LOCATION ZITA TX+NMEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, thermic Aridic Haplustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Zita loam, on a nearly level, slightly concave, 0.5 percent slope in cultivated field at an elevation of about 3,425 feet. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
Ap--0 to 7 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable; common fine roots; slightly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick)
A--7 to 18 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable; few fine roots; many very fine and fine pores; common wormcasts; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (4 to 20 inches thick)
Bw--18 to 24 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) clay loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; moderate medium granular and weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable; few fine roots; many fine pores; common wormcasts; few fine calcium carbonate nodules; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (6 to 20 inches thick)
Bk--24 to 35 inches; white (10YR 8/1) clay loam, light gray (10YR 7/1) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable; about 50 percent calcium carbonate in the form of fine masses and nodules; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline; diffuse boundary. (10 to 30 inches thick)
BCk--35 to 60 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) clay loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; massive; hard, firm; about 60 percent calcium carbonate in the form of masses and nodules; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Hockley County, Texas; From the intersection of U.S. Highway 385 and Texas Highway 114 in Levelland, 7 miles east on Texas Highway 116, 1.5 miles north and 0.5 mile east on county roads, 400 feet north in cultivated field; Latitude: 33 degrees, 37 minutes, 01 seconds N; Longitude: 102 degrees, 14 minutes, 06 seconds W; Smyer, Texas USGS quad; NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: An ustic moisture regime bordering on aridic. The soil moisture control section is dry in some or all parts for more than 180 but less than 205 days, cumulative, in normal years. October through March are the driest months. These soils are intermittently moist in April through September.
Mean annual soil temperature: 59 to 66 degrees F.
Depth to secondary calcium carbonate: 10 to 24 inches.
Depth to calcic horizon: 20 to 40 inches.
Solum thickness: 30 to 60 inches.
Particle-size control section: 18 to 35 percent silicate clay.
Ap horizon: (where present)
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 3 or 4 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: fine sandy loam, loam, clay loam, silty clay loam
Effervescence: none
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline
A horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 3 or 4 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: fine sandy loam, loam, clay loam, silty clay loam
Effervescence: none
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline
Bw horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: loam, clay loam, silty clay loam
Visible calcium carbonate: less than 2 percent in the form of masses and nodules
Effervescence: strong or violent
Reaction: moderately alkaline
Bk horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 6 to 8 dry, 5 to 7 moist
Chroma: 1 to 4
Texture: loam, clay loam, silty clay loam
Visible calcium carbonate: 20 to 60 percent in the form of masses and nodules
Effervescence: violent
Reaction: moderately alkaline
BCk horizon:
Hue: 5YR to 10YR
Value: 6 to 8 dry, 5 to 7 moist
Chroma: 1 to 4
Texture: loam, clay loam, silty clay loam
Visible calcium carbonate: 30 to 70 percent in the form of masses and nodules
Effervescence: violent
Reaction: moderately alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: This is the
Paloduro series in the same family and the similar
Bippus,
Capps,
Portales, and
Tokio series.
Paloduro series: does not have a calcic horizon and formed in sediments derived from the Ogallala
Formation of Miocene-Pliocene age.
Bippus series: does not have a calcic horizon and has a mollic epipedon more than 20 inches thick.
Capps series: has mean annual soil temperatures less than 50 degrees F.
Portales series: is calcareous throughout.
Tokio series: has an ochric epipedon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: calcareous, loamy eolian sediments of the Blackwater Draw Formation of Pleistocene age.
Landform: nearly level to very gently sloping, slightly concave swales on eolian plains.
Slopes: 0 to 3 percent.
Mean annual air temperature: 57 to 64 degrees F.
Mean annual precipitation: 16 to 24 inches.
Frost-free period: 180 to 220 days.
Elevation: 2,000 to 4,000 feet.
Thornthwaite annual P-E Index Values: 22 to 33
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the similar
Portales series and the
Acuff,
Amarillo,
Olton, and
Pullman series.
Acuff soils are on slightly higher landscape positions and have an argillic horizon.
Amarillo soils are on higher landscape positions, have an argillic horizon, and do not have a mollic epipedon.
Olton and Pullman soils are on slightly higher landscape positions and have an argillic horizon that contain more than 35 percent silicate clay in the particle-size control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Moderate permeability. Surface runoff is negligible on 0 to 1 percent slopes, and very low on 1 to 3 percent slopes.
USE AND VEGETATION: Mainly cultivated to cotton, grain sorghum, and wheat. Climax vegetation is mainly mid and short grasses and includes blue grama, sideoats grama, and buffalograss, with lesser amounts of vine-mesquite, western wheatgrass, galleta or tobosa, silver bluestem, wild alfalfa, and prairieclover with a light to moderate overstory of mesquite. This soil has been correlated to the Deep Hardland (077CY022TX) range site in MLRA-77.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern High Plains of western Texas and eastern New Mexico. The series is extensive.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Potter County, Texas; 1929.
REMARKS: Series revised MLRA-77 Soil Survey; Deaf Smith County, Texas; 1998.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon: 0 to 18 inches. (A horizons)
Cambic horizon: 18 to 24 inches. (Bw horizon)
Calcic horizon: 24 to 35 inches. (Bk horizon)
Soil interpretations record: TX0326
Taxonomic version: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Eighth Edition, 1998.