LOCATION GANADO TXEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, hyperthermic Typic Hapluderts
TYPICAL PEDON: Ganado clay--on a nearly level flood plain in pasture. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 6 inches; black (10YR 2/1) clay, very dark (10YR 3/1) dry; strong medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, sticky and plastic; many fine and common coarse roots; few pressure faces; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 24 inches thick)
Bss1--6 to 27 inches; black (10YR 2/1) clay, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; strong medium angular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, sticky and plastic; common fine and few coarse roots; common grooved intersecting slickensides most evident below 10 inches; few fine shell fragments; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (8 to 28 inches thick)
Bss2--27 to 50 inches; black (10YR 2/1) clay, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; strong medium angular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, sticky and plastic; few fine roots; common grooved intersecting slickensides; calcareous; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (10 to 35 inches thick)
Bss3--50 to 68 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) clay, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; strong medium angular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, sticky and plastic: few fine roots; common grooved intersecting slickensides; few fine pitted concretions of calcium carbonate; calcareous; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 15 inches thick)
2Bkss--68 to 80 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) clay loam, gray (10YR 5/1) dry; moderate medium angular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, sticky and plastic; common intersecting slickensides; few medium pitted concretions of calcium carbonate; calcareous; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Jackson County, Texas; from Texas Highway 111 in Edna; 1.2 miles southwest on U.S. Highway 59; 0.75 mile west on gravel road to gate, 0.2 mile north in pasture.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness is more than 60 inches. Depth to the C horizon or horizons with a loamy texture is 60 to more than 80 inches. The 10- to 40- inch control section contains 35 to 60 percent clay. Some pedons have a few loamy strata below 60 inches. In virgin areas, gilgai microrelief consists of microknolls 5 to 10 inches higher than the microdepressions, with distance between center of microknoll and center of microdepression being 5 to 20 feet. When dry, cracks 1 to 2 inches wide extend from the surface to depth of 40 inches or more, but remain open less than 90 cumulative days each year in most years. Intersecting slickensides begin at depths of 10 to 36 inches. Most pedons are calcareous at depths below 24 inches, and many are calcareous throughout. Concretions and masses of calcium carbonate range from few to common below a depth of 25 inches in most pedons.
The A horizons have hue of 10YR, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 1 or less. Reaction is neutral to moderately alkaline.
The Bss or Bssy horizons have hue of 10YR, value of 2 to 4, and chroma of 2 or less. Some pedons have a few yellowish, brownish or reddish mottles. Reaction is neutral to moderately alkaline. Gypsum crystals range from none to about 5 percent by volume.
The 2Bkss or Bkssy horizons have hue of 10YR, value of 2 to 4 and chroma of 2 or less. Calcium carbonate in the form of masses, concretions and threads range from few to common. Reaction is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
A C horizon occurs at depths of less than 80 inches in some pedons and have hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 2 or 3. Some pedons have a few yellowish, brownish, or reddish mottles. Texture is sandy clay, sandy clay loam, clay loam or silty clay loam. Reaction is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Francitas series in the same family, and the similar Aransas, Navaca, Pledger, Tinn and Trinity series. Francitas soils are on uplands and are saline. Aransas soils do not have intersecting slickensides. Navaca, Pledger, Tinn and Trinity soils have mean annual soil temperatures of less than 72 degrees F. Navaca soils also have a contrasting loamy horizon at depths of 24 to 36 inches. Pledger and Tinn soils do not have intersecting slickensides. Trinity soils have more than 60 percent clay in the control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Ganado soils are on nearly level flood plains. Slopes are mainly less than 1 percent, but range to 2 percent. The soil formed in recent clayey alluvium. These soils are flooded by stream overflow in most years. Mean annual temperature ranges from 70 to 72 degrees F. and mean annual precipitation ranges from 36 to 46 inches. Frost free days range from 260 to 290 days and elevation ranges from 50 to 250 feet. Thornthwaite annual P-E indices range from 48 to 62.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Navidad, Chicolete, and Zalco series. The Navidad, Chicolete, and Zalco soils have less than 35 percent clay throughout the control section. These soils occur on slightly higher convex shaped areas associated with natural levees of streams.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained. Runoff is low. Permeability is very slow. Water enters the soil rapidly when dry and cracked, and very slow when it is moist. A perched water table occurs in the A and Bss horizons for periods of 2 to 4 weeks in winter and spring.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for improved pasture and rangeland. Native vegetation includes pecan, elm, and live oak, with an understory of grasses such as big bluestem, little bluestem, switchgrass, indiangrass, Texas wintergrass and wild rye.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Middle Gulf Coastal Prairies of Texas. The series is of small extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Jackson County, Texas, 1986. The name is from a small community in Jackson County.
REMARKS: Ganado soils were formerly included with the Trinity and Kaufman series.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - 0 to 68 inches.
Cambic horizon - 68 to 80 inches.
Cracks that remain open less than 90 cumulative days each year, intersecting slickensides, and cambic horizons.