LOCATION BRANYON TXEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, thermic Udic Haplusterts
TYPICAL PEDON: Branyon clay--cropland. Pedon description taken about midway between deepest and shallowest part. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated).
Ap--0 to 4 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) clay, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; moderate fine granular structure; extremely hard, very firm, sticky and plastic; few fine roots; few fine iron-manganese concretions; slightly effervescent, moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary.
A--4 to 12 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) clay, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; moderate medium angular blocky structure; extremely hard, very firm; very sticky and very plastic; few fine roots; few very fine pores; few pressure faces; few fine calcium carbonate concretions; few fine iron-manganese concretions; strongly effervescent, moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of A horizons is 5 to 20 inches)
Bss1--12 to 44 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) clay, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; moderate medium angular blocky structure that forms wedge-shaped aggregates; extremely hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; few fine roots; few fine pores; many coarse distinct grooved slickensides; few fine concretions of calcium carbonate; few fine iron-manganese concretions; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary.
Bss2--44 to 72 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) clay, dark gray 10YR 4/1) moist; moderate medium angular blocky natural fragments that form wedge-shaped aggregates; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; few fine roots; few very fine pores; many fine distinct grooved slickensides; few streaks of dark gray from above; few fine concretions of calcium carbonate; few fine iron-manganese concretions; strongly effervescent, moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of Bss horizons are 40 to 80 inches thick)
Bkss--72 to 80 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) clay, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) moist; few medium distinct brown (10YR 5/3) redox concentrations; moderate medium angular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; common faint grooved slickensides; few streaks of dark gray from above; few masses and concretions of calcium carbonate; few fine iron-manganese concretions; strongly effervescent, moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary.
TYPE LOCATION: Caldwell County, Texas; from the intersection of Texas Highway 80 and 142 in Martindale, 3.0 miles northeast on Texas Highway 142, 0.3 mile northwest, 0.6 mile southwest and 0.5 mile northwest on county road, 2,500 feet southwest in cultivated field.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The solum is more than 80 inches thick. When dry, cracks 1 to 3 inches wide extend from the surface to depths of 20 inches or more. Cracks remain open for 90 to 150 days in most years. Depth to slickensides and/or wedge-shaped aggregates range from 10 to 20 inches. Weighted average clay content or the particle size control section ranges from 40 to 60 percent. The soil is calcareous to the surface in more than half of the pedon. Reaction is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 1. Texture is silty clay or clay.
A Bw horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR, value of 3 to 5 and chroma of 1.
The Bss horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 0 or 1. Texture is silty clay or clay.
The Bkss or BCk, where present, has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 1 to 4. Most pedons contain few to common distinct brownish, yellowish, or olive redox concentrations. Texture is silty clay or clay. Siliceous or limestone pebbles range from 0 to 15 percent by volume.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bleiblerville, Burleson, Clarita, Dimebox, Ellis, Fairlie, Heiden, Houston Black, Leson, Luling, Ovan, Randall, Sanger, Slidell, Tamford, and Watonga series. Bleiblerville, Houston Black, Randall, and Slidell soils have more amplitude of waviness between mollic and non-mollic colors. Burleson, Dimebox, and Leson soils are not calcareous to the surface. Clarita soils have hue of 7.5YR or redder in the subsoil. Ellis soils have sola 20 to 40 inches. Fairlie soils have a paralithic contact with chalk at 40 to 60 inches. Heiden, Luling, Ovan, and Sanger soils have a matrix with chroma of 2 or more throughout. Tamford soils have red or reddish brown C horizons, and annual air temperatures less than 65 degrees F. Watonga soils have sola less than 60 inches thick and are in slightly cooler climates.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Branyon soils are on broad nearly level to very gently sloping Pleistocene terraces. Slope gradients are mostly less than 0.5 percent, but range to 3 percent. The soils formed in calcareous clayey alluvial sediments. The climate is subhumid with mean annual precipitation ranging from 28 to 40 inches and mean annual temperature ranging from 65 to 70 degrees F. Frost free days range form 220 to 280 days and elevation ranges from 300 to 700 feet. Thornthwaite P-E indices range from 44 to 64.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Burleson, Houston Black, Lewisville, and Tinn series. Burleson soils are on similar positions. Houston Black soils are on adjoining higher upland positions. Lewisville soils are in the fine-silty family. Tinn soils are moist in the moisture control section for longer periods, and are in slightly lower flood plain positions.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained. Runoff is low on slopes less than 1 percent and medium on 1 to 3 percent slopes. Permeability is very slow.
Water enters the soil rapidly when it is dry and cracked and very slowly when it is moist.
USE AND VEGETATION: Nearly all is cropped to cotton, sorghums, corn, oats, and wheat. Native vegetation consists of little and big bluestems, indiangrass, switchgrass, sideoats grama, with scattered elm, bois'd'arc, and hackberry trees. Mesquite is an invader in most areas.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Texas in the Blackland Prairie (MLRA 86A, 86B), and Grand Prairie (MLRA 85) The series is extensive.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Bell County, Texas; 1972.
REMARKS: Classification change from Udic Pellusterts to Udic Haplusterts based on Amendment 16, SOIL TAXONOMY (2/94). Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - 0 to 44 (A and Bss horizons)
Cambic horizon - 44 to 80 (Bss horizons)
Vertic feature - 12 to 80 inches - slickensides and wedge- shaped aggregates.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Texas A&M University data from Lavaca County (S83TX-285-01)
SOIL INTERPRETATION RECORD NO: TX0220