LOCATION INEZ TXEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, hyperthermic Aquertic Chromic Hapludalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Inez fine sandy loam--rangeland. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 8 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) fine sandy loam, light gray (10YR 7/2) dry; weak fine granular structure; hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine and very fine and few medium roots; common very fine pores; common fine faint brown (10YR 4/3) and few fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation; slightly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (6 to 13 inches thick)
E--8 to 14 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) fine sandy loam, light gray (10YR 7/2) dry; weak fine and very fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; many fine and very fine, common medium, and few coarse roots; common very fine pores; common fine distinct brown (10YR 4/3) and few fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (4 to 7 inches thick)
Bt1--14 to 26 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) clay, light gray (10YR 7/2) dry; weak medium and coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate fine angular blocky; cracks 5 mm to 10 mm wide extend from the top of the horizon and extend into the Bt2 horizon; extremely hard, very firm, very sticky and plastic; common fine and medium roots; few very fine pores; few fine slickensides and common pressure faces; few thin clay films on surfaces of peds; few vertically oriented interfingers of clean sand 4 to 6 mm wide and 2 to 3 cm long, coatings and interfingers comprise about 4 percent common fine and few medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) masses of iron accumulation; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (5 to 14 inches thick)
Bt2--26 to 42 inches; gray (10YR 6/1) clay, light gray (10YR 7/1) dry; weak medium and coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate fine angular blocky; extremely hard, very firm, very sticky and plastic; common fine and few medium roots; common pressure faces and few small slickensides; few thin clay films on surfaces of peds; common fine and medium distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) and few fine prominent yellowish red (5YR 5/8) masses of iron accumulation; few iron-manganese concretions 2 to 4 mm in diameter; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (7 to 23 inches thick)
Btc1--42 to 49 inches; gray (10YR 6/1) clay, light gray (10YR 7/1) dry; weak medium angular blocky structure; extremely hard, very firm, sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and medium roots; few pressure faces; few thin clay films on surfaces of peds; common fine and medium distinct brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) and few fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) masses of iron accumulation; about 3 percent iron-manganese masses and concretions 2 to 5 mm in diameter; neutral; gradual wavy boundary. (7 to 24 inches thick)
Btc2--49 to 70 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) clay loam, light gray (10YR 7/2) dry; weak coarse angular blocky structure; extremely hard, very firm, sticky and slightly plastic; few thin clay films on surfaces of peds; few fine and medium roots; common medium distinct light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) and few fine distinct brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) masses of iron accumulation; about 4 percent iron-manganese masses and concretions 2 to 8 mm in diameter; few masses of calcium carbonate 2 to 5 mm in diameter; matrix noncalcareous; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (10 to 27 inches thick)
Btc3--70 to 80 inches; light gray (10YR 7/1) clay loam, light gray (10YR 7/1) dry; weak coarse angular blocky structure; extremely hard, very firm, very sticky and plastic; few fine roots; few thin clay films on surfaces of peds; few fine distinct yellow (10YR 7/6) masses of iron accumulation; about 4 percent iron-manganese masses and concretions 4 mm to 1 cm in diameter; few masses of calcium carbonate 2 to 5 mm in diameter; matrix noncalcareous; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Victoria County, Texas; from the intersection of U. S. Highway 59 and Farm Road 444 in Inez, 1.9 miles northwest on Farm Road 444 to J-2 Ranch Road, 1.3 miles northwest on J-2 Ranch Road to Bischoff Road, 1.4 miles northeast on Bischoff Road, and 15 feet southeast in wooded rangeland.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 60 to more than 80 inches. Depth to free carbonates ranges from 38 to 80 inches. Most pedons have a few dark masses and concretions.
The combined A and E horizons average about 14 inches thick and range from 10 to 20 inches thick. The A horizons have a hue of 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 1 or 2. The A horizons have chroma of 3 in some pedons. The E horizons are 1 or 2 units of value higher than the A horizons in most pedons. Redoximorphic features in shades of brown, yellow, or gray range from few to common in most pedons. Texture is loamy fine sand or fine sandy loam. Reaction is strongly acid to neutral. Some pedons do not have E horizons or the E horizon is altered by cultivation.
