LOCATION SPURGER            TX+LA

SPURGER SERIES

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, thermic Albaquultic Hapludalfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Spurger loam-forest.
(Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)

A--0 to 5 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) loam; weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and medium few coarse roots; many coarse faint dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) iron depletions with clear and sharp boundaries; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 7 inches thick)

E--5 to 9 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) loam; weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable; common fine and medium roots, few coarse roots; many coarse faint pale brown (10YR 6/3) masses of iron accumulation with clear boundaries in matrix; few medium faint dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) iron depletions with clear and sharp boundaries in matrix; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 10 inches thick)

Bt1--9 to 25 inches; dark red (2.5YR 3/6) clay; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, sticky and plastic; few medium and coarse roots; few faint clay films on surfaces of peds; few fine distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation with clear and sharp boundaries in matrix; few light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) iron depletions with clear boundaries in lower part; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)

Bt2--25 to 36 inches; red (2.5YR 4/6) clay; moderate medium angular and subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, sticky and plastic; few medium and coarse roots; common faint clay films on surfaces of peds; common medium distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation with clear and sharp boundaries in matrix; few medium distinct light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) iron depletions with sharp boundaries in matrix; very strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (10 to 15 inches thick)

Bt3--36 to 43 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) sandy clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, very firm, sticky and plastic; common faint clay films on surfaces of peds; few fine distinct red (2.5YR 4/6) masses of iron accumulation with clear and sharp boundaries in matrix; common medium distinct light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) iron depletions with sharp boundaries in matrix; very strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)

BC--43 to 65 inches; mottled yellowish red (5YR 5/8) and strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) sandy clay loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable; slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few medium distinct light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) iron depletions with sharp boundaries in matrix; very strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (10 to 25 inches thick)

C--65 to 80 inches; brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) sand; single grained, loose; few medium distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) masses of iron accumulation with sharp boundaries in matrix; very strongly acid.

TYPE LOCATION: Newton County, Texas; from the intersection of U. S. Highway 96 and Farm Road 82 in Kirbyville, Texas, 5.7 miles east along Farm Road 82; 3.2 miles south on Texas Highway 87, 3.0 miles east and 0.4 mile south on county road, and 100 feet west in forest. (Latitude 30N, 33, 45; Longitude 93W, 44, 33)

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:

The solum thickness ranges from 40 to 70 inches.
Base saturation ranges from 35 to 60 percent at 50 inches below the top of the argillic horizon.

Soil Moisture: An udic soil moisture regime. The soil moisture control section is 4 to 12 inches.

Mean annual soil temperature: 67 to 70 degrees F.
Depth to argillic horizon: 6 to 17 inches

Particle-size control section (weighted average)
Clay content: 40 to 55 percent

A Horizon
Hue: 10YR
Value: 3 to 5
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: fine sandy loam or loam
Redox depletions: amount- common to many, size-fine, color-shades of gray; contrast-faint, boundary-clear and sharp, location-on surfaces of peds or in matrix
Reaction: very strongly acid to slightly acid

E Horizon
Hue: 10YR
Value: 4 to 6
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: fine sandy loam or loam
Redox concentrations: amount-common to many, size-fine, color-shades of brown, contrast-faint or distinct, boundary-clear, location-in matrix
Redox depletions: amount-few to common, size-fine or medium, color-shades of gray; contrast-faint, boundary-clear and sharp, location-on surfaces of peds or in matrix
Reaction: very strongly acid to slightly acid

The upper Bt Horizons
Hue: 2.5YR, 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 3 to 5
Chroma: 4 to 8
Texture: clay loam or clay
Redox concentrations: amount-common to many, size-fine or medium, color-shades of brown, yellow, or red, contrast-faint or distinct, boundary-sharp, location-in matrix
Redox depletions: amount-few to many, size-fine or medium, color-shades of gray; contrast-faint, boundary-clear and sharp, location-on surfaces of peds or in matrix
Reaction: very strongly acid to moderately acid

The lower Bt Horizons
Hue: 2.5YR, 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 3 to 5
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: loam, sandy clay loam, or clay loam
Redox concentrations: amount-common to many, size-fine or medium, color-shades of brown, yellow, or red, contrast-faint or distinct, boundary-sharp, location-in matrix
Redox depletions: amount-few to common, size-fine or medium, color-shades of gray; contrast-faint, boundary-clear and sharp, location-on surfaces of peds or in matrix
Albic material: 0 to 5 percent
Reaction: very strongly acid to moderately acid

