Houston Black soil series
Texas State Soil
The Houston Black series occurs on about 1.5 million acres in the Blackand Land Prairie, which extends from north of Dallas south to San Antonio. Because of their highly expansive clays. Houston Black soils are recognized throughout the world as the classic Vertisols, which shrink and swell is markedly expressed with changes in moisture content. Common or many intersecting slickensides (surface of cracks produced in soils containing a high proportion of swelling clay) are in the AC and C horizons. These are cyclic soils, with cycles of microknolls and microbasins repeated at linear intervals of 6 to 12 feet. These soils formed under prairie vegetation and in calcareous clays and marls. Water enters the soils rapidly when they are dry and cracked and very slowly when they are moist. Houston Black soils are used extensively for grain sorghum, cotton, corn, small grain, and forage grasses. They also occur in several metropolitan areas, where their very high shrink-swell potential commonly is a limitation affecting building site development.
The Professional Soil Scientists Association of Texas has recommended to the State Legislature that the Houston Black series be designated the State soil. The series was established in 1902.
The Houston series consists of moderately well drained, slowly permeable, cyclic soils that formed in alkaline clays and chalk of the Blackland Prairies. These clayey soils have very high shrink-swell potential. Slope ranges from 0 to 8 percent.
(Authors: Julie Howe and Clay Robinson; Around the World, Soil Science Society of America)
For more information about "State Soils" click HERE.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, thermic Udic Haplusterts
USE AND VEGETATION: Nearly all is cultivated and used for growing cotton, sorghums, and corn. Cotton root rot is prevalent on most areas and limits cotton yields and the use of some legumes in rotations. Native vegetation consists of tall and mid grass prairies of little bluestem, big bluestem, indiangrass, switchgrass, and sideoats grama, with scattered elm, mesquite, and hackberry trees.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Land Resource Region J - Southwestern Prairies Cotton and Forage Region. East Central Texas. The Blackland Prairies (MLRAs 86A and 86B) and eastern part of the Grand Prairies (MLRA 85) of Texas. This soil is of large extent.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Brazoria County, Texas; 1902.
For more information about the Houston Black soil series using "Soil Data Explorer" click HERE
Houston Black soil series
Texas State Soil
The Houston Black series occurs on about 1.5 million acres in the Blackand Land Prairie, which extends from north of Dallas south to San Antonio. Because of their highly expansive clays. Houston Black soils are recognized throughout the world as the classic Vertisols, which shrink and swell is markedly expressed with changes in moisture content. Common or many intersecting slickensides (surface of cracks produced in soils containing a high proportion of swelling clay) are in the AC and C horizons. These are cyclic soils, with cycles of microknolls and microbasins repeated at linear intervals of 6 to 12 feet. These soils formed under prairie vegetation and in calcareous clays and marls. Water enters the soils rapidly when they are dry and cracked and very slowly when they are moist. Houston Black soils are used extensively for grain sorghum, cotton, corn, small grain, and forage grasses. They also occur in several metropolitan areas, where their very high shrink-swell potential commonly is a limitation affecting building site development.
The Professional Soil Scientists Association of Texas has recommended to the State Legislature that the Houston Black series be designated the State soil. The series was established in 1902.
The Houston series consists of moderately well drained, slowly permeable, cyclic soils that formed in alkaline clays and chalk of the Blackland Prairies. These clayey soils have very high shrink-swell potential. Slope ranges from 0 to 8 percent.
(Authors: Julie Howe and Clay Robinson; Around the World, Soil Science Society of America)
For more information about "State Soils" click HERE.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, thermic Udic Haplusterts
USE AND VEGETATION: Nearly all is cultivated and used for growing cotton, sorghums, and corn. Cotton root rot is prevalent on most areas and limits cotton yields and the use of some legumes in rotations. Native vegetation consists of tall and mid grass prairies of little bluestem, big bluestem, indiangrass, switchgrass, and sideoats grama, with scattered elm, mesquite, and hackberry trees.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Land Resource Region J - Southwestern Prairies Cotton and Forage Region. East Central Texas. The Blackland Prairies (MLRAs 86A and 86B) and eastern part of the Grand Prairies (MLRA 85) of Texas. This soil is of large extent.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Brazoria County, Texas; 1902.
For more information about the Houston Black soil series using "Soil Data Explorer" click HERE