The Bt horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 1 or 2. Redoximorphic features in shades of red, yellow, gray, or brown range from few to many. Texture is sandy clay or clay. Clay content of the Btg horizon ranges from 35 to 55 percent. Coatings and interfingers of clean sand mainly in the upper part comprise less than 5 percent by volume. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid to moderately acid and base saturation ranges from 60 to 75 percent in the Bt1 horizon. Reaction of the lower Bt horizons ranges from moderately acid to neutral.
The Btc horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 1 or 2. Most pedons have few to common redoximorphic features in shades of red, gray, brown, or yellow. Texture is sandy clay loam, clay loam, or sandy clay. Coatings and interfingers of clean sand range from none to a few. Iron-manganese masses and concretions range from few to common. Concretions and masses of calcium carbonate range from none to common. Reaction ranges from neutral to moderately alkaline. The matrix is typically noncalcareous.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Telferner and Edna series. Similar soils are the Edco, Faddin, Katy, Mentz, Nez, Telf, Texana, and Yeaton series. Telferner soils are slightly acid to neutral and have base saturation of more than 75 percent in the upper part of the Bt horizon. In addition, Telferner soils produce prairie native vegetation. Edna soils have an ochric epipedon less than 10 inches thick. Edco soils have mixed mineralogy, and have an ochric epipedon less than 10 inches thick. Fadden and Texana soils have a mollic epipedon. Katy and Yeaton soils have dominant chroma of 4 or more in the argillic horizon, and are in the thermic temperature regime. Mentz soils are in the thermic temperature regime. Nez and Telf soils have mixed mineralogy and are derived from sediments of the Lissie Formation.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Inez soils are on nearly level to gently sloping uplands bordering major streams in the Coast Prairie Land Resource Area. The slope gradient is commonly less than 1 percent, but slopes range to 2 percent. The soils formed in clayey and loamy sediments of Pleistocene age mainly in the Beaumont Formation and southern portions of the Lissie Formation west of the Guadeloupe River system. Mean annual temperature ranges from 70 to 72 degrees F., and mean annual precipitation ranges from 34 to 44 inches. Frost free days range from 260 to 300 days, and elevation ranges from 50 to 300 feet. Thornthwaite annual P-E indices range from 44 to 66.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Dacosta, Edna, Laewest, and Telferner series. Telferner soils are on similar positions. Edna soils are in slightly lower positions. Lake Charles, and Dacosta soils are on slightly higher positions. In addition, Dacosta soils do not have an abrupt textural change between the A and Bt horizon. Laewest soils are Vertisols.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained. Permeability is very slow. Runoff is low on slopes less than 1 percent and medium on 1 to 2 percent slopes. Water perches on top of the argillic horizons for periods of 1 to 2 weeks following extended heavy rain. During wet years planting may be delayed for short periods.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for rangeland and a few areas are used for growing rice. Native vegetation for these savannah soils includes grasses such as little bluestem, indiangrass, Florida paspalum, brownseed paspalum, and woody vegetation such as post oak, live oak, blackjack oak, yaupon, American beautyberry, and greenbriar.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Coastal Prairie of Texas. The series is of small extensive.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Victoria County, Texas; 1980.
REMARKS: These soils were formerly mapped in the Telferner or Straber series. Classification was changed from Typic Albaqualfs to Albaquic Hapludalfs based on the soil moisture study "ISCOM VIII, Classification and Management of Wet Soils, 1990." This soil does not have a Aquic moisture regime. Classification change from Albaquic Hapludalfs to Aquertic Chromic Hapludalfs based on a study of this and associated soils where significant iron reduction and depletion has been measured in the A and, to a lesser extent, the upper part of the Bt horizon. Aquic conditions occur for periods long enough in most years to cause iron reduction and mobility, as well as iron reduction. In addition, the majority of pedons have value moist of 4 or more and value dry of 6 or more, supporting the Chromic subgroup.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon - 0 to 14 inches. (A and E horizons)
Argillic horizon - 14 to 80 inches. (Bt and Btc horizons).
Aquertic feature - Cracks and/or wedge-shaped aggregates within the upper part of the argillic horizon. Intermittent aquic conditions are expressed by value of 5 and chroma of 2 in the matrix of the upper part of the argillic horizon, in association with masses of iron accumulation in this zone.