LOCATION VESTON TXEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, nonacid, hyperthermic Typic Fluvaquents
TYPICAL PEDON: Veston loamy very fine sand--rangeland. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated)
A--0 to 3 inches; very dark gray (2.5Y 3/1) loamy very fine sand; weak coarse prismatic structure; hard, friable; many fine roots; common fine tubular pores; many medium faint dark gray (2.5Y 4/1) and black (N 2/) masses throughout peds; few fine prominent strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) iron accumulations along root pores; moderately saline; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 7 inches thick.)
Bw--3 to 5 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loamy very fine sand; weak coarse prismatic structure; soft, friable; common fine roots; common fine tubular pores; many medium distinct gray (10YR 6/1) iron depletions on surface of peds, many medium distinct very dark gray (10YR 3/1) masses and common fine prominent brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) iron accumulations within peds; common fine prominent strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) iron accumulations along root pores; strongly saline; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
Ab--5 to 8 inches; dark gray (2.5Y 4/1) very fine sandy loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm; few fine roots throughout; common fine tubular pores; many fine and medium distinct gray (2.5Y 5/1) iron depletions on surface of peds, common fine prominent brown (10YR 4/3) iron accumulations within peds, and common fine prominent strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) iron accumulations along root pores; strongly saline; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 7 inches thick)
Bg1--8 to 16 inches; gray (2.5Y 5/1) loamy very fine sand; weak coarse prismatic structure; soft, friable; few fine roots on surface of peds; common fine tubular pores; many fine and medium distinct dark gray (2.5Y 4/1) masses; common fine prominent very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) masses within peds and common fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) iron accumulations along root pores; few seashell fragments; strongly saline; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary.
Bg2--16 to 26 inches; gray (2.5Y 5/1) very fine sandy loam; weak coarse prismatic structure; hard, firm; few fine roots on surface of peds; common fine tubular pores; many fine and medium distinct dark gray (2.5Y 4/1) masses within peds; common fine distinct gray (2.5Y 6/1) iron depletions on surface of peds; common fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) iron accumulations along root pores; strongly saline; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (combined thickness of the Bg horizon is 5 to 20 inches)
Ab'--26 to 38 inches; black (2.5Y 2/1) clay loam; weak coarse prismatic structure; hard, firm; few fine roots on surface of peds; common fine tubular pores; common fine and medium prominent very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) masses within peds; strongly saline; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 7 inches thick)
Bg1'--38 to 51 inches; gray (2.5Y 5/1) and gray (2.5Y 6/1) loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm; few fine roots on surface of peds; few fine tubular pores; common fine prominent olive yellow (2.5Y 6/6) iron accumulations within peds; strongly saline; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary.
Bg2'--51 to 60 inches; light gray (2.5Y 7/1) and gray (2.5Y 6/1) loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm; few fine roots on surface of peds; few fine tubular pores; common fine prominent olive yellow (2.5Y 6/6) iron accumulations within peds; strongly saline; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary.
Bg3--60 to 75 inches; white (2.5Y 8/1) clay loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm; few fine roots on surface of peds; few fine tubular pores; common fine prominent olive yellow (2.5Y 6/6) iron accumulations within peds; strongly saline; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary.
Bg4--75 to 80 inches; white (2.5Y 8/1) clay loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm; few fine roots on surface of peds; few fine tubular pores; many fine and medium greenish gray (5BG 6/1) iron depletions along live root channels; common fine prominent olive yellow (2.5Y 6/6) iron accumulations within peds; 2 percent pitted calcium carbonate concretions with an iron-magnesium center 2 to 10 mm in diameter; strongly saline; moderately alkaline. (combined thickness of the Bg' and Bg horizons is 20 to 50 inches)
TYPE LOCATION: Chambers County, Texas; from the intersection of Texas Highway 124 and Texas Highway 87 at High Island; 1.6 miles east on Texas Highway 87 (1.3 miles abandoned); 300 feet north of highway in rangeland. (Latitude 29N, 33, 30; Longitude 94W, 21, 43).
