LOCATION WICHITA            TX

WICHITA SERIES

The Wichita series consists of very deep, well drained, moderately slowly permeable soils that formed in calcareous loamy and clayey material. These soils are on nearly level to gently sloping uplands. Slopes are mainly 0 to 1 percent but range from 0 to 5 percent.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, superactive, thermic Typic Paleustalfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Wichita clay loam--cultivated. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

Ap--0 to 7 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; weak fine granular structure; hard, friable; common fine roots; few fine water-worn pebbles of quartz; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)

A--7 to 10 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) clay loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; fine weak granular structure; very hard, friable; common fine roots; few fine pebbles of quartz; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)

Bt1--10 to 22 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) clay loam, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm; common fine roots; few clay films on peds; common fine pores; common wormcasts; few fine pebbles of quartz; slightly alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (8 to 16 inches thick)

Bt2--22 to 42 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) clay loam; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; moderate medium angular blocky structure; very hard, firm, few fine roots; few fine pores; few clay films on peds; few wormcasts; few fine quartz pebbles; few soft masses of calcium carbonate; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (10 to 24 inches thick)

Btk--42 to 66 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) clay loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; weak medium angular blocky structure; few thin clay films lining pores; slightly hard, friable; few fine roots; 10 percent concretions and masses of calcium carbonate; few fine quartz pebbles; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (8 to 28 inches thick)

C--66 to 74 inches; red (2.5YR 4/6) clay loam, dark red (2.5YR 3/6) moist; massive; hard, friable; 2 percent films, threads and masses of calcium carbonate; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Wilbarger County, Texas; about 50 yards east of U. S. Highway 283, 5.6 miles south of Wilbarger County Courthouse in Vernon.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The solum ranges from 60 to 80 inches thick. Secondary carbonates are within 30 inches of the soil surface. Depth to the calcic horizon is 40 to more than 60 inches.

The A horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 2 to 4. In pedons that have moist value and chroma of 3.5 or less, the horizon is less than 10 inches thick. Texture is loam, silt loam, clay loam, or silty clay loam. Reaction is neutral or slightly alkaline.

The Bt horizon has hue of 2.5YR, 5YR, or 7.5YR, value of 4 to 6, chroma of 4 to 6. It is clay loam, clay or silty clay. Reaction ranges from neutral to moderately alkaline and is typically calcareous in the lower part. Visible carbonates range from few to common and comprise 5 to 20 percent of the calcic horizon.

The C horizon is in shades of red and texture is calcareous clay loam, clay, or silty clay. Some pedons have strata of loam or fine sandy loam. Carbonates range from less than 1 percent to about 5 percent.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Castell (TX), Hamby (TX), Pedernales (TX), Shatruce (TX), Voca (TX), Weswind (TX), and Winters (TX) series. Similar soils are the Abilene, Frankirk, Kamay, Rotan, Sagerton, Tillman, and Truce series. Castell soils are 20 to 40 inches to soft gneiss bedrock. Hamby soils do not have secondary carbonate within 50 inches of the surface. Pedernales and Winters soils have secondary carbonates below 30 inches thick. Shatruce soils have sola less than 40 inches thick. Voca soils have a paralithic contact of granite between 40 and 60 inches thick. Weswind soils have sola 40 to 60 inches thick and do not have secondary carbonates above 30 inches. Winters soils have secondary carbonates below 40 inches. Abilene, Frankirk, Rotan, Sagerton, and Tillman soils have a mollic epipedon. Kamay soils have an abrupt textural change between the A and Bt horizons. Truce soils do not have visible secondary carbonates within 30 inches of the surface and have sola 40 to 60 inches thick.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Wichita soils are on uplands. Slopes are dominantly less than 1 percent, but some are as much as 5 percent. These soils formed in calcareous loamy and clayey materials of old terraces or alluvial plains. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 22 to 32 inches and the mean annual temperature ranges from 61 to 64 degrees F. Frost free days range from 210 to 240 days and elevation ranges from 1,100 to 2,100 feet. Thornthwaite annual P-E indices range from 32 to 46.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include the competing Frankirk, Kamay, Sagerton, and Tillman series and the Carey, Miles, and St. Paul series. The competing series occupy positions similar to the Wichita series. Carey soils have a mollic epipedon and are developed in nearby silty redbeds. Miles soils have fine loamy control sections and are on slightly higher positions. St. Paul soils have mollic epipedons and are in plane to weakly concave areas.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Permeability is moderately slow. Runoff is negligible on slopes less than 1 percent, very low on 1 to 3 percent slopes, and low on 3 to 5 percent slopes.

USE AND VEGETATION: Mostly cultivated; cotton, sorghums, and small grain are the main crop. Vegetation on native range is short-grasses, mid-grasses and mesquite trees.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern Rolling Plains, Rolling Limestone Prairie and North Central Prairie of Texas and Southwestern Oklahoma. The series is extensive.

MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Wichita County, Texas; 1924.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:

Ochric epipedon - 0 to 10 inches. (A horizons)

Argillic horizon - 10 to 66 inches. (Bt horizons)

Pale feature - the clay percentage does not decrease by as much as 20 percent at 60 inches depth where chroma is 6 and hue is 5YR.

Calcic horizon - 42 to 66 inches. (Btk horizon)

ADDITIONAL DATA: NSSL textural analysis on sample from Coleman Co., (10/64) 19606; and two from Stonewall Co., (7/69) 69L317 - 69L320. TAES characterization data on 1 sample from Knox Co., K591-597, and 1 sample from Haskell Co., K629-633.