LOCATION NOBLE OKEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, siliceous, active, thermic Udic Haplustepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Noble fine sandy loam - cultivated.
(Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 7 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) fine sandy loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable; many fine roots; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary. (4 to 20 inches thick)
Bw--7 to 28 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) fine sandy loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; weak fine and medium granular structure; slightly hard, very friable; common fine roots; many fine pores; slightly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (10 to 40 inches thick)
C--28 to 72 inches; red (2.5YR 4/6) fine sandy loam, dark red (2.5YR 3/6) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable; common fine roots; many fine pores; slightly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Caddo County, Oklahoma; about 1 mile north and 6 miles east of Gracemont; 1,500 feet east and 900 feet south of the northwest corner of sec. 4, T. 8 N., R. 9 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of solum ranges from 20 to 60 inches. Depth to bedrock is more than 60 inches. The pedon ranges from moderately acid to neutral and is fine sandy loam, very fine sandy loam, or loam throughout.
The A horizon has hue of 2.5YR or 5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 3 or 4 or hue of 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 2 to 4. It is less than 10 inches thick in pedons where moist value and chroma is less than 3.5.
The Bw horizon has hue of 2.5YR or 5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 4 to 6.
The C horizon has hue of 10R to 5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 4 to 8, or hue of 2.5YR, value of 6, and chroma of 6 to 8.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in the same family. Soils in similar families are the Amber, Apalo, Canadian, Crisfield, Darnell, Dill, Gomez, Hardeman, Hext, Mobeetie, Paluxy, Shrewder, Slaughterville, and Spade series. Amber and Apalo soils have coarse-silty control sections and mixed mineralogy. Canadian, Crisfield, and Slaughterville soils have mixed mineralogy and a mollic epipedon. Darnell soils are 10 to 20 inches deep to sandstone bedrock. Dill, Paluxy, and Shrewder soils have mixed mineralogy. In addition, Dill and Shrewder soils occur in a dryer climate. Gomez, Hardeman, Hext, Mobeetie, and Spade soils have mixed mineralogy and soft secondary lime within 28 inches of the soil surface.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: These nearly level to steep Noble soils are on footslopes and lower sideslopes of uplands in the Northern Cross Timbers. Slopes are 1 to 30 percent. These soils have formed in material weathered from local alluvium or colluvium from sandstone of Permian age. The climate is moist subhumid. Mean annual temperature ranges from 57 to 64 degrees F. Average annual precipitation ranges from 30 to 40 inches. Thornthwaite annual P-E index ranges from 44 to 64. Frost free days range from 190 to 220. Elevation ranges from 700 to 1500 feet.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Darnell soils on ridges; the Harrah, Littleaxe, Newalla, Stephenville, and Zaneis soils on higher positions; and the Teller soils on lower stream terraces. Harrah, Littleaxe, and Stephenville soils have a fine-loamy control section. Newalla soils have a fine-loamy over clayey control section. Teller and Zaneis soils have a mollic epipedon, mixed mineralogy, and have a fine-loamy control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; permeability is moderately rapid; runoff is negligible on 1 to 3 percent slopes, very low on 3 to 5 percent slopes, low on 5 to 10 percent slopes, medium on 10 to 20 percent slopes and high on slopes greater than 20 percent.
USE AND VEGETATION: Mainly cultivated. Small grains, grain sorghums, and cotton are the principal crops. Some areas are used for tame pasture or rangeland. Native vegetation is post oak and blackjack oak with an understory of tall grasses.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern Cross Timbers (MLRA 84A) of Central Oklahoma, possibly north-central Texas and south-central Kansas. The series is moderately extensive.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lake Guthrie Watershed, Logan County, Oklahoma; 1939.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - zone from the surface to a depth of about 7 inches. (Ap horizon)
Cambic horizon - zone from 7 to 28 inches. (Bw horizon)
Udic Haplustepts features - soils in the ustic moist regime that have an ochric epipedon, a cambic horizon, and depth to secondary lime is more than 28 inches below the soil surface.