LOCATION MOCAREY TXEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, hyperthermic Aquic Hapludolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Mocarey loam--pasture.
(Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 12 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine roots; common fine pores; few wormcasts; few fragments of snail shells; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (7 to 13 inches thick)
Bw--12 to 22 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) clay loam, gray (10YR 5/1) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm; slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; few fine pores; common fine distinct pale brown (10YR 6/3) and grayish brown (10YR 5/2) redox features; few fine pitted concretions of calcium carbonate; few medium black concretions; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (6 to 21 inches thick)
Bk1--22 to 38 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) loam, very pale brown (10YR 8/2) dry; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; 30 percent masses of calcium carbonate; 40 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (10 to 25 inches thick)
Bk2--38 to 52 inches; gray (10YR 6/1) loam, light gray (10YR 7/1) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; common fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) iron concentrations; common fine pitted concretions of calcium carbonate in pockets and seams; 5 percent threads of calcium carbonate; 20 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; few medium black concretions; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 25 inches thick)
2BC--52 to 60 inches; gray (10YR 6/1) clay loam, light gray (10YR 7/1) dry; massive; very hard, very firm, sticky and plastic; many fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) iron concentrations; few medium pitted concretions of calcium carbonate; few medium black concretions; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Galveston County, Texas; from the intersection of Interstate 45 and Farm Road 1764; 0.8 east on Farm Road 1764; 0.5 mile south on paved road; 200 feet east in pasture.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness is more than 80 inches. Black concretions 2 to 4 mm in diameter range from none to about 5 percent. Depth to horizons with secondary carbonates ranges from 17 to 30 inches. The control section contains 5 to 60 percent calcium carbonate equivalent but the weighted average is less than 40 percent. The silicate clay content in the control section ranges from 18 to 35 percent.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 2 to 3, and chroma of 1 or 2. Where chroma is 2, the horizon has mixed colors. Texture is silt loam, loam, fine sandy loam, or silty clay loam. Reaction ranges from slightly acid to moderately alkaline.
The Bw horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 3 to 7, and chroma of 1 or 2. Most pedons have redox features in shades of brown and yellow. Some pedons are dominated by chroma of 1 and do not have redox features. Texture is loam, silty clay loam, or clay loam. Reaction ranges from slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline.
The Bk horizons have hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 1 to 3. Redox features in shades of brown range from none to common. Texture is loam, clay loam, or silty clay loam. Reaction is moderately alkaline and is typically calcareous. Some pedons have a noncalcareous matrix below the calcium carbonate enriched horizon. Concretions of calcium carbonate and masses 1 to 8 cm in diameter ranges from 2 to 25 percent by volume.
The 2BC horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 1 to 6. Redox features in shades of yellow and brown range from few to many. Texture is clay loam, sandy clay loam, or clay. Reaction ranges from neutral to moderately alkaline. Some pedons have common coarse nodules of calcium carbonate. The matrix is typically noncalcareous, but is calcareous in some pedons.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in the same family. Similar soils are the Algoa, Addicks, Clodine, Jeanerette, Morey, and Pintas series. Algoa soils have a calcic horizon within 16 inches of the surface. Addicks and Clodine soils have a coarse-loamy particle-size control section. In addition, Clodine soils have a ochric epipedon. Jeanerette and Morey soils are in fine-silty family, have a argillic horizon, and have a noncalcareous matrix. Pintas soils are in a fine family and contain more calcium carbonate in the control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Mocarey soils are on nearly level landscapes that are mounded with or without depressions. The Mocarey soils are on the intermound or mound part of the landscape and are typically mapped in a complex with Algoa and other soils. The general landscape is typically less than 1 percent slope with individual areas of Mocarey ranging up to 3 percent. Some short slopes, along edges of the mounds, may range up to 10 percent over a horizontal distance of less than 30 feet. The soil formed from loamy alluvium of Pleistocene age that was enriched with calcium carbonate. The mean annual temperature is 66 to 72 degrees F. The mean annual precipitation is 40 to 60 inches and is about evenly distributed throughout the year. The Thornthwaite P-E inces is 62 to 80.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Algoa and Morey soils and the Aris, Bernard, Leton, and Verland soils. Algoa soils occur on similar landscapes. Aris, and Morey soils occur on nearby similar landscapes that are not enriched with calcium carbonate. Aris soils have a ochric epipedon. Bernard soils occur on slightly lower positions and are more clayey. Leton soils occur in depressional areas, have a ochric epipedon, and are subject to ponding.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained; medium surface runoff; slow internal drainage; slow permeability. A perched water table occurs at about 18 inches during winter and at about 4 feet during the dry part of the summer. Some areas are subject to brief flooding during high intensity rains, because runoff is not removed rapidly enough.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for pasture and range. A few areas are used for field crops and truck crops. The native vegetation is primarily a mixture of Andropogon and Paspalum species with some sedges.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Gulf Coast Prairie of Southeast Texas (MLRA 150A). The series is of small extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Galveston County, Texas; 1985.
REMARKS: These soils were formerly included with Addicks, Clodine, and Morey soils. Field textures and hydrometer data suggest a minimal argillic horizon, however, carbonate free clay content and thin sections in a Texas A&M University thesis called The Distribution and Genesis of Calcic Horizons In Some of the Texas Coast Prairie by Terrence M. Sobecki, which was done on similar soils in Galveston County, failed to support an argillic horizon.
Classification changed from Typic Haplaquolls to Aquic Hapludolls 11/2000 based on typifying pedon description. Further study and characterization data of the series is needed to verify hydrology and classification.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - 0 to 12 inches
Calcic horizon - 22 to 52 inches
Aquic moisture regime
ADDITIONAL DATA: NSSL data from Galveston County, TX (S81TX-167-004).
TAXONOMIC VERSION: Soil Taxonomy, Second Edition, 1999.