LOCATION GALVESTON TXEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Mixed, hyperthermic Typic Udipsamments
TYPICAL PEDON: Galveston fine sand--rangeland. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 6 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) fine sand, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) dry; single grained; loose; common fine roots; few fragments of marine shells 1 to 2 mm in size; nonsaline; neutral; clear wavy boundary.
C1--6 to 12 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) fine sand, very pale brown (10YR 8/3) dry; single grain; loose; common fine roots; few fragments of marine shells 1 to 2 mm in size; nonsaline; mildly alkaline; clear smooth boundary.
C2--12 to 30 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) fine sand, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) dry; single grain; loose; few fine roots; nonsaline; mildly alkaline; clear wavy boundary.
C3--30 to 60 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) fine sand, very pale brown (10YR 8/3) dry; common fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) mottles; single grain; loose; few fine roots; nonsaline; mildly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Galveston County, Texas; about 14 miles southwest of Galveston; from the intersection of Farm Road 3005 and Stewart Road, 3.8 miles southwest on Farm Road 3005, 400 feet northwest of the fence in range.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to loamy strata is more than 72 inches and less than 140 inches in most pedons. The 10- to 40-inch control section is fine sand or sand. Silt plus clay totals less than 10 percent. Surface texture is sand, fine sand or loamy fine sand. Few to common marine shells and fragments of shells are throughout the soil. The soil is medium acid through moderately alkaline. Some pedons are saline.
The soil has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, values of 4 to 7, and chroma of 1 to 3. Some pedons have few faint brownish mottles below a depth of 40 inches.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series in the same family. Other similar soils are Crevasse, Falfurrias, Gainesville, Kershaw, Lake, Lakeland, Mustang, Palm Beach, Sabine, Seabrook, St. Lucie, Tonkawa, and Voss series. Crevesse, Kershaw, Lakeland, Seabrook, Tonkawa and Voss soils have soil temperatures less than 72 degrees F. Falfurrias soils are dry for longer periods of time. Gainesville, Lake, and St. Lucie soils lack shell fragments and contain less weatherable minerals. Mustang soils are saturated part of the year and Palm Beach soils have carbonatic mineralogy.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Galveston soils are on coastal terraces, dunes, and offshore barrier islands. Areas are 2 to 25 feet above the mean tide level. Slopes are mainly less than 5 percent, but some dune areas have slopes which are as much as 12 percent. The soil formed in sandy sediments that have been reworked by wind and wave action. Salt spray from the sea affects some areas. The climate is moist subhumid to humid. The average annual precipitation ranges from about 30 to 55 inches, the average annual temperature from 70 to 74 degrees F., and Thornthwaite annual P-E indices from 33 to 75.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Mustang series and the Harris, Lomalta, Nass, Nueces, Sabine, Sarita, Stowell, and Veston series. Harris and Lomalta soils are clayey. Nass soils are lower and in a coarse-loamy family. Nueces and Sarita soils have argillic horizons. Sabine and Stowell soils have mollic epipedons. Veston soils have fine-silty control sections.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained. Runoff is very slow. Internal drainage is rapid above the water table. Permeability is very rapid. A water table is at depths of 36 to 72 inches in most years. Following storms or very high tides the water table approaches the surface for a period of a few days in some areas. These soils are occasionally inundated with salt water during cyclonic storms.
USE AND VEGETATION: Mostly native rangeland. Some areas are used for recreation and wildlife. Native vegetation is mainly bunch grasses such as switchgrass, seacoast bluestem, sea-oats, common reedgrass, and gulfdune paspalum, and soilbind morninglory. Some areas have clumps of sweetbay, redbay, and dwarf live oak trees.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mainly bordering the coast line of the Gulf Coast lowlands of Texas and Florida. The series is extensive.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Brazoria County, Texas; 1907.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon (0 to 6 inches).
All subhorizons are loamy fine sand or coarser.
ADDITIONAL DATA: LSL 68L1261 indicate mixed sand mineralogy at the type location.