LOCATION MINWELLS TXEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, active, thermic Udic Paleustalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Minwells fine sandy loam, on a smooth convex 1 percent slope, in pasture. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 6 inches; light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) fine sandy loam, reddish brown (5YR 5/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable; many fine roots; few medium rounded siliceous pebbles; mildly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 15 inches thick)
Bt1--6 to 17 inches; reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) clay, dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4) moist; moderate coarse prismatic structure, parting to strong medium and coarse blocky; very hard, firm; common fine roots; few fine pores; continuous thin clay films on faces of prisms; few medium rounded siliceous pebbles and few medium angular sandstone pebbles; slightly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (6 to 15 inches thick)
Bt2--17 to 31 inches; red (2.5YR 4/6) clay loam, dark red (2.5YR 3/6) moist ped interiors, with dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4) coatings on the faces of peds; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to strong coarse blocky; very hard, firm; common fine roots and few medium roots that are concentrated mainly along the faces of prisms; few fine pores; common rounded and angular siliceous pebbles and fragments of chert up to 20 mm in diameter; slightly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)
Bt3--31 to 46 inches; red (2.5YR 5/6) clay loam, red (2.5YR 4/6) moist, red interiors with dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4) coatings on the faces of peds; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky; hard, firm; few fine roots that are mainly along the faces of prisms; few fine pores; few rounded and angular siliceous pebbles and few fragments of sandstone up to 20 mm; neutral; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 20 inches thick)
Bk1--46 to 57 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) sandy clay loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist with red (2.5YR 4/6) coatings on exteriors of the peds; weak fine subangular blocky structure; few fine roots along the faces of prisms; few medium and coarse pores, common fine pores; few medium rounded siliceous pebbles; common threads, films and soft bodies of calcium carbonate on faces of the prisms; weak effervescence; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)
Bk2--57 to 71 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) gravelly sandy clay loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm; few fine roots; few fine tubes and pores; the upper part contains an estimated 30 percent rounded siliceous pebbles and angular sandstone, limestone, and chert fragments up to 1 inch in diameter, the lower part contains approximately 50 percent by volume of pebbles; moderately alkaline; strong effervescence; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 30 inches thick)
2Ck1--71 to 80 inches; red (2.5YR 5/8) very gravelly sand, red (2.5YR 4/8) moist; massive; hard, friable; few fine roots in upper part; estimated 60 percent rounded siliceous pebbles and angular limestone and chert fragments from 2 mm to 4 inches in diameter; the underside of the larger coarse fragments contain pendants and coatings of calcium carbonate; lower 3 inches of the horizon is partially cemented together with calcium carbonate; moderately alkaline; strong effervescence; clear wavy boundary. (9 to 30 inches thick)
2Ck2--80 to 88 inches; reddish yellow (5YR 7/6) very gravelly sand, reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) moist; massive to single grained; loose; estimated 60 percent fragments of limestone, sandstone and rounded siliceous pebbles; the underside of the larger fragments are coated with calcium carbonate; moderately alkaline; strong effervescence.
TYPE LOCATION: Palo Pinto County, Texas; from the junction of U.S. Highway 281 and U.S. Highway 180 in Mineral Wells, Texas, west on U.S. Highway 180 4.7 miles to the Brazos River Bridge; then 0.7 mile west on U.S. Highway 180; then 600 feet south in pasture and on south side of gravel pit. Latitude 32 degrees, 39 minutes, 32 seconds N; Longitude 98 degrees, 02 minutes, 25 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 60 to 80 inches. Depth to beds of gravel or gravel and sand range from about 4 to 7 feet.
The A horizon is brownish with hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 3 or 4. It is fine sandy loam, or loam with siliceous pebbles ranging from 0 to 10 percent by volume. Reaction ranges from slightly acid to mildly alkaline.
