LOCATION CIENO TXEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, siliceous, active, hyperthermic Typic Vermaqualfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Cieno sandy clay loam--rangeland. (Colors are for moist soils unless otherwise stated).
A--0 to 6 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) sandy clay loam; gray (10YR 5/1) dry; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, slightly sticky; common fine roots; few crayfish krotovinas 1 to 3 cm in diameter; moderately acid; diffuse boundary. (3 to 16 inches thick)
Btg1--6 to 16 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) clay loam; gray (10YR 5/1) dry; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; extremely hard, very firm, very sticky and plastic; common fine roots; few crayfish krotovinas 1 to 3 cm in diameter; moderately acid; diffuse boundary. (6 to 20 inches thick)
Btg2--16 to 28 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) clay loam; gray (10YR 5/1) dry; moderate medium angular blocky structure; extremely hard, very firm, very sticky and plastic; common fine roots; few crayfish krotovinas 1 to 4 cm in diameter; slightly acid; diffuse boundary. (5 to 26 inches thick)
Btg3--28 to 40 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) sandy clay loam; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry; moderate medium angular blocky structure; extremely hard, very firm, very sticky and plastic; few fine roots; few fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) irregularly shaped masses of iron accumulation; few dark iron-manganese concretions 4 to 6 mm in diameter; uncoated sand on surface of some peds; few crayfish krotovinas 1 to 4 cm in diameter; neutral; gradual boundary. (8 to 22 inches thick)
Btg4--40 to 51 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) sandy clay loam; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) dry; weak medium prismatic structure parting to weak medium angular blocky; extremely hard, very firm, sticky; few fine roots; few fine distinct brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) irregularly shaped masses of iron accumulation; few dark iron-manganese concretions 4 to 6 mm in diameter; few crayfish krotovinas 2 to 5 cm in diameter; uncoated sand on surface of some peds; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline; clear, smooth boundary. (0 to 18 inches thick)
Bg1--51 to 62 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) sandy clay loam; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) dry; weak fine prismatic structure parting to weak medium angular blocky; extremely hard, very firm, slightly sticky; few fine roots; few fine distinct brownish yellow (10YR 6/6, 6/8) irregularly shaped masses of iron accumulations; few threads and concretions of calcium carbonate 3 to 5 mm in diameter; few dark iron-manganese concretions 4 to 6 mm in diameter; uncoated sand on surface of some peds; few crayfish krotovinas 2 to 6 cm in diameter; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; diffuse boundary. (6 to 20 inches thick)
Bg2--62 to 77 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) sandy clay loam; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) dry; weak medium prismatic structure parting to weak coarse angular blocky; extremely hard, very firm, slightly sticky; few fine roots; few fine distinct brownish yellow (10YR 6/6, 6/8) irregularly shaped masses of iron accumulations; few threads and concretions of calcium carbonate 4 to 6 mm in diameter; few dark concretions 4 to 6 mm in diameter; uncoated sand on faces of some peds; medium and coarse black iron-manganese stains on faces of some peds; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; diffuse boundary. (0 to 15 inches thick)
BC--77 to 85 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) sandy clay loam; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) dry; weak medium prismatic structure parting to weak coarse blocky; extremely hard, very firm, slightly sticky; few fine roots along surface of prisms; common threads and concretions of calcium carbonate 4 to 6 mm in diameter; few dark iron-manganese concretions 4 to 6 mm in diameter; coarse black iron-manganese stains on faces of some peds; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Victoria County, Texas; from the intersection of U. S. Highway 59 and U. S. Highway 77 in Victoria, Texas; 2.9 miles north on U. S. Highway 77, 11.8 miles northeast on Farm Road 1315, 450 feet southeast in rangeland. (latitude: 28N, 58, 38; Longitude: 96W, 53, 58).
