LOCATION FREESTONE TX+MS OKEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, siliceous, semiactive, thermic Glossaquic Paleudalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Freestone fine sandy loam--pasture.
(Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 4 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) fine sandy loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) dry; weak fine granular structure; hard, very friable; many fine roots; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
E--4 to 11 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) fine sandy loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/3) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, very friable; many fine roots; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick)
Bt--11 to 20 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) sandy clay loam; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, friable; many fine roots; many fine pores; few patchy clay films; few streaks and pockets of albic materials in lower part of horizon; few iron-manganese concretions; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (6 to 18 inches thick)
Bt/E1--20 to 28 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) clay loam; weak coarse prismatic parting to moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm; common fine roots along faces of peds; common fine pores; common fine and medium prominent red (2.5YR 4/6) redox concentrations with clear boundaries and few medium distinct grayish brown (10YR 5/2) redox depletions with diffuse boundaries; few iron-manganese concretions 1 to 5 mm in diameter; light gray (10YR 6/1) albic materials on vertical faces of prisms, with streaks and pockets 2 to 10 mm wide and 10 to 20 cm long that comprise about 10 percent of the matrix; very strongly acid; diffuse wavy boundary. (6 to 15 inches thick)
Bt/E2--28 to 44 inches; gray (10YR 6/1) clay; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate coarse angular blocky; very hard, firm; common fine roots along faces of peds; many fine and medium distinct dark red (2.5YR 3/6) and few fine distinct yellowish brown redox concentrations that are in a reticulate pattern with clear boundaries; few iron-manganese concretions 1 to 5 mm in diameter; albic materials on the vertical faces of peds, with streaks and pockets of 2 to 10 mm wide and 10 to 20 cm long comprise about 12 percent of the mass; strongly acid; diffuse wavy boundary. (12 to 26 inches thick)
Bt'1--44 to 60 inches; gray (10YR 6/1) clay; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate coarse angular blocky; extremely hard, very firm; few roots along faces of peds; common fine and medium distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) and common fine distinct dark red redox concentrations with clear boundaries; few iron-manganese concretions; albic materials on the vertical faces of some peds; moderately acid; diffuse boundary. (10 to 25 inches thick)
Bt'2--60 to 77 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) clay; weak coarse angular blocky structure; extremely hard, very firm; few pressure faces 2 to 6 inches across; few fine roots along faces of peds; common fine distinct yellowish red and few fine distinct yellowish brown redox concentrations with clear boundaries; few iron-manganese concretions; few streaks of albic materials; slightly acid; diffuse boundary. (8 to 20 inches thick)
Bkss--77 to 90 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) clay; weak coarse angular blocky structure; extremely hard, very firm; few fine roots; common medium distinct gray (10YR 6/1) redox depletions with clear boundariesand common fine faint brown (7.5YR 4/4) redox concentrations with clear boundaries ; common slickensides; common soft masses and few pitted concretions of calcium carbonate; few iron-manganese concretions; slightly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Anderson County, Texas; 185 feet west of Farm Road 645 an 365 feet south of unpaved road from a point 1.9 miles north on intersection of Farm Roads 645 and 320; the intersection being 8 miles west of intersection of Farm Road 320 and U.S. Highway 79 in Palestine.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the solum is 60 to more than 80 inches. Depth to secondary carbonates exceeds 60 inches, and many pedons do not have visible secondary carbonates. The weighted average clay content of the control section ranges from 20 to 35 percent. Redoximorphic features are considered both contemporary and relic. However, the soil has aquic soil conditions in the spring at a depth of 20 to 40 inches during most years.
The A horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 3 to 6, and chroma of 2 to 4. Horizons with value of 3 are less than 7 inches thick. The E horizon has value and/or chroma 1 to 3 units greater than the A horizon. The texture of the A and E horizons is loamy fine sand, fine sandy loam, or loam. The reaction of these horizons ranges from strongly acid to slightly acid unless limed.
The Bt horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 5 to 7, and chroma of 4 to 8. Redoximorphic depletions and concentrations in shades of brown, gray, or red range from none to a few. Streaks or spots of albic materials range from none to less than 5 percent by volume. Texture is loam or sandy clay loam. The reaction ranges from strongly acid to slightly acid.
