to weak medium subangular blocky; hard, friable; few very fine, fine and coarse roots; common very fine and fine continuous tubular pores; faint discontinuous clay films on surfaces of peds and lining pores; few organic coatings along root channels; few fine irregular organic coatings in lower part of horizon; few fine masses and concretions of calcium carbonate in lower part; slightly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
Bkm--36 to 63 inches; white (10YR 8/1) indurated caliche, laminated in the upper 1/8 to 1/2 inch; strongly cemented below laminar cap, decreasing in cementation with depth, moderately cemented in the lower part. Moderately alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary. (6 to 40 inches thick)
BCk--63 to 80 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/2) gravelly loamy fine sand, white (10YR 8/1) moist; structureless; 20 percent strongly cemented calcium carbonate fragments; 10 to 15 discontinuous strata and lenses 1 to 6 inches thick that are moderately to strongly cemented; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Winkler County, Texas; from the junction of Texas Highway 115 and Texas Highway 302, southwest of Kermit, 0.95 miles southwest on Texas Highway 115, 0.5 mile south on oiled road, 0.1 mile west on caliche road, 30 feet south in range. (Latitude: 31 degrees, 49 minutes, 05 seconds North; Longitude: 103 degrees, 07 minutes, 25 seconds, West).
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to cemented or indurated caliche: 20 to 40 inches
Organic matter content (upper 16 inches): averages 0.5 to 1.5 percent
Soil temperature: 64 to 70 degrees F.
Soil moisture: Ustic aridic moisture regime.
A horizon
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 3 to 5, 2 to 4 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6
Texture: fine sand, loamy fine sand or fine sandy loam
Reaction: neutral or slightly alkaline
Bt horizon
Hue: 2.5YR to 7.5YR
Value: 4 or 5
Chroma: 4 to 8
Texture: loam or fine sandy loam
Clay content: 8 to 18 percent
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline
Bkm horizon
Cementation: indurated to strongly cemented in the upper part and strongly to moderately cemented in the lower part
BCk horizon
Color: whitish to pinkish caliche
Textures: loamy fine sand, fine sandy loam, loam or their gravelly counterparts
Coarse fragments(strongly cemented calcium carbonate): 0 to 35 percent
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Wickett soils are on nearly level to very gently sloping uplands. Slopes range from 0 to 3 percent. These soils formed in a sandy and loamy eolian mantle that overlies thick beds of caliche. Climate is arid to semiarid. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 10 to 16 inches and mean annual temperature ranges from 62 to 68 degrees F. Frost-free days range from 210 to 240 and elevation ranges from 2,300 to 3,500 feet. Thornthwaite P-E indices are less than 25.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the similar Douro and Sharvana series and the Blakeney, Conger, Faskin, Maljamar, Palomas, Penwell, Pyote and Triomas series. Douro and Sharvana soils are in similar positions. Blakeney and Conger soils do not have Bt horizons and have petrocalcic horizons within 20 inches of the surface. They are in adjacent landscapes. Faskin and Palomas soils have more than 18 percent clay in the Bt horizons and do not have petrocalcic horizons within 40 inches of the surface and occur in similar positions. Maljamar and Pyote soils have sandy surface horizons more than 20 inches thick and have petrocalcic horizons greater than 40 inches deep and are in similar positions. Penwell soils are sandy throughout and do not have Bt horizons. Triomas soils do not have petrocalcic horizons and are in similar positions.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Runoff is low on slopes less than 1 percent and medium on 1 to 3 percent slopes. Permeability is moderately rapid above and below the very slowly permeable petrocalcic horizon.
USE AND VEGETATION: Use is predominantly range. Black grama, mesa dropseed, little bluestem, sideoats grama and blue grama are the principal grasses. Mesquite, yucca, shinnery oak and sand sagebrush are the woody plants.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Texas in the Trans-Pecos and southwestern High Plains, and also possibly southeastern New Mexico. MLRAs 42, and 77D. The series is moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Phoenix, Arizona
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Ward County, Texas; 1969.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - A horizon (0 to 15 inches.)
Argillic horizon - Bt horizon (15 to 36 inches.)
Petrocalcic horizon - Bkm horizon (36 to 63 inches.)
Calcic horizon - BCk horizon (63 to 80 inches.)
Classified according to Soil Taxonomy Second Edition, 1999; Keys to Soil Taxonomy Tenth Edition, 2006.
Classification was changed in 1991 from Petrocalcic Ustalfic Paleargids to Petrocalcic Ustollic Paleargids, based on Lincoln Laboratory data (S85TX-003-003) from a site near the Andrews County, Texas type location. Family placement change from mixed to siliceous mineralogy is based on the same laboratory data.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Lincoln Laboratory data (S85TX-003-003)