LOCATION KEETER TXEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, siliceous, superactive, thermic Udic Haplustalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Keeter very fine sandy loam--wooded pasture.
(Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 4 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) very fine sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable; common fine and medium roots; few fine pores; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
E--4 to 7 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) very fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable; common fine and few medium roots; few fine pores; slightly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 5 inches thick)
Bt1--7 to 15 inches; red (2.5YR 5/6) clay loam, red (2.5YR 4/6) moist; moderate medium blocky structure; very hard, firm; common fine and few medium roots; continuous thick dark red clay films on vertical and horizontal ped surfaces; few sand and silt grains on vertical ped surfaces in upper part; strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
Bt2--15 to 23 inches; red (2.5YR 5/6) clay loam, red (2.5YR 4/6) moist; common fine and medium reddish yellow (7.5YR 7/6) mottles; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate fine and medium blocky; very hard, firm; few fine and medium roots; few fine pores in ped interiors; nearly continuous dark red clay films on vertical and horizontal ped surfaces; strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (7 to 15 inches thick)
Bt3--23 to 28 inches; reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) clay loam, yellow- ish red (5YR 5/6) moist; common medium distinct red (2.5YR 5/6), pale brown (10YR 6/3), and light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) mottles; moderate- ate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate fine and medium blocky; hard, friable; few fine and medium roots; common fine pores in ped interiors; common thick reddish brown clay films on vertical and horizontal ped surfaces; medium acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
BC--28 to 33 inches; variegated color pattern, predominantly reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6 and 6/8) and very pale brown (10YR 8/3) very fine sandy loam, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6 and 5/8) and very pale brown (10YR 7/3) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to weak fine subangular blocky; hard, friable; few fine and medium roots; few fine pores; about 12 percent fragments of weakly cemented sandstone that are less than an inch to 3 inches across; common reddish brown and yellowish red clay films encase sandstone fragments and most peds; medium acid; clear smooth boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick)
C1--33 to 41 inches; stratified very pale brown (10YR 8/3) and white (10YR 8/2) sand (packsand), very pale brown (10YR 7/3) and light gray (10YR 7/2) moist; common medium distinct pink (7.5YR 7/4) mottles; weakly cemented, friable; few fractures containing brownish clay films; few fine and medium roots; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary. (6 to 16 inches thick)
C2--41 to 72 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/3) sand (packsand), very pale brown (10YR 7/3) moist; stratified with thin layers of light gray loamy materials; weakly cemented, friable; few fine roots; few fine calcium carbonate concretions in the gray layers; mildly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Wise County, Texas; 3.15 miles north on U.S. Highway 81-287 from its intersection with Farm Road 1810 in Decatur, 240 feet west on county road, and 120 feet south of county road in wooded area.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 20 to 40 inches, and commonly is the same as the depth to packsand. The clay content of the control section averages from 25 to 35 percent. The sand is mainly very fine sand with less than 15 percent fine sand or coarser sand and includes fragments less than 3 inches across. Siliceous or ironstone pebbles range from 0 to 5 percent by volume. Base saturation ranges from 75 to 100 percent in some part of the argillic horizon.
The A or Ap has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 2 to 4. Most pedons have thin E horizons with hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 3 or 4. Texture is very fine sandy loam or fine sandy loam. The reaction of the A and E horizons is slightly acid or neutral.
The Bt1 horizon has hue of 2.5YR or 5YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 3 to 6. Texture is clay loam, sandy clay loam, or sandy clay. Reaction ranges from strongly acid to slightly acid.
The Bt2 horizon has hue of 2.5YR to 7.5YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 6 or 8. Some pedons have few to common mottles in shades of red, yellow, or brown. Texture is clay loam, sandy clay loam, or very fine sandy loam. Reaction ranges from strongly acid to slightly acid.
The Bt3 and BC horizons have hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 4 to 8, and chroma of 4 to 8. Some pedons are mottled or have a variegated color pattern. Mottles are in shades of red, yellow, or brown. Texture is very fine sandy loam, loam, sandy clay loam, or clay loam. Some pedons contain a few fine calcium carbonate concretions. Thin discontinuous strata or fragments of sandstone less than 3 inches across range from few to common in most BC horizons. Reaction ranges from medium acid to neutral.
The C horizon is stratified sand (packsand) in shades of brown, gray, or white. Mottles in shades of pink, yellow, or brown range from none to common. Most pedons contain thin strata of grayish and brownish loamy, or shaly materials. Some pedons have thin strata or fragments of brownish on reddish sandstone. Texture of matrix ranges from loamy fine sand to very fine sandy loam. This material is hard to very hard when dry, and friable to slightly brittle when moist. In exposed roadcuts it is weakly to strongly cemented. Some pedons contain a few calcium carbonate concretions and in some pedons the matrix is weakly calcareous in spots. Reaction is slightly acid to moderately alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing soils in this family. Soils in similar families are the Bastsil, Bluegrove, Cona, Darst, Duffau, Minwells, Pedernales, and Windthorst soils. Bastsil and Duffau soils have fine-loamy control sections with solum thicker than 40 inches. The other soils have fine, mixed control sections.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Keeter soils are gently sloping and sloping convex erosional uplands. Slope gradients are dominantly 2 to 5 percent, but range from 1 to 8 percent. Areas that have been cultivated have thinner surface layers because of erosion. The soil formed in packsand interbedded with strata of loamy or shaly materials. These materials are of Lower Cretaceous Age sediments and are mainly members of the Paluxy Formation. The average annual precipitation ranges from 26 to 33 inches, the mean annual temperature ranges from 63 to 65 degrees F., and the Thornthwaite P-E indices from 40 to 54. Frost free period is 230 to 240 days and elevation ranges from 1000 to 1100 feet.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Chaney, Duffau, Nimrod, Selden, Silawa, Weatherford, Windthorst, and Wise soils. Chaney and Windthorst soils have fine control sections and are on similar or slightly lower positions. Duffau, Nimrod, Selden, Silawa, and Weatherford soils have fine-loamy control sections and are on lower positions. Wise soils are calcareous and lack an argillic horizon and are on slightly lower positions.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium to rapid runoff; moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas have formerly been cultivated and are now used for rangeland. Elm, post oak, black jack oak, and mesquite have invaded and the range is mainly in poor to fair condition. The main native grasses are little bluestem, silver bluestem, sideoats grama, Texas wintergrass and purpletop. Some areas are cultivated to small grains, peanuts, or improved pastures.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: West Cross Timbers of North-central Texas. The soil is of moderate extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Wise County, Texas; 1984
REMARKS: These soils were formerly included in the Windthorst series.
Diagnostic horizons and feature recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - 0 to 7 inches
Argillic horizon - 7 to 33 inches
ADDITIONAL DATA: SDHPT data from Wise County, TX (S82TX-497-009) NSSL data from Erath County, TX (S77TX-143-1) (S77TX-143-2)