LOCATION STOWELL TXEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, active, thermic Typic Argialbolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Stowell loamy fine sand--rangeland.
(Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 15 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) loamy fine sand, gray (10YR 5/1) dry; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine roots and pores; medium acid; clear smooth boundary. (10 to 20 inches thick)
E1--15 to 24 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loamy fine sand, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) dry; few streaks of very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) in old root channels; very weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots and pores; medium acid; clear smooth boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
E2--24 to 32 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loamy fine sand, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) dry; massive; loose, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots and pores; medium acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick)
E3--32 to 42 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) loamy fine sand, light gray (10YR 7/2) dry; few fine faint brownish yellow mottles; massive; loose, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine roots and pores; uncoated sand grains; strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (5 to 16 inches thick)
Bt--42 to 47 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/7) heavy fine sandy loam, brownish yellow (10YR 6/7) dry; many medium distinct gray (10YR 6/1) and few fine faint strong brown mottles; weak fine and very fine angular blocky structure; firm, hard, slightly sticky and plastic; few fine roots and pores; thin patchy clay films on faces of peds; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 10 inches thick)
Btg1--47 to 60 inches; gray (10YR 6/1) light sandy clay loam, light gray (10YR 7/1) dry; many medium distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/7) mottles; few medium pores stained with brownish yellow; weak fine angular blocky structure; firm, hard, slightly sticky and plastic; few fine roots and pores; clay bridging of sand grains; thin patchy clay films on faces of peds; strongly acid; diffuse smooth boundary. (8 to 18 inches thick)
Btg2--60 to 78 inches; gray (10YR 6/1) light sandy clay loam, light gray (10YR 7/1) dry; many fine and medium distinct brownish yellow (10YR 6/8) mottles and few fine distinct strong brown mottles; weak fine angular blocky structure; hard, slightly sticky and plastic; few fine roots and pores; common bridging of sand grains; thin patchy clay films on surfaces of peds; strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Chambers County, Texas. About 200 feet north of Farm Road 562, 6.3 miles northeast of Smith Point, Texas.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 50 to over 80 inches. The mean annual soil temperature is estimated to range from 68 degrees to 72 degrees F.
The A and E horizons are loamy fine sand or fine sand. Total thickness ranges from about 40 to 60 inches. The soil ranges from strongly acid through slightly acid. Parts of the E horizon are saturated for 3 to 5 months during the rainy seasons.
The A horizon is very dark gray (10YR 3/1) or very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2). The E horizon ranges from dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) to very pale brown (10YR 7/3). Few to common brownish yellow and yellowish brown mottles occur in the E horizon of some pedons. The boundary between the A2 and B2t horizons is abrupt to clear and smooth to wavy.
The Bt horizon is dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4), yellowish brown (10YR 4/4), yellowish brown (10YR 5/4, 5/7, 5/6) or brownish yellow (10YR 6/6, 6/8). It contains few to common gray and strong brown mottles. The Btg is dark gray (10YR 4/1), dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2), grayish brown (10YR 5/2), light brownish gray (10YR 6/2), gray (10YR 5/1), light gray (10YR 6/1, 7/1, 7/2) with common to many fine and medium yellowish and brownish mottles. The Bt horizons range from fine sandy loam to sandy clay loam. Reaction throughout the Bt horizons range from medium through strongly acid.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series in the same family. Similar soils are the Anahuac, Delroy, Sabine and Waurika series. Anahuac soils have A and E horizons less than 40 inches thick and contain more than 35 percent clay in the Bt horizon. Delroy soils have Bt horizons with chroma of 2 or less and have mean annual soil temperature of 72 degrees F. or greater. Sabine soils lack an argillic horizon. Waurika soils are more clayey throughout.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Stowell soils are on slightly convex, low ridges of Pleistocene terraces. Slope gradients range from 0 to 2 percent, but are dominantly less than 1 percent. The soil formed in loamy alluvium. The mean annual air temperature ranges from about 67 degrees to 70 degrees F.; average annual precipitation is 45 to 59 inches; the Thornthwaite annual P-E indices exceeds 64.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Anahuac and Sabine series and the Galveston, Harris, Leton, and Veston series. Galveston, Harris, and Veston soils lack Bt horizons. In addition, Harris soils are clayey throughout, and Veston soils are light colored and stratified. Leton soils are in swales and have clayey argillic horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained; slow runoff; moderately rapid permeability above 42 inches, moderate permeability below.
USE AND VEGETATION: Mostly range or pasture. A few areas are farmed to vegetables or other specialty crops. Vegetation is mainly coarse bunch grasses such as andropogons, paspalums, and spartinas. A few clumps of live oak occur in some areas.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Gulf Coast Prairie and Gulf Coast Marsh of Texas and possibly Louisiana. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Chambers County, Texas; 1969
REMARKS: These soils were formerly included with the Sabine series. These soils have thick sandy epipedons but arenic subgroups of Argialbols are presently not established in Soil Taxonomy.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon - 0 to 15 inches
Albic horizon - 24 to 42 inches
Argillic horizon - 42 to 78 inches