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness is more than 60 inches. The COLE of the argillic horizon is typically about 0.04 but ranges from 0.02 to 0.08. Few to common crayfish krotovinas are mainly in the upper 60 inches. They are usually 1 to 6 cm in diameter and commonly contain less clay than the Btg horizon. Uncoated sand grains are on the surface of some peds and interfingers of uncoated sand 2 to 4 cm long and about 1 cm wide range from none to a few throughout the argillic horizon and comprise less than 5 percent of the matrix. Iron and manganese concretions 4 to 8 mm in diameter range from none to few throughout.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 1 or 2. Some pedons have a few redoximorphic features in shades of brown or yellow. Texture is commonly loam or sandy clay loam but clay loam is included. Reaction ranges from strongly acid to neutral.
The Btg horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 1 or 2. Redoximorphic features in shades of brown or yellow range from none to common. Texture is sandy clay loam, clay loam, or sandy clay. The weighted average clay content of control section is 27 to 35 percent and it is dominantly smectitic clay. Reaction ranges from strongly acid to neutral in the Btg1 horizon and from slightly acid to slightly alkaline in the lower Btg horizons.
The Bg and BC horizons have hue of 10YR and 2.5Y, value of 5 to 7, and chroma of 1 or 2. Brownish or yellowish redoximorphic features range from few to common. Texture is sandy clay loam or clay loam. Concretions, films, threads, and masses of calcium carbonate range from none to common. Reaction ranges from slightly acid to moderately alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series. Similar soils are the Crowley (TX), Dacosta (TX), Gesner (TX), Inez (TX), Katy(TX), Morales (TX), Nada (TX), and Telferner (TX) soil. Crowley, Dacosta, and Inez soils are in the fine family. In addition, Dacosta soils have vertic properties. Gessner and Morales soils have a glossic horizon. Katy, Nada and Telferner soils have an abrupt textural change between the A and Bt horizon. In addition, Telferner soils have an A horizon 10 to 20 inches thick.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Cieno soils are in oval, concave depressions that are 6 to 18 inches below the surrounding soils. They are less than an acre to about 20 acres in size and are usually mapped as a part of a soil complex. The slope gradient is nearly level and ranges from 0 to 1 percent. These soils formed loamy sediments of the Pleistocene age Beaumont and Lissie Formations. These depressions are a defined part of this geology, and they are very distinctive on aerial photography. Mean annual temperature ranges from 70 degrees to 72 degrees F., and mean annual precipitation ranges from 34 to 44 inches. Frost free days range from 260 to 330 days, and elevation ranges from 85 to about 130 feet. Thornthwaite annual P-E indices range from 44 to 66. Thornthwaite annual P-E indices range from 44 to 66. Thornthwaite annual P-E indices range from 44 to 66.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Garcitas, Garwood, Morales, Nada, Telferner and Texana series. Garcitas soils have gravelly sandy A horizons more than 20 inches thick and they are above on gently sloping knolls or low ridges. Garwood soils are in the fine family, have thicker A horizons, and are in slightly higher positions. Morales, and Nada soils are commonly mapped in a complex with Cieno soils and, along with Telferner soils, are on slightly higher positions which are not usually ponded. Texana soils have a mollic epipedon and are in the fine family. They are on slightly higher positions that are not ponded.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained. Ponded. Permeability is very slow. These soils receive water from surrounding soils and are ponded for periods of several days to more than a month in duration during the winter and spring seasons in most years.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for rangeland and cropland. Rice is the major crop produced. Native vegetation includes mainly water tolerant grasses and sedges. The sienne bean, a woody-like shrub, is commonly found on these soils.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Coastal Prairie of Texas (MLRA 150A). The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Victoria County, Texas; 1980.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - 0 to 6 inches. (A horizon)
Argillic horizon - 6 to 51 inches. (Btg horizons)
Aquic moisture regime - gray soil colors - 6 to 40 inches.
Episaturation - While the soil exhibits gleyed colors throughout, 8 years of monitoring in Victoria County, Texas indicate that reducing conditions occur in the upper 50 cm of the soil more than 50% of the time, while at 40 inches they occur less than 10% of the time.
These soils were formerly mapped as the Crowley or Gessner series.
ADDITIONAL DATA: NSSL data on the type location and another pedon is available. (S79TX-469-001 and S79TX-469-004). Soil interpretation record: TX0903