LOCATION TREMONA TXEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey, mixed, active, thermic Aquic Arenic Paleustalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Tremona loamy fine sand--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 12 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) loamy fine sand, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; single grain; loose, very friable; common fine roots; few fine siliceous pebbles; slightly acid, clear smooth boundary. (7 to 16 inches thick)
E--12 to 28 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) loamy fine sand, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; common medium distinct light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) masses of iron accumulation in the lower part; single grain; loose, very friable; few fine roots; common fine siliceous pebbles in the upper part that increases to 30 percent in the lower 2 inches, slightly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (10 to 24 inches thick)
Btg1--28 to 40 inches; gray (10YR 6/1) sandy clay, gray (10YR 5/1) moist; common medium distinct dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) and common medium prominent red (2.5YR 4/8) masses of iron accumulation; moderate medium angular blocky structure; extremely hard, very firm, sticky and plastic; few masses of iron accumulation; few fine roots; many clay films; 10 percent fine siliceous pebbles; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Btg2--40 to 58 inches; light gray (10YR 7/1) sandy clay, gray (10YR 6/1) moist; common coarse distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) and few fine prominent yellowish red (5YR 5/8) and red (2.5YR 4/6) masses of iron accumulation; weak medium angular blocky structure; extremely hard, very firm, sticky and plastic; few red masses of iron accumulation; many clay films; 5 percent fine and medium siliceous pebbles; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of Btg horizons are 25 to 45 inches)
Bk--58 to 68 inches; white (10YR 8/2) sandy clay loam, light gray (10YR 7/2) moist; common coarse distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) and few fine prominent yellowish red (5YR 5/8) masses of iron accumulation; weak coarse angular blocky structure; extremely hard, firm, slightly sticky; common fine concretions of calcium carbonate; slightly alkaline; diffuse wavy boundary. (0 to 20 inches thick)
BCk--68 to 80 inches; white (10YR 8/2) sandy clay loam; common fine distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure, appears massive when moist; very hard, friable; few masses and fine concretions of calcium carbonate; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: DeWitt County, Texas; from the intersection of U.S. Highway 77A and U.S. Highway 87 in Cuero, Texas; 4.4 miles southeast on U.S. Highway 87; then 3.5 miles northeast on a county road and 50 feet north of road right-of-way in rangeland.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 60 to more than 80 inches. Coarse fragments, mainly siliceous pebbles less than three inches in diameter, range from none to about 80 percent in the A horizon, and from none to about 35 percent in the E horizon. Coarse fragments in lower layers are less than 15 percent in the majority of pedons.
The A and E horizons are 20 to 40 inches thick. The A horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 5 to 7, and chroma of 2 to 4.
The E horizon is one or two units of value greater than the A horizon. Texture of the fine earth fraction of both the A and E horizons is fine sand, loamy sand, loamy fine sand. Reaction ranges from strongly acid to slightly acid.
The Btg horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 to 7, chroma of 1 or 2. Redoximorphic features in shades of yellow, red, and brown range from few to a mixed matrix of these colors. Texture is sandy clay or clay with clay content of the control section ranging from 35 to 50 percent. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid to slightly acid. Reddish masses of iron accumulation range from none to 5 percent by volume.
The Bk, BCk, or BC horizons are in shades of gray, brown, yellow and white. Textures are mainly sandy clay loam or sandy clay but range to clay loam in some pedons. Reaction ranges from strongly acid to moderately alkaline. The BC horizon is very strongly acid in some pedons. Concretions, threads, films, or masses of calcium carbonate range from none to common.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Demona (TX) series. Similar soils are the Carmine, Leming, Nimrod, Nueces, Rehburg, and Straber series. Demona soils have redder upper argillic horizons and formed in Cretaceous age materials. Carmine soils have greater than 60 percent coarse fragments in the surface horizons and do not have gray redoximorphic features within 30 inches of the surface. Leming soils are slightly acid to slightly alkaline in the argillic horizon and are in the hyperthermic family. Nimrod and Nueces soils have loamy control sections and, in addition, Nueces soils are in the hyperthermic family. Rehburg soils have smectitic mineralogy and have a solum 40 to 60 inches thick over tuffaceous clay beds. Straber soils have A horizons less than 20 inches thick.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Tremona soils are on nearly level to gently sloping uplands. Areas are usually slightly concave in shape. Slope gradients range from 0 to 8 percent, but are mainly 1 to 5 percent. The soil formed in interbedded clayey and loamy deposits mainly associated with Citronelle geology. Mean annual temperatures ranges from 67 to 70 degrees F., and mean annual precipitation ranges from 32 to 42 inches. Frost free days range from 260 to 290 days, and elevation ranges from 100 to 600 feet. Thornthwaite annual P-E indices ranges from 44 to 64.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:: These are the competing Carmine and Straber series and the Catilla, Dutek, Ellen, Padina, and Silvern series. Catilla and Padina soils are on slightly higher smooth areas and have thicker sandy A horizons. Dutek, Ellen and Silvern soils have loamy control sections. In addition, Ellen and Silvern soils have control sections containing more than 35 percent gravel and all of these are on nearby landscapes.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained. Permeability is very slow. Runoff is low on slopes less than 1 percent, medium on 1 to 3 percent slopes, high on 3 to 5 percent slopes, and very high on slopes greater than 5 percent. A temporary perched water table is often present in and above the Btg1 horizon following heavy rains.
USE AND VEGETATION: Mainly brushy rangeland and used for grazing. Some areas are in improved bermudagrass pastures. Native vegetation is post oak, blackjack oak, hickory, and scattered live oak trees, with an understory of yaupon, grapevines, little bluestem, and paspalums.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mainly in the southern part of the Texas Claypan area of south Texas. The soil is extensive
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: DeWitt County, Texas; 1973.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - 0 to 28 inches. (A and E horizons)
Albic horizon - 12 to 28 inches. (E horizons)
Argillic horizon - 28 to 58 inches. (Btg horizons)
Arenic feature - 0 to 28 inches - loamy fine sand.
Aquic feature - Matrix with chroma of 2 or less that, upon exposure to air, changes hue and/or chroma within 30 minutes. In addition, has aquic conditions in the lower part of the E horizon and upper part of the Btg1 horizon in 6 or more years out of 10.
Soil Interpretation Record Number: TX0046