LOCATION MENARD TXEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, active, thermic Typic Haplustalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Menard fine sandy loam--cultivated field.
(Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 10 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) fine sandy loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; structureless in upper part and weak granular structure in the lower part; hard, friable; neutral;
clear smooth boundary. (4 to 14 inches thick)
Bt1--10 to 16 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) sandy clay
loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium blocky structure; very hard, firm; nearly continuous slightly darker clay films on faces of peds; few fine pores; neutral; gradual boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
Bt2--16 to 30 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) sandy clay
loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; moderate medium blocky structure; very hard, firm; nearly continuous clay films on faces
of peds; few fine pores; neutral; gradual boundary. (10 to 20
inches thick)
BC--30 to 42 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) sandy clay
loam, strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) moist; weak blocky structure; very hard, firm; few fine pores; contains a few films and threads of calcium carbonate in lower part; calcareous; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (8 to 14 inches thick)
Ck--42 to 100 inches; pink (7.5YR 7/4) sandy clay loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) moist; massive; hard, friable, contains 10
percent by volume of soft limestone fragments or nodules of
calcium carbonate, and a few concretions and thin seams of soft limestone or coatings of calcium carbonate; calcareous; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Menard County, Texas; 15 miles southeast of
Menard; in a cultivated field 1000 feet east of county road and
0.5 mile south of Hext Post Office.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The solum ranges from 30 to 50 inches thick.
The A horizon has hue of 5YR through 10YR, value of 4 through 6,
and chroma of 2 through 4. Some pedons have a thin A2 horizon
that is 1 or 2 units higher in value than the A1 horizon. Fine
sandy loam is the principal surface texture, but minor areas of
loam and loamy fine sand also occur. Reaction is neutral or
mildly alkaline. Organic matter content is less than 1 percent.
The Bt horizons have hue of 2.5YR through 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5,
and chroma of 3 through 8. Texture is sandy clay loam or clay
loam with a clay content of 20 to 35 percent and some pedons
contain up to 15 percent coarse fragments. Reaction is slightly
acid through mildly alkaline.
Depth to the BC horizon ranges from 20 to 36 inches. Hue is 2.5YR through 7.5YR, value of 5 or 7, and chroma is 3 through 8. Some pedons have faint reddish or yellowish mottles. Texture is sandy clay loam, fine sandy loam, or clay loam. Calcium carbonate
content ranges from 3 to about 15 percent by volume.
The Ck horizon is brownish, whitish, or pinkish, calcareous materials. Texture is sandy loam, fine sandy loam, sandy clay
loam, or clay loam. Limestone fragments and concretions and soft masses of calcium carbonate comprise from 5 to about 35 percent by volume. Some pedons also contain a few rounded quartz pebbles.
Some pedons are underlain by thin strata of limestone or weakly cemented sandstone.
COMPETING SERIES: These are
McKnight and
Rochelle soils in the
same family and
Cobb,
Duval,
Grandfield,
May,
Miles,
Paducah,
Willacy, and
Zeniff soils in similar families. McKnight soils
have a paralithic contact within depth of 60 inches. Rochelle
soils contain 15 to 35 percent coarse fragments in the Bt
horizons. Cobb soils have sandstone at 20 to 40 inch depths.
Duval soils have mean annual soil temperatures of more than 72 degrees F., and are dry for longer periods of time. Grandfield,
May, and Miles soils lack films, threads, or soft masses or
secondary carbonates within 36 inches and, in addition, Miles
soils thicker sola. Paducah soils contain than 15 percent sand coarser than fine sand. Willacy soils have dark colored A
horizons and mean annual soil temperatures of more than 72 degrees
F. Zeniff soils have mean annual soil temperatures of less than
59 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Menard soils occur in undulating uplands with slopes ranging from 0 to 8 percent. The soil formed in loamy, reddish, or pinkish, limy sediments that are considered to be the basal members of Lower Cretaceous age. The climate is dry
subhumid; average annual precipitation ranges from 22 to 30
inches; Thornthwaite annual P-E index ranges from 38 to 48, and at the type location the mean annual temperature is 67 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are
Brackett,
Hext, and
Pedernales series. Brackett and Hext soils have thinner sola and
are calcareous. Pedernales soils contain more clay in the Bt horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium internal
drainage; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: This soil is used for crops and rangeland. Crops grown are grain sorghum, small grain, peanuts, and peaches. Native grasses are mostly little bluestem, sand lovegrass,
purpletop, sand dropseed, tumble windmillgrass, and hairy tridens. Woody vegetation consists of post oak, mesquite, whitebrush, tasajillo, pricklypear, and Texas persimmon.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central and north-central Texas, mostly
in the Central Basin, northern part of the Edwards Plateau and western part of the Grand Prairie. A few small widely separated areas are throughout the southern part of the Cross Timbers. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Menard County, Texas; 1965.