LOCATION VERLAND TXEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, hyperthermic Chromic Vertic Epiaqualfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Verland silty clay loam--pasture.
(Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 6 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) silty clay loam, gray (10YR 5/1)dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine roots; common fine pores; few wormcasts; few strong brown organic stains; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 16 inches)
Btg1--6 to 30 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) clay, gray (10YR 6/1) dry; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, very sticky and plastic; few fine roots; common fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) and few fine distinct brown (10YR 5/3) iron concentrations; few pressure surfaces; thin clay films on surfaces of peds; few dark concretions 2 to 5mm across; few brown organic stains; moderately acid; gradual smooth boundary. (6 to 30 inches)
Btg2--30 to 52 inches; gray (10YR 6/1) clay, light gray (10YR 7/1) dry; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, very sticky and plastic; few fine roots; few fine distinct dark gray (10YR 4/1) and common fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) redox features; few pressure surfaces; few medium pitted concretions of calcium carbonate 5 to 10 mm across; thin clay films on surfaces of peds slightly alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (8 to 35 inches)
Btg3--52 to 60 inches; gray (5Y 6/1) clay, light gray (5Y 7/1) dry; moderate fine blocky structure; very hard, very firm, very sticky and plastic; few fine roots; common fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) iron concentrations; few medium dark concretions; 10 to 20 mm across; thin clay films on surfaces of peds; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Galveston County, Texas; from Interstate 45 in Dickinson, 1.0 mile west on Farm Road 517, 750 feet south of Farm Road 646, and 50 feet east in pasture.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the solum is more than 80 inches. COLE values are more than 0.09 throughout the B horizon.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 1 or 2. Texture is silty clay loam, sandy clay loam, or clay loam. Reaction ranges from moderately acid to slightly alkaline.
The BA horizon, where present, is less than 10 inches thick. Color is in hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 1 or 2. Texture is clay loam, silty clay loam, and sandy clay loam. Redox features in shades of yellow, brown, or gray range from none to common. Reaction ranges from moderately acid to slightly alkaline.
The Btg horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y, or 5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 1 or 2. Redox features in shades of yellow, brown, or gray range from few to many. Most pedons contain a layer that has few concretions of pitted calcium carbonate in the lower part. Reaction ranges from moderately acid to moderately alkaline. The particle-size control section is clay, clay loam, silty clay, sandy clay, sandy clay loam, or silty clay loam. The lower Btg horizon has the same textures as the control section and also includes sandy clay and sandy clay loam. Slickensides, and pressure surfaces occur at 10 to 30 inches below the surface and range from few to common.
The C horizon, where present, has hues of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 to 7, and chroma of 1 or 2. The C horizon is clay, clay loam, silty clay, sandy clay loam, sandy clay, or silty clay loam. Redox features in shades of yellow, brown, or red range from none to common. Pitted concretions of calcium carbonate range from none to few. Reaction ranges from slightly acid to moderately alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Baldwin, Midland, and Viterbo series in the same family and the closely similar Dacosta series. Baldwin soils have a lithological discontinuity, are poorly drained, receive more rainfall and formed in Mississippi River alluvial deposits. Midland and Viterbo soils receive more rainfall and are more acid. In addition, Midland soils are poorly drained. Dacosta soils have a mollic epipedon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Verland soils are on nearly level to gently sloping low coastal uplands. Slopes are mainly less than 1 percent, but range from 0 to 3 percent. This soil formed in clayey and loamy sediments in the Beaumont Formation of the Pleistocene age. Mean annual temperature ranges from 67 to 70 degrees F. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 40 to 48 inches. Frost-free days range from 265 to 335 days and elevation ranges from 15 to 100 feet. The Thornthwaite P-E indices range from 56 to 76.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bacliff, Beaumont, Bernard, Edna, and Lake Charles series. Bernard soils have mollic epipedons. Bacliff, Beaumont, and Lake Charles soils are clayey throughout. Edna soils have an abrupt texture change between the surface layer and the argillic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained. Runoff is high on 0 to 1 percent slopes and very high on 1 to 3 percent slopes. Permeability is very slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most of the soil is used for pasture or for growing rice and soybeans. Native vegetation is tall prairie grasses consisting primarily of Andropogons, Paspalums, switchgrass, and Indiangrass. Various species of trees have encroached on some areas.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Upper and middle Gulf Coast Prairies (MLRA 150A) of Texas. The series is moderately extensive.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Galveston County, Texas; 1985. The name is coined.
REMARKS: These soils formerly were included with the Midland series. Classification changed from Vertic Ochraqualfs to Chromic Vertic Epiaqualfs 11/2000 based on typifying pedon description. Further study and characterization data of the series is needed to verify hydrology and classification.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are;
Ochric epipedon - 0 to 6 inches.
Argillic Horizon - 6 to 60 inches.
Vertic features - COLE more than 0.09 in upper 40 inches.
ADDITIONAL DATA: none
TAXONOMIC VERSION: Soil Taxonomy, Second Edition, 1999.