LOCATION MIDESSA            TX+NM

MIDESSA SERIES

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic Aridic Calciustepts

TYPICAL PEDON: Midessa fine sandy loam, east-facing, slightly concave playa terrace, 0.5 percent slope in rangeland at an elevation of about 2,793 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)

A--0 to 10 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak fine subangular blocky and granular structure; slightly hard, friable; many fine roots; many fine tubular pores; few wormcasts; few fine calcium carbonate concretions; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (5 to 14 inches thick)

Bw--10 to 30 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) sandy clay loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate fine and medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable; few fine roots; few fine tubular pores; few threads, films, and fine concretions of calcium carbonate; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (15 to 30 inches thick)

Bk1--30 to 60 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/3) sandy clay loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/3) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate fine and medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable; few fine tubular pores; calcium carbonate in the form of masses, threads, and concretions make up about 25 percent by volume; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (10 to 30 inches thick)

Bk2--60 to 80 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) sandy clay loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate fine and medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable; few fine tubular pores; calcium carbonate in the form of masses, threads, and concretions make up about 5 percent by volume; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Martin County, Texas; From the intersection of Texas Highways 829 and 176 in Grady, 4 miles south on Texas Highway 829, 5 miles west on county road, then 150 feet south in native rangeland; Latitude: 32 degrees, 13 minutes, 51 seconds N; Longitude: 101 degrees, 59 minutes, 43 seconds W; Dickenson Ranch, Texas USGS quad; NAD 27.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: An ustic moisture regime bordering on aridic. The soil moisture control section is dry in some or all parts for more than 180 but less than 270 days, cumulative, in normal years. July through August and December through February are the driest months. These soils are intermittently moist in September through November and March through June.
Mean annual soil temperature: 59 to 68 degrees F.
Depth to cambic horizon: 5 to 14 inches.
Depth to secondary carbonates: 10 to 30 inches.
Depth to calcic horizon: 20 to 40 inches.
Solum thickness: more than 80 inches.
Particle-size control section: 18 to 35 percent silicate clay.

A horizon:
Hue: 5YR to 10YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: fine sandy loam
Coarse fragments: 0 to 8 percent caliche gravel or nodules
Effervescence: strong or violent
Reaction: moderately alkaline

Bw horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 to 8 dry, 4 to 7 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: sandy clay loam
Visible calcium carbonate: less than 2 percent as threads, films, or fine nodules.
Effervescence: strong or violent
Reaction: moderately alkaline

Bk horizons:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 6 to 8 dry, 5 to 7 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: sandy clay loam or clay loam
Visible calcium carbonate: 5 to 35 percent as films, threads, masses, and nodules.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 15 to 40 percent
Effervescence: violent
Reaction: moderately alkaline

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Drake series. Similar soils also include the Arch, Gomez, Hindman, Lenorah, Tokio, and Veal series.
Drake series: is found on a dune landform and is associated with large playa basins and do not have 7.5YR or redder colors.
Arch and Veal series: have carbonatic mineralogy.
Gomez and Hindman series: have less than 18 percent silicate clay content in the particle-size control section.
Lenorah series: has SAR of 13 or more within 20 inches of the soil surface and has ground water within 40 inches of the soil surface at some time during normal years.
Tokio series: does not a calcic horizon within 40 inches from the soil surface.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: loamy, calcareous, eolian and wind-altered alluvial sediments derived mainly from the Tahoka Formation of Late Pleistocene and Blackwater Draw Formation of Pleistocene age.
Landform: on nearly level to strongly sloping, concave plains associated with playa lake basins and along draws on the Southern High Plains.
Slopes: dominantly 0 to 12 percent.
Mean annual air temperature: 57 to 66 degrees F.
Mean annual precipitation: 14 to 21 inches.
Elevation: 2,200 to 4,100 feet.
Frost-free period: 180 to 225 days.
Thornthwaite annual P-E Index Values: 24 to 30

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include the similar Drake, Lenorah, Posey, Potter, and Tokio series and the Amarillo, Levelland, Patricia, Ranco, and Southplains series.
Drake soils are on curvalinear dunes in higher landscape positions.
Lenorah soils are on slightly lower landscape positions.
Posey soils are on similar landscape positions.
Potter soils are on slightly higher landscape positions.
Tokio soils are on similar landscape positions.
Amarillo and Patricia soils are on higher landscape postions and have argillic horizons
Levelland soils are on floodplains and do not have a calcic horizon within 40 inches
Ranco and Southplains soils are on lower landscape positions and do not have a calcic horizon within 40 inches

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Moderate permeability. Surface runoff is negligible on 0 to 1 percent slopes, very low on 1 to 3 percent slopes, low 3 to 5 percent slopes, and medium on 5 to 12 percent slopes.

USE AND VEGETATION: Mainly used for cropland. Principal crops grown are cotton and grain sorghum and wheat. Climax vegetation is mainly short and mid grasses, with mid grasses tending to dominate, with a smaller tall grass compliment. This site is dominated by blue grama with lesser amounts of sideoats grama, buffalograss, little bluestem, gauras, plains zinnia, prairieclover, bundleflower, and wild alfalfa, and ephedra. Woody plants include catclaw sensitivebrier, yucca, and sand sagebrush. Dominant vegetation on the loamy fine sands in sideoats grama, bluestems, and switchgrass, while on the fine sandy loams is sideoats grama, blue grama, buffalograss, and Arizona cottontop. This soil has been correlated to the Sandy Loam (077CY036TX) range site in MLRA-77.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern High Plains of Texas and New Mexico (sub-MLRA-77C). The series is moderately extensive.

MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Hale County, Texas; 1969.

REMARKS: The Midessa series was formerly included in the Gomez, Portales and Reagan series.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Ochric epipedon: 0 to 10 inches. (A horizon)
Cambic horizon: 10 to 30 inches. (Bw horizon)
Calcic horizon: 30 to 80 inches. (Bk1, Bk2 horizons)

Soil interpretations record: TX0116

Taxonomic version: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Eighth Edition, 1998.