LOCATION WEATHERFORD TX+OKEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, siliceous, active, thermic Ultic Haplustalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Weatherford fine sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 4 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/2) fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 4/2) moist; weak medium granular structure; slightly hard, very friable; many fine roots; many fine pores; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
E--4 to 10 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable; common fine roots; common fine pores; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (2 to 10 inches thick)
Bt1--10 to 28 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) sandy clay loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, friable; common fine roots; common fine pores; patchy clay films on ped surfaces; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary. (8 to 30 inches thick)
Bt2--28 to 45 inches; reddish yellow (5YR 6/8) sandy clay loam, yellowish red (5YR 5/8) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; very hard, friable; few fine roots; few fine pores; few patchy clay films on ped surfaces; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary. (8 to 20 inches thick)
Cr--45 to 70 inches; pink (7.5YR 8/4) weakly cemented sandstone, pink (7.5YR 7/4) moist; massive; slightly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Parker County, Texas; from the Parker County Courthouse in Weatherford, Texas, go west on U.S. Highway 180, 7.5 miles; south on county road for 0.1 mile; site is west of road, 10 feet west of road fence.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 40 to 60 inches. Base saturation of the argillic horizon ranges from 50 to 75 percent. Sandstone or ironstone pebbles range from none to few throughout the pedon. The clay content decreases by 20 to 40 percent of the maximum within 60 inches of the surface.
The A horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 to 7, chroma 2 to 4. The E horizon has colors one to two units of value or chroma greater than the A horizon. Texture of these horizons is fine sandy loam, very fine sandy loam, or loamy fine sand. The reaction ranges from moderately acid to neutral.
Colors of the Bt horizon have hue of 2.5YR to 7.5YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 4 to 8. Some pedons have yellowish, reddish, or brownish redoximorphic concentrations in the lower part. Colors in hue of 7.5YR are below the Bt1 horizon when present. The texture is sandy clay loam, loam, very fine sandy loam or clay loam with 18 to 30 percent average clay content in the control section. The texture is fine sandy loam in the lower part of some pedons. Streaks of uncoated sand are in the lower Bt of some pedons. Reaction ranges from strongly acid to moderately acid.
The Cr horizon is weakly cemented sandstone with or without strata of fine sandy loam or sandy clay loam. This material is hard when dry. The reaction range from moderately acid to neutral.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Knolle, Littleaxe, Silawa, and Stephenville series in the same family and the Bastsil, Duffau, Gasil, Hye, Konawa, and Konsil series in similar families. Knolle soils formed in the Tertiary System, are moist for longer periods and lack sandstone C horizons. Littleaxe soils have cooler temperatures and are formed in Permian age materials. Silawa soils lack sandstone C horizons and are on stream terraces. Stepehnville soils have sola 20 to 40 inches thick. Bastsil, Duffau, Gasil, and Konsil soils have sola more than 60 inches thick. In addition, Bastsil and Duffau soils have base saturation of more than 75 percent in the argillic horizon. Hye and Konawa soils have mixed mineralogy.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Weatherford soils are very gently sloping to strongly sloping and are usually on convex ridges. Slopes range from 1 to 12 percent. This soil formed in loamy materials weathered from sandstone during the lower Cretaceous Period mainly in the Paluxy Geologic Formation. Mean annual temperature ranges from 64 to 67 degrees F., average annual precipitation from 28 to 38 inches, and Thornthwaite P-E indices from 44 to 52. Frost free days range from 210 to 240. Elevation ranges from 800 to 1500 feet.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include the competing Duffau series and the Chaney, Cisco, May, Nimrod, Selden, and Windthorst series. Duffau soils are usually on lower, concave positions in the landscape. Chaney and Windthorst soils have clayey argillic horizons. In addition, Chaney soils are below on stream divides, and Windthorst soils on similar positions are slightly higher on ridgetops. Cisco soils have secondary carbonates in the argillic horizons and are on slightly lower positions. May soils have mixed mineralogy and dark colored surface layers and are below on stream terraces. Nimrod and Selden soils have grayish wetness mottles within 30 inches of the soil surface. In addition, Nimrod soils have a sandy epipedon more than 20 inches thick. These soils are on lower positions.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained; runoff is low on 1 to 5 percent slopes and medium on 5 to 12 percent slopes; moderate permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Mainly as pasture and rangeland. Where cultivated, crops are mainly small grain, forage sorghum, and peanuts. Native vegetation is a dense cover of post oak trees, greenbrier, and mid and tall grasses.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Mainly occurring in the Cross Timbers Area of central and north-central Texas, and possibly central Oklahoma. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Parker County, Texas; 1973.
REMARKS: These soils were formerly included in the Stepehenville series.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Profile No. 44, Soil Survey Laboratory
Memorandum No. 2, is of the Weatherford series.