BC Horizons
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, or 10YR
Value: 5 to 7
Chroma: 2 or 8
Texture: loam, sandy clay loam, or clay loam
Redox concentrations: amount-common to many, size-fine or medium, color-shades of brown, yellow, or red, contrast-faint or distinct, boundary-sharp, location-in matrix
Redox depletions: amount-few to common, size-fine or medium, color-shades of gray; contrast-faint, boundary-clear and sharp, location-on surfaces of peds or in matrix
Albic material: 0 to 5 percent
Reaction: very strongly acid to slightly acid

C Horizons
Hue: 5YR, 7.5YR, or 10YR
Value: 5 to 7
Chroma: 2 or 8
Texture: fine sandy loam, loamy fine sand, sandy loam, loamy sand, or sand with thin strata of clay loam, sandy clay loam, or loam in some pedons.
Redox concentrations: amount-few, size-fine or medium, color-shades of brown, yellow, or red, contrast-faint or distinct, boundary-sharp, location-in matrix
Redox depletions: amount-few, size-fine or medium, color-shades of gray; contrast-faint, boundary-clear and sharp, location-in matrix
Reaction: very strongly acid to slightly acid

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Stuttgart series. Similar soils are the Arriola, Cadeville, Capshaw, Endshaw, Grubbs, McKamie, Nikful, Rayburn, and Tupelo series.
Stuttgart soils: has sodium saturation from 5 to 15 percent in the upper 16 inches of the argillic; formed in silty and clayey sediments; BC horizon is silty clay loam, silt loam or clay loam
Arriola soils: paralithic contact with tuffaceous siltstone and sandstone at a depth of 20 to 40 inches
Cadeville, Grubbs, Tupelo soils: base saturation more than 60 percent
Capshaw soils: underlain by limestone bedrock at a depth of 40 to 80 inches
Endshaw soils: formed in materials weathered from shale of Pennsylvania age
McKamie and Rayburn soils: vertic properties; McKamie soils have redder colors throughout and do not have gray iron depletions in the upper part of the Bt. Rayburn soils are underlain by tuffaceous sandstone and siltstones at a depth of 40 to 60 inches.
Nikful soils: do not have an abrupt textural change between the A and Bt horizon.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: Clayey and sandy alluvium derived from coastal plain sediments of late Pleistocene age
Landform: Terrace
Slope: 0 to 5 percent (see Remarks section)
Mean annual air temperature: 65 to 70 degrees F.
Mean annual precipitation: 42 to 60 inches
Precipitation pattern: Uniform throughout the year with slight peaks in spring and fall
Frost-free period: 240 to 260 days
Elevation: 15 to 100 feet
Thornthwaite annual P-E indices: 81 to 84

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bernaldo, Bienville, Gallime, and Molliville series in MLRA 133B and the Belrose, Caneyhead, Kenefick, and Votaw series in MLRA 152B.
Bernaldo, Bienville, and Gallime soils: on similar landscape positions. Bernaldo and Gallime soils are loamy throughout and Bienville soils are sandy throughout.
Molliville soils: loamy throughout and in depressions and drainageways.
Belrose and Kenefick soils: on similar landscape positions and are loamy throughout
Caneyhead soils: fine-silty particle-size control section and are in depressions
Votaw soils: sandy throughout and on similar landscape positions

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained. Permeability is slow. Runoff is medium on 0 to 1 percent slopes. Runoff is high on 1 to 5 percent slopes.

USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for timber. Some areas are in pasture of improved bermudagrass or bahiagrass. Loblloy and shotleaf pine are dominant woodland trees with many oak species and other hardwoods.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern Texas and western Louisiana,LRR T; MLRA 133B, and MLRA 152B; small extent

MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Newton County, Texas, 1980, The name is from a small community in Tyler County, Texas.

REMARKS: The series is mapped dominantly on slopes of 0 to 2 percent, with some small areas mapped on slopes up to 5 percent. Soils included with the Spurger series that are mapped on slopes of 5 to 15 percent, in Polk and San Jacinto Counties, TX, will be included with Woodville and other series in future update soil surveys.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Particle size control section: 9 to 29 inches. (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons)

Ochric epipedon: 0 to 9 inches. (A horizon)

Argillic horizon: 9 to 43 inches. (Bt1, Bt2, Bt3 horizons)

Aquic conditions: 9 to 36 inches from January to March for short periods

Abrupt textural change: At the upper boundary of the E and Bt1 horizon.

The clay content decreases by 20 percent (relative) or more from the maximum within 60 inches of the soil surface.

Additional Comments: The series was reclassified in April 2000 to smectitic mineralogy to reflect laboratory data from Hardin County, Texas.

ADDITIONAL DATA: Data available from Texas A&M Soil Characterization Laboratory on sample S96TX-199-003 from Hardin County, Texas.

TAXONOMIC VERSION: Soil Taxonomy, Second Edition, 1999