LOCATION GOWKER TXEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, siliceous, active, thermic Cumulic Hapludolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Gowker clay loam - pasture. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
A1--0 to 9 inches, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) clay loam; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm; many fine roots; common fine and medium pores; few thin streaks and strata of dark brown clay loam; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)
A2--9 to 30 inches, black (10YR 2/1) clay loam; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm; common fine roots; common fine pores; few thin streaks and strata of dark brown clay loam; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (15 to 25 inches thick)
A3--30 to 34 inches, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) clay; moderate medium blocky structure; very hard, very firm, sticky and plastic; common fine roots; few fine pores; neutral; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 15 inches thick)
Bg1--34 to 44 inches, dark gray (10YR 4/1) clay; common fine distinct brown mottles; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, sticky and plastic; few fine roots; few fine pores; few 1-2 mm black concretions; slightly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (7 to 14 inches thick)
Bg2--44 to 60 inches, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) sandy clay loam; common fine distinct reddish brown mottles; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and plastic; few fine roots; few fine pores; few fine 1-2 mm. black concretions; very slightly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Walker County, Texas; from the Walker County Courthouse in Huntsville, Texas, 12.6 miles northeast on Texas Highway 19; then west on county road 2.35 miles and 125 feet south in pasture.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The average clay content in the 10 to 40 inch control section ranges between 28 and 35 percent, with clay strata commonly occurring within some part of the control section.
The A1 and A2 horizons have colors in hue of 10YR, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 1 or 2. They are clay loam, sandy clay loam, or loam with some pedons containing thin strata of finer or coarser textures and range from medium acid to slightly acid.
The A3 horizon has colors in hue of 10YR, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 1 or 2. Texture is clay, sandy clay, clay loam, loam, or sandy clay loam and ranges from medium acid to neutral.
The B horizons have colors in hue of 10YR, value of 3 to 6, and chroma of 1 to 4. Mottles in shades of brown range from few to common. Textures range from clay, clay loam, or sandy clay, to sandy clay loam or loam. Stratification of fine sandy loam or sand ranges from none to common.
The C horizons range from medium acid to moderately alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series in the same family. Similar soils are the
Arrington,
Bosque,
Cannon,
Elbon,
Gowen,
Gowton,
Kanebreak and
Staser series. The Arrington soils have fine-silty control sections. Bosque and Gowen soils are dry for longer periods and have ustic moisture regimes. Cannon soils contain 15 to 30 percent coarse fragments in all horizons and have mixed mineralogy.
Elbon soils have thinner mollic epipedons and are in a fine family. Gowton soils lack slowly permeable clay layers in the control section and have mixed mineralogy. Kanebreak soils are wet for longer periods of time and have aquic moisture regimes. Staser soils contain mica flakes, are moist for longer periods of time, and have mixed mineralogy.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Gowker soils are on nearly level flood plains. Slopes are 0 to 1 percent. The soils formed in loamy and clayey alluvium. The soils flood 1 to 3 or more times annually. At the type location the mean annual temperature is about 68 degrees F., average annual precipitation is 46 inches, and Thornthwaite P-E index is 72.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Kanebreak, Kaufman and Trinity series. Kanebreak soils are wet for longer periods of time. Kaufman and Trinity soils have more than 35 percent clay throughout. In addition, Trinity soils are calcareous.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained; slow to medium runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are used for pasture or hardwood timber. Native vegetation is an overstory of cottonwood, sweetgum, green ash, and oak trees with an understory of panicums, Virginia wildrye, sedges, rustyseed paspalums, and switch cane.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mostly in east Texas along streams that contain a mixture of sediments from the Blackland Prairies and the Southern Coastal Plain. Series is of moderate extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Walker County, Texas; 1975.
REMARKS: These soils were formerly included in the Gowen series. Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - 0 to 34 inches.