LOCATION HEATON             TX

HEATON SERIES

The Heaton series consists of well drained, moderately permeable soils that formed in loamy alluvium and eolian sediments. These soils are gently sloping to undulating stream terraces. Slopes range from 0 to 8 percent.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, siliceous, semiactive, thermic Arenic Paleustalfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Heaton fine sand--cropland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

Ap--0 to 20 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) fine sand, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; single grained; loose; few fine roots; slightly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 20 inches thick)

E--20 to 30 inches; pink (7.5YR 8/4) fine sand, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) moist; single grained; loose; slightly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 26 inches thick)

Bt1--30 to 60 inches; red (2.5YR 5/6) sandy clay loam, red (2.5YR 4/6) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm; thin patchy clay films on faces of peds; slightly acid; gradual wavy boundary.

Bt2--60 to 70 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) sandy clay loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm; thin patchy clay films on faces of peds; few skeletons and clean sand grains; slightly acid; gradual boundary.

Bt3--70 to 78 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) sandy clay loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable; common skeletons of fine sandy loam; slightly acid; abrupt boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizons is 30 to more than 60 inches.)

Bt4--78 to 90 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) sandy clay loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist with common medium faint strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) mottles; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable; slightly acid.

TYPE LOCATION: Parker County, Texas; from the Parker County Courthouse in Weatherford west via U.S. Highway 80 and Interstate Highway 20 approximately 14 miles to the intersection of Interstate Highway 20 and Farm Road 113; west on the south service road of Interstate 20 for 1 mile; south on private road for 0.7 mile and 100 feet west of private road in a cultivated field.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 60 to more than 80 inches. The reaction ranges from medium acid to neutral in the solum within 60 inches. The control section is mainly sandy clay loam with average clay content of 20 to 30 percent. Siliceous and ironstone pebbles range from none to a few throughout the pedon.

The A or Ap horizon has colors in hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma 3 to 6. If the value is less than 4 when moist, the horizon is less than 10 inches thick. The E horizon has colors with value and chroma 1 to 3 units greater than the A horizon, and with chroma of 4 or less. Texture of the A and E horizons is fine sand or loamy fine sand.

The Bt horizon is reddish with hue of 2.5YR to 10YR, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 6 or 8. Some pedons have reddish brown layers. Mottles in shades of red, brown, or yellow range from few to many mainly below the Bt1 horizon. However, some pedons lack mottles. The texture is sandy clay loam or fine sandy loam. Uncoated sand grains or skeletons are in most pedons typically below a depth of 60 inches but may occur as shallow as 40 inches.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Silstid and Styx series and the closely similar Desan, Heatly, Nimrod, Nobscot, and Patilo series. Silstid soils have colors in shades of yellow or brown in the upper Bt horizon, with rainfall of 32 to 38 inches and P-E indices of 52 to 64. Styx soils have gray mottles in the Bt horizon with an apparent water table below a depth of 40 inches. Desan and Patilo soils have sandy epipedons more than 40 inches thick. In addition, Patilo soils have gray mottles in the Bt horizon. Heatly and Nobscot soils have mixed mineralogy and are dry for longer periods with less than 26 inches annual precipitation. Nimrod soils have gray mottled Bt horizons.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Heaton soils are on gently sloping to sloping stream terraces. The slope gradient ranges from 1 to 8 percent but is dominantly less than 5 percent. These soils formed in thick reddish loamy alluvium that has been reworked by wind. They are associated mainly with Cretaceous age materials and are west of the Grand Prairie and east of the Rolling Plains Land Resource Areas. The average annual precipitation ranges from 26 to 32 inches, the average annual temperature 64 to 68 degrees F., the normal precipitation deficiency ranges from 7 to 12 inches, and the Thornthwaite annual P-E indices are from 40 to 52.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Desan, Nimrod and Patilo series and the Bastsil and Weatherford series. Bastsil and Weatherford soils have epipedons less than 20 inches thick. Desan soils have epipedons more than 40 inches thick. Nimrod and Bastsil soils are below on slightly lower positions. Desan and Patilo soils are on similar positions. Weatherford soils are above on slightly higher positions.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; runoff is negligible on 0 to 1 percent slopes, low on 1 to 5 percent slopes, and medium on 5 to 8 percent slopes; moderate permeability.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for growing truck crops, peaches, peanuts, grain sorghum, and small grains. Some areas are still in rangeland with a heavy overstory of post oak trees and blackjack trees with tall and mid grasses.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: In central Texas. Series is of moderate extent.

MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Parker County, Texas; 1972.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Ochric epipedon - the surface layer from 0 to 30 inches.

Arenic feature - fine sand surface layer 30 inches thick.

Albic horizon - the E horizon from 20 to 30 inches.

Argillic horizon - the Bt horizons from 30 to 90 inches.

Pale feature - the Bt horizons do not have a 20 percent clay decrease with a depth of 60 inches and have a chroma of 6 to 60 inches.