LOCATION MONTEOLA TXEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, hyperthermic Typic Haplusterts
TYPICAL PEDON: Monteola clay on a west facing, linear, 2 percent slope in cropland at an elevation of 140 m (460 ft). (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 13 cm (0 to 5 in); very dark gray (10YR 3/1) clay, black (10YR 2/1) moist; moderate fine and very fine subangular blocky structure; surface has a mulch of very hard discrete fine granules; very hard, very firm, very plastic and very sticky; many fine roots; few snail shell fragments; few very fine strongly cemented calcium carbonate concretions; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary.
A--13 to 31 cm (5 to 12 in); very dark gray (10YR 3/1) clay, black (10YR 2/1) moist; moderate fine and very fine subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; many fine roots; few snail shell fragments; few very fine strongly cemented calcium carbonate concretions; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizon is 20 to 76 cm [8 to 30 in.])
Bss--31 to 66 cm (12 to 26 in); very dark gray (10YR 3/1) clay, black (10YR 2/1) moist; common wedge shaped peds tilted about 10 degrees to 30 degrees parting to moderate fine and very fine angular blocky structure; extremely hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; many fine roots; few prominent slickensides up to about 15 cm (6 in) across the long axes; few snail shell fragments; few fine strongly cemented calcium carbonate concretions; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (25 to 61cm [10 to 24 in] thick).
Bkssy1--66 to 94 cm (26 to 37 in); grayish brown (10YR 5/2) clay, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; many distinct wedge shaped peds tilted about 30 degrees parting to moderate fine angular blocky structure; extremely hard, very firm, very sticky, very plastic; common fine roots; few prominent slickensides up to about 15cm (6 in) across the long axes; few fine shell fragments; few fine weakly cemented calcium carbonate concretions; few seams and pockets of gypsum and other salts in lower part; cracks partially filled with very dark gray (10YR 3/1); strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary.
Bkssy2--94 to 127 cm (37 to 50 in); very pale brown (10YR 7/3) clay, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist, common distinct wedge shaped peds tilted about 30 degrees parting to moderate fine angular blocky structure; extremely hard, very firm, very sticky, very plastic; few fine roots; few prominent slickensides up to about 10 cm (4 in) across the long axes; few vertical streaks of very dark gray (10YR 3/1) along apparently filled cracks; few seams of gypsum crystals, few weakly cemented calcium carbonate concretions; very slightly saline; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bkssy horizons is 51 to 157 cm [20 to 62 in]) .
BCkyz--127 to 203 cm (50 to 80 in); light gray (5Y 7/1) clay, gray (5Y 6/1) moist; structureless, but has vertical and horizontal fractures in the clay, especially along apparent bedding planes; extremely hard, extremely firm, very sticky and very plastic; the soil is coated with powdery calcium carbonate along fracture planes; contains about 2 percent of calcium carbonate coated siliceous pebbles up to about 3 cm (1.5 in) in diameter; few fine weakly cemented calcium carbonate concretions; few fine soft barite masses; few seams of gypsum crystals; slightly saline; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Karnes County, Texas; from the intersection of U.S. Highway 181 and Texas Highway 72 in Kenedy; 9.6 miles west on Texas Highway 72; 0.8 mile north on county road; 100 feet east in cropland. Latitude: 28 degrees, 44 minutes, 35 seconds N; Longitude: 97 degrees, 58 minutes, 28 seconds W. NAD 83
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness is more than 203 cm (80 inches). Salinity ranges from nonsaline in the upper part to moderately saline in the lower part.
An ustic soil moisture regime. The soil moisture control section is dry in some or all parts for more than 90 but less than 180 cumulative days in normal years. December through March are the driest months, while May through June are the wettest months.
Mean annual soil temperature: 22 to 24 degrees C (72 to 75 degrees F).
Particle-size control section (weighted average)
Clay content: 40 to 60 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 3 percent
A horizon
(Thickness of the A horizon in individual pedons varies from the microknolls to the microlows, being thinnest in the microknolls and thickest in the microlows. The amplitude of the boundary between the A and B horizons range from 13 to 35 cm [5 to 14 in]. The soil cracks 1 to 5 cm [0.4 to 2 in] wide at the surface when dry, and the cracks extend to a depth of 50 cm [20 in]or more.)
Hue: 10YR
Value: 2 to 4
Chroma: 1
Texture: clay; however, some pedons have gravelly clay surfaces.