The Bt horizon has colors in shades of red or brown with hue of 2.5YR or 5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 4 to 8. Some pedons have few to common mottles of these colors or in other shades of brown or yellow. Texture is clay, sandy clay, clay loam, or sandy clay loam with clay content of the control section ranging from 35 to 45 percent. Siliceous pebbles range from 0 to 10 percent by volume. The reaction ranges from medium acid to mildly alkaline.
The BCk or BC horizon has colors in shades of red or brown with hue of 2.5YR to 7.5YR, value of 4 to 6, chroma of 4 to 8. Some pedons have brownish or yellowish mottles. It is sandy clay loam, clay loam, or their gravelly counterparts. Siliceous pebbles and sandstone or limestone fragments mainly less than 6 inches across range from 0 to 15 percent by volume in the upper part. Coarse fragments commonly siliceous pebbles range from a few to 50 percent by volume in the lower part. Films, threads or soft masses of calcium carbonate typically range from few to common and some pedons have coatings of carbonates on the coarse fragments. Some pedons do not have visible secondary carbonates. The reaction ranges from neutral to moderately alkaline. Most pedons are calcareous in some part. Some pedons do not have visible secondary carbonates in this horizons.
The 2Ck horizon has colors in shades of brown, red, or yellow and is absent within 2 m depth in some pedons. It ranges from sand to sandy clay loam and is gravelly or very gravelly or grades to beds of gravel, or beds of gravel and sand. The coarse fragments are mainly water worn siliceous pebbles. However, cobbles of sandstone, quartz or limestone range from none to a few. Reaction ranges from neutral to moderately alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are Callisburg, Chigley, Cona, Edge, Margie, Truce, and Windthorst series and the closely similar Bastsil, Bastrop, Hamby, Pedernales, Rosanky, Voca, Weswind and Travis series. Callisburg, Cona, Edge, Hamby, Margie, Pedernales, Truce, Weswind and Windthorst soils lack Bt horizons having as much as 10 percent coarse fragments. Chigley soils are gravelly and have a lithic contact of conglomerate below a depth of 60 inches. Bastsil and Bastrop soils have fine-loamy control sections. Rosanky and Travis soils are members of an ultic subgroup.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Minwells soils occupy convex gently sloping terraces of major streams. Typically, these soils are on the third or fourth terrace level. Slope gradients are dominantly 1 to 3 percent, but range up to 5 percent along narrow drainageways. The soil formed in clayey and loamy sediments stratified with gravelly sandy clay loam and sand in ancient deposits along the Brazos River and other major streams. The mean annual temperature ranges from 64 to 67 degrees F.; average annual precipitation ranges from 26 to 33 inches; Frost free days range from 218 to 244 and elevation ranges from 700 to 1300 feet above sea level. The Thornthwaite annual P-E index ranges from 36 to 64.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include the fine-loamy Bastsil and Bastrop soils and coarse-loamy Decordova soils which are on lower terrace levels. The loamy Apalo and Paluxy soils lack argillic horizons and are below on lower terrace levels. Bosque, Frio, and Yahola soils are below on flood plains. These are calcareous loamy and clayey soils. Nearby soils that are above on uplands include Bonti, Doss, Exray, Lindy, and Real soils which are less than 40 inches deep to a lithic or paralithic contact.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; medium runoff; slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for rangeland, but a few areas are cropped to small grain, forage sorghum, and peanuts. Native vegetation is a post oak savannah that includes scattered elm, post oak, and blackjack oak trees. A few scattered live oak are on some areas. Native grasses are little bluestem, sideoats grama, big bluestem, indiangrass, switchgrass, Texas wintergrass, and annual grasses and weeds. Some areas are being mined for gravel.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North-central and central Texas. The series is moderate in extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Bosque County, Texas; 1977.
REMARKS: These soils were formerly included in the Travis series.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 6 inches, or the Ap horizon.
Argillic horizon - the zone from 6 to 46 inches.
Paleustalf feature - an abrupt textural change occurs at 6 inches depth between the Ap and the Bt1 horizons.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Lincoln Laboratory Data, 574TX-363-1 (74L1214-74L1221).