LOCATION KATEMCY TXEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, superactive, thermic Typic Haplustalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Katemcy sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 3 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/3) sandy loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/3) moist; weak coarse platy structure; very hard and massive when dry, very friable; many fine and few coarse roots; common fine and medium discontinuous tubular pores; 2 percent angular quartz pebbles 2 cm to 8 cm in size; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
A2--3 to 9 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/3) sandy loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; very hard and massive when dry, very friable; many fine and few coarse roots; common fine and medium tubular pores; 2 percent angular quartz pebbles 2 to 8 cm; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 9 inches thick)
Bt1--9 to 11 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/3) sandy clay loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm; common fine and few coarse roots; common fine and medium tubular pores; common thin patchy clay films on faces of peds and lining pores; 5 percent angular quartz pebbles 2 to 8 cm; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 20 inches thick)
Bt2--11 to 20 inches; red (2.5YR 4/6) sandy clay, dark red (2.5YR 3/6) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; very hard, very firm; common fine and few coarse roots; few fine tubular pores; continuous distinct clay films on vertical and horizontal ped faces; 10 percent quartz and schist pebbles 2 to 8 cm; 2 percent schist cobbles 8 to 20 cm; neutral; gradual smooth boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
Bt3--20 to 27 inches; reddish brown (2.5YR 5/4) gravelly sandy clay, reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium and coarse prismatic structure parting to weak medium subangular blocky; very hard, very firm; few fine and coarse roots; few fine and medium tubular pores; continuous clay films on vertical and horizontal faces of peds; about 15 percent quartz and schist pebbles 2 to 4 cm in diameter; neutral; abrupt irregular boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
BCt--27 to 38 inches; reddish brown (2.5YR 5/4) channery sandy clay loam, reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm; few fine and few coarse roots; few fine and medium tubular pores; patchy distinct clay films on vertical and horizontal faces of peds; about 20 percent schist channers 3 to 4 inches across; neutral; clear wavy boundary. (7 to 12 inches thick)
Cr--38 to 79 inches; weathered schist that is tilted and jointed; few fine roots along fractures; clay coatings along some fractures.
TYPE LOCATION: Llano County, Texas; about 12 miles southwest of Llano, Texas, from the intersection of Texas Highway 16 and Ranch Road 2323 in Llano, 12.3 miles southwest on Ranch Road 2323, 0.5 mile north and 1.8 miles west on county road, 0.5 mile west on private road to ranch headquarters, 500 feet northeast to pasture gate, 1.6 miles north on field road, 100 feet east in rangeland. Latitude 30 degrees -40 minutes -45 seconds north and Longitude 098 degrees -51 minutes -30 seconds west.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness and depth to weathered schist bedrock ranges from 20 to 40 inches. Coarse fragments on the soil surface consist of quartz, schist, or schistose gneiss and are mainly less than 3 inches across. Reaction ranges from slightly acid to mildly alkaline throughout.
The A horizon has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 2 to 4. It is sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam, or clay loam. Coarse fragment content ranges from few to 10 percent.
The Bt horizon has hue of 2.5YR to 7.5YR, value of 3 to 6, and chroma of 3 to 6.
Texture of the Bt1 and Bt2 horizons is sandy clay loam, clay or sandy clay with a clay content ranging from 27 to 40 percent, but averages over 35 percent for the particle-size control section. Coarse fragments range from few to 15 percent.
Texture of the Bt3 and Bct horizons is sandy clay loam, sandy clay in the fine-earth fraction. Coarse fragments range from 15 to 30 percent by volume.
The Cr horizon is saprolite and ranges from weakly cemented to indurated schist and schistose gneiss that is finely fractured. These materials are in shades of red, gray, brown, yellow, green, or olive and are tilted from 10 degrees to 60 degrees from horizontal.
COMPETING SERIES: These include the Acove, Bluegrove, Callahan and Lindale soils. Similar soils are Cobb, Honeycreek, Ligon, and Lou series. Acove soils have sandstone fragments in the solum and are underlain by sandstone. Callahan soils have secondary carbonates within 30 inches of the soil surface and are underlain by shale. Lindale soils are underlain by limestone rubble and marine clays and do not have a lithic contact within 40 inches. Bluegrove soils are underlain by sandstone and have less than 5 percent rock fragments in the Bt horizon. Cobb and Lou soils have a fine-loamy control section and are underlain by sandstone and granite grus, respectively. Honeycreek soils have a fine-loamy control section and have a solum of 40 to 60 inches over schist. Ligon soils have sola less than 20 inches thick.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Katemcy soils occur mostly on sideslope positions and some in valley positions. Slopes range from 1 to 8 percent. The soil formed in materials weathered from schist or schistose gneiss of Pre-Cambrian age. The climate is dry subhumid. Mean annual precipitation is 26 to 30 inches and mean annual temperature ranges from 65 degrees to 68 degrees F. Frost free days range from 210 to 240 days and elevations range from 1,000 to 2,250 feet. Thornthwaite P-E indices are 34 to 46.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Castell, Fieldcreek, Honeycreek, Keese, Ligon and Packsaddle soils. Ligon soils are on slightly higher, convex positions and have sola less than 20 inches thick. Castell soils have an abrupt textural change, and are in similar positions and primarily over gneiss bedrock. Fieldcreek soils have coarse-loamy control sections and are on bottomlands. Honeycreek soils are in a lower colluvial position and have fine-loamy control sections. Packsaddle soils are on slightly higher, convex positions and have a mollic epipedon. Keese soils lack Bt horizons and are less than 20 inches thick.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Runoff is medium. Permeability and internal drainage are slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: Largely rangeland; some small areas are used for growing small grain, forage sorghum and improved pasture grasses. The principal vegetation is blackjack oak, post oak, live oak, lovegrass, whitebrush, gramas, and threeawns.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mostly in the Central Basin of Texas and possibly south-central Oklahoma. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Mason County, Texas Reconnaissance Soil Survey of south-central Texas; 1913.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface to about 9 inches. (A1 and A2 horizons)
Argillic horizon - the zone from 9 inches to 38 inches.
Paralithic contact - weathered bedrock at 38 inches.