LOCATION BIPPUS             TX+KS NM OK
Established Series
Rev. TCB-CLN
09/2007

BIPPUS SERIES


The Bippus series consists of very deep, well drained, moderately permeable soils that formed in loamy alluvial sediments of the Ogallala Formation of Miocene-Pliocene age. These soils are on nearly level to very gently sloping floodplains or draws. Slope ranges from 0 to 2 percent. Mean annual precipitation is 496 mm (20 in), and mean annual air temperature is 16 degrees C (60 degrees F).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic Cumulic Haplustolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Bippus clay loam, on floodplain of draw, slightly concave 1 percent slope in cropland at an elevation of about 987 meters (3,240 ft). (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

Ap1--0 to 20 cm (0 to 8 inches); brown (10YR 4/3) clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate fine and medium granular and subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary.

Ap2--20 to 36 cm (8 to 14 inches); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) sandy clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to weak medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, very friable; common fine roots; common fine tubular pores; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (combined thickness of the A horizons is 30 to 76 cm)

Bw1--36 to 66 cm (14 to 26 inches); brown (10YR 4/3) sandy clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to weak medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, very friable; few fine roots; common fine tubular pores; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary.

Bw2--66 to 124 cm (26 to 49 inches); brown (7.5YR 4/4) sandy clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to weak medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, very friable; few fine roots; common fine tubular pores; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary.

Bw3--124 to 165 cm (49 to 65 inches); strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) sandy clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable; few fine tubular pores; few films, filaments, and nodules of calcium carbonate; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (combined thickness of the Bw horizons is 120 to 150 cm)

Bk--165 to 203 cm (65 to 80 inches); light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) fine sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable; few fine roots; common fine tubular pores; calcium carbonate in the form of filaments, masses, and nodules, about 10 percent by volume; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary.

TYPE LOCATION: Floyd County, Texas; from the intersection of U.S. Highway 70 and Farm Road 784 in Floydada; 16 kilometers (10 miles) west on Farm Road 784; 7 kilometers (4.4 miles) north on County Road 55 to intersection; 61 meters (200 feet) north and 30 meters (100 feet) west in cropland; Latitude: 34 degrees, 03 minutes, 37.6 seconds N; Longitude: 101 degrees, 30 minutes, 32.2 seconds W; Plainview SE, Texas USGS quad; NAD 83.

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 205 days, cumulative, in normal years. July through August and December through February are the driest months. These soils are intermittently moist in September through November and March through June.
Mean annual soil temperature: 16 to 18 degrees C (59 to 65 degrees F).
Depth to secondary carbonates: 100 to 203 cm (40 to 80 in).
Solum thickness: more than 203 cm (80 in).
Particle size control section: 20 to 35 percent silicate clay.

Ap horizons:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 4 or 5, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: loam, sandy clay loam, clay loam
Effervescence: none to slight
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline

Upper Bw horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 4 or 5, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: loam, sandy clay loam, clay loam
Effervescence: none to slight
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline

Lower Bw horizon:
Hue: 5YR to 10YR
Value: 5 or 6, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: loam, sandy clay loam, clay loam
Effervescence: none to slight
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline

Bk horizon:
Hue: 5YR to 10YR
Value: 5 to 7, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6
Texture: fine sandy loam, sandy clay loam, loam, clay loam
Visible secondary calcium carbonates: 3 to 12 percent by volume in the form of films, filaments, masses, and nodules
Effervescence: slight to violent
Reaction: moderately alkaline

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bosque, Gageby, Gowen, Kaski, Stanford, and Whitesboro series. Similar soils include Berda, Guadalupe, Levelland, Paloduro, Sprone, Spur, and Texroy series.
Bosque, Gageby, Gowen, Kaski, Spur, and Whitesboro series: are moist for longer periods in the soil moisture control section.
Stanford series: do not have visible secondary carbonate accumulations.
Guadalupe and Levelland series: have less than 18 percent silicate clay in the particle-size control section.
Berda series: have secondary carbonates between 13 and 70 cm and do not have a mollic epipedon.
Paloduro and Sprone series: have a mollic epipedon less than 51 cm thick.
Texroy series: have an argillic and calcic horizon.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: loamy alluvial sediments derived mainly from the Ogallala Formation of Miocene-Pliocene age and also sediments from the Blackwater Draw Formation of Pleistocene age.
Landform: floodplains or draws that generally trend northwest to southeast and dissect the Southern High Plains.
Slopes: dominantly 0 to 1 percent but range to 2 percent.
Mean annual air temperature: 15 to 17 degrees C (57 to 63 degrees F).
Mean annual precipitation: 432 to 559 mm (17 to 22 in).
Frost-free period: 180 to 220
Elevation: 670 to 1,143 meters (2,200 to 3,750 ft).
Thornthwaite annual P-E Index Values: 25 to 36.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the similar Berda, Guadalupe, Paloduro, Sprone, and Texroy soils and the Mansker, Manson, Midessa, Mobeetie, Plemons, Posey, Potter, Tascosa, Tulia, and Veal soils.
Berda, Paloduro, and Texroy soils: are on slightly higher landscape positions.
Guadalupe and Sprone soils: are on similar landscape positions.
Mansker, Manson, Plemons, Posey, and Tulia soils: are on higher landscape positions and have argillic horizons.
Midessa soils: are on higher landscape positions and have a calcic horizon.
Mobeetie and Veal soils: are on higher landscape positions and have less than 18 percent silicate clay in the particle-size control section.
Potter and Tascosa soils: are on higher landscape positions and have a loamy-skeletal particle-size control section.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained and moderately permeable. Surface runoff is negligible on 0 to 1 percent slopes, and very low on 1 to 2 percent slopes.

USE AND VEGETATION: Dominantly used for livestock grazing with some areas cultivated to cotton, grain sorghums, and wheat. Native vegetation is vine-mesquite, sideoats grama, blue grama, buffalograss, western wheatgrass, bundleflower, engelmann daisy, prairie clovers, hackberry, elm, and wild plum. Widely spaced mesquite and cacti are in some places. This soil has been correlated to the Draw (R-077EY052TX) ecological site in MLRA-77E.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern High Plains, Breaks (MLRA 77E in LRR H) of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and eastern New Mexico. This soil is moderately extensive.

MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Deaf Smith County, Texas; 1941.

REMARKS: Series revised MLRA-77 Soil Survey; Floyd County, Texas; 1998. These soils were formerly included in the Spur series.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Mollic epipedon: 0 to 66 cm (Ap & Bw1 horizons)
Cambic horizon: 36 to 165 cm (Bw horizons)
Cumulic feature: a mollic epipedon more than 50 cm thick and irregular decrease in organic carbon with depth.
Visible secondary carbonates: 165 to 203 cm (Bk horizon)

ADDITIONAL DATA: NSSL data from Hansford County, Texas (S03TX-195-003).

TAXONOMIC VERSION: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Tenth Edition, 2006.


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.