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 60 to more than 80 inches. This soil is stratified with textures of loamy very fine sand, very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam, silt loam, clay loam, silty clay loam, and clay. Weighted average clay content of the particle-size control section ranges from 20 to 30 percent, with less than 15 percent fine sand or coarser. Organic carbon decreases irregularly with depth. Buried A and B horizons occur at random in the upper 40 inches.
The A horizon has hue 10YR to 5Y, value of 2 to 4, and chroma of 1 and 2. Iron accumulations range from few to common in shades of brown or yellow. Salinity ranges from slight to strong. Reaction ranges from neutral to moderately alkaline.
Buried A horizons have hue 10YR to 5Y, value of 2 to 4, and chroma of 1 and 2. Iron accumulations between peds and along root channels range from few to many in shades of brown, red or yellow. Salinity ranges from moderate to strong. Reaction is slightly or moderately alkaline.
The Bw horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 2 to 6. Iron accumulations range from few to many in shades of brown, red, or yellow. Salinity ranges from moderate to strong. Reaction ranges from neutral to moderately alkaline.
The Bg horizon has hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 5 to 8, and chroma of 1 or 2. Iron accumulations range from few to many in shades of brown, red, or yellow. Salinity ranges from moderate to strong. Reaction is moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
Some pedons have a C horizon below 60 inches that have the same color range as the Bg horizon. This horizon also has strata, 0.5 to 6 inches thick, that have color in shades of red, brown, and yellow. Salinity ranges from moderate to strong. Texture ranges from loam to clay with strata that are more clayey or sandy.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series in the same family. Similar soils include Bayucos, Follet, Placedo and Tatlum soils. Bayucos soils have a fine-loamy particle-size control section. Follet soils have peraquic moisture regimes and are flooded daily by tides. Placedo soils have a fine particle-size control section. Tatlum soils have a peraquic moisture regime and n-value greater than 0.7.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Veston soils are on nearly level coastal flats mainly on the landward side next to beach dunes. Slopes are less than 1 percent. The soil formed in sandy to loamy sediments deposited by storm tides and wind action. Inundation by sea water during storms affects most areas. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 45 to 60 inches. Mean annual temperature is 70 to 72 degrees F. Frost free days range from 270 to 310. Elevation ranges from about 0.5 to 5 feet above mean high tide. The Thornwaite P-E indices exceed 48.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Bayucos, Follet, and Tatlum series and Barnett, Galveston, Harris, Mustang and Sabine series. Barnett, Bayucos and Harris soils are on similar landscapes. Barnett and Harris soils have a fine particle-size control section. Follet and Tatlum soils are slightly lower in the landscape and are very frequently flooded by tides. Galveston, Mustang, and Sabine soils are slightly higher in the landscape on low ridges and have a sandy particle-size control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Veston soils are poorly drained. Permeability is very slow, but is moderate above the water table. Runoff is low. The water table fluctuates with tides from 0 to 24 inches below the surface. These soils are occasionally or frequently flooded by high tides caused by storms.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used primarily for rangeland. Vegetation includes salt tolerant grasses such as gulf cordgrass, bushy sea oxeye, heliotropes, glasswort, sea blight with smaller areas of common reedgrass, switchgrass and little bluestem.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Gulf coastal lowlands, mainly along the Texas coast (MLRA 151). The series is of minor extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Chambers County, Texas; 1969.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon -- 0 to 3 inches (A horizon).
Fluventic feature -- Irregular decrease in organic matter with depth.
Aquic features -- Redoximorphic features, reduction, and endosaturation
throughout the pedon most of the time in all years.
ADDITIONAL DATA: TAMU lab data from type location in Chambers County, TX (94TX-071-001).
TAXONOMIC VERSION: Soil Taxonomy, Second Edition, 1999.