Rock fragments: amount-0 to 25 percent of the upper 38 cm (15 in), kind-siliceous, size-pebbles and cobbles
Effervescence: slight to strong
Reaction: slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline
Bss horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 4 to 7
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: clay
Redox concentrations: amount-0 to 2, color- shades of brown, and yellow. Rock fragments: amount- 0 to 3 percent, kind-siliceous, size- pebbles
Identifiable secondary carbonates: amount- 0 to 5 percent; kind-crystals, nodules, and powdery masses
Gypsum: amount-1 to 8 percent; kind-crystals
Effervescence: slight to strong
Reaction: slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline
Bkssy or Bkss (where present) horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 4 to 7
Chroma: 2 to 6
Texture: clay
Redox concentrations: amount-0 to 2, color- shades of brown, and yellow.
Rock fragments: amount- 0 to 3 percent, kind-siliceous, size- pebbles
Identifiable secondary carbonates: amount- 0 to 5 percent; kind-crystals, nodules, and powdery masses
Gypsum: amount-1 to 8 percent; kind-crystals
Effervescence: slight to strong
Reaction: slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline
BCkyz or BCky (where persent) horizon
Hue: 5Y to 10YR
Value: 6 to 8
Chroma: 1 to 8
Texture: clay
Redox concentrations: amount-0 to 2, color- shades of brown, and yellow.
Rock fragments: amount- 0 to 3 percent, kind-siliceous, size- pebbles
Identifiable secondary carbonates: amount- 0 to 5 percent; kind-crystals, nodules, and powdery masses
Gypsum: amount-1 to 8 percent; kind-crystals
Other salt crystals: 1 to 5 percent, kind-crystals
Effervescence: slight to strong
Reaction: slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Buchel, Danjer, Lattas, Realitos, Rosenbrock, and Tordia series in the same family.
Buchel soils: do not have accumulations of gypsum in the lower part of the solum; on floodplains.
Danjer: have subsoil colors redder than 10YR
Lattas soils: more than 36 cm (14 in) of amplitude in the boundary between the A and B horizons; formed in clayey alluvium
Realitos soils: are noneffervescent; are somewhat poorly drained
Rosenbrock soils: deep to siltstone.
Tordia soils: deep to weakly consolidated shale; noneffervescent
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: Calcareous Clayey Residuum derived from sandstone and shale of the Oakville and Fleming Formation.
Landscape: inland dissected coastal plains
Landform: hillslope
Slope: 0 to 8 percent.
Mean annual air temperature range: 21 to 23 degrees C (70 to 74 degrees F).
Mean annual precipitation range: 635 to 813 mm (25 to 32 in).
Frost-free period: 240 to 300 days
Elevation: 30 to 244 m (95 to 800 ft).
Thornthwaite annual P-E indices: 30 to 44.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Clareville, Coy, Pernitas and Weesatche soils.
Clareville soils; have a loamy surface; are in draws of hills
Coy soils: have a loamy surface; on similar landform
Pernitas and
Weesatche soils: are loamy throughout; on similar landform
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Permeability is very slow. Runoff is low on 0 to 1 percent slopes, medium on 1 to 3 percent slopes, high on 3 to 5 percent slopes and very high on 5 to 8 percent slopes. Water enters the soil rapidly when it is cracked and dry and very slowly when it is moist.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of Monteola soils are in cropland and are used for cotton and grain sorghums. Principal native plants are mesquite, spiny hackberry, catclaw, and agarito. Native grasses are buffalograss, curlymesquite grass, and alkali sacaton. (Ecological site name: Blackland 25-35" Pz; Ecological site number: R083AY379TX)
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern, Central, and Western Rio Grande Plains (MLRA 83A); LRR I. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Bee County, Texas; 1932.
REMARKS: The series was updated 12/2008 during the correlation of Goliad County, Texas. The drainage class was changed from moderately well to well drained.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon--0 to 66 cm (0 to 26 in). (Ap, A, and Bss horizon).
Vertisol feature--31 to 1257cm (5 to 50 in) (Bss, Bkssy1, Bkssy2 horizons). Slickensides, high shrink-swell potential and cracks in all years.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Lab data available on pedons from Goliad, Karnes, and Gonzales counties from local lab.
TAXONOMIC VERSION: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Tenth Edition, 2006