The Bt/E horizon has colors in shades of brown, red, yellow, or gray with few to many redox depletions or concentrations of these colors. Some subhorizons have a mottled matrix. Streaks, coatings, and pockets of albic materials make up 5 to 15 percent by volume. The texture is loam, sandy clay loam, clay loam, or clay. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid to moderately acid.
The Bt'1 and Bt'2 horizons have matrix colors of gray or brown with yellowish and reddish redox concentrations or the matrix is mottled with these colors. Streaks and pockets of albic materials range from none to less than 5 percent by volume. The texture is clay loam, sandy clay, or clay typically with clay content of more than 35 percent. The reaction ranges from very strongly acid to slightly acid.
The Bkss horizon is brownish or grayish with yellowish or reddish redox concentrations. It is clay loam, sandy clay, or clay. Concretions and soft masses of calcium carbonate ranges from few to common. The reaction ranges from slightly acid to slightly alkaline. This horizon is absent in some pedons.
The C horizon when encountered is grayish shale mottled with colors in shades of brown, yellow, or red, with or without strata of clayey or loamy soil materials. The reaction ranges from very strongly acid to neutral.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series. Similar series are the Bernaldo, Falkner, Glenmora, Keithville, Kolin, Macon, Muskogee, Rader, and Raino series. Bernaldo and Macon soils do not have redox depletions within 30 inches of the soil surface and Macon soils do not have albic materials in the Bt horizon. Falkner, Glenmore, Keithville, Kolin, and Muskogee soils have fine-silty control sections. Rader and Raino soils have tongues penetrating the upper Bt horizon and Rader soils are dry for longer periods of time in the moisture control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Freestone soils are on nearly level and gently sloping stream terraces and remmants of terraces on uplands. Slopes range from 0 to 5 percent, but are mainly 0 to 3 percent. The soil formed in acid and alkaline clayey sediments. The climate is humid. The average annual rainfall ranges from 40 to 46 inches; the mean annual temperature ranges from 64 degrees to 68 degrees F. Frost free days range from 225 to 265. Elevation ranges from 150 to 575 above sea level. The Thornthwaite P-E indices range from 64 to 75.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Bernaldo and Raino series and the Annona, Lufkin, Wolfpen, and Woodtell series. Annona, Lufkin, and Woodtell soils have fine textured control sections. Wolfpen soils have sandy epipedons 20 to 40 inches thick. Bernaldo and Ranio soils are on similar positions. Annona and Lufkin soils are on slightly lower wetter positions. Wolfpen soils are above on higher positions. Woodtell soils are above on low ridges. Woodtell soils are also below on side slopes above drainageways.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained; slow permeability. Runoff is negligible on 0 to 1 percent slopes; very low on 1 to 3 percent slopes; and low on 3 to 5 percent slopes. A extremely thin perched water table is above the clay layer for brief to long periods in the spring season during most years.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for pasture. Native trees include postoak, blackjack, hickory, sweetgum, and elm. Pine mainly in plantations are along the eastern and southern portions of the series province. Pasture grasses include bermuda, Bahia, and lovegrass. Most areas were at one time cultivated to cotton, corn, and sorghum.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mainly in the western part of the Southern Coastal Plain of eastern Texas, MLRA 87B, 133B. The series is of large extent with more than 400,000 acres correlated.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Little Rock, Arkansas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lamar County, Mississippi; 1970.
REMARKS: Freestone soils were formerly included in the Sawyer series.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface to a depth of 11 inches (A and E horizons)
Argillic horizon - the zone from approximately 11 to 90 inches (Bt, Bt/E1, Bt/E2, Bt'1, Bt'2 horizons)
Glossic feature - albic materials in silt streaks, pockets or coatings on peds make up 5 to 15 percent of some subhorizon.
Aquic features - Redox depletions are within a depth of 30 inches of the soil surface with a seasonal perched water table.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Mineralogy data on one pedon, Hopkins County, Texas. LSL 72L221.
SOIL INTERPRETATION RECORD NUMBER: TX0103