Bissett soil and landscape
Soil Profile: Bissett very gravelly loam in an area of Bissett-Rock outcrop complex, 20 to 70 percent slopes. Bissett soils contain more than 35 percent coarse fragments, and are shallow soils over limestone.
Landscape: An area of Bissett-Rock outcrop complex, 20 to 70 percent slopes. Vegetation includes sideoats grama, slim tridens, lechuguilla, pricklypear, Gregg's coldenia, and whitethorn acacia. Bissett soils are in the Limestone Hill and Mountain ecological site, Desert Grassland vegetative zone of MLRA 42—Southern Desertic Basins, Plains, and Mountains. (Soil Survey of Big Bend National Park, Texas; by James Gordon, Soil Scientist, James A. Douglass, Soil Scientist, and Dr. Lynn E. Loomis, Soil Scientist, Natural Resources Conservation Service)
Map Unit Setting
Major land resource area (MLRA): MLRA 42—Southern Desertic Basins, Plains, and
Mountains
Elevation: 2,815 to 5,815 feet
Mean annual precipitation: 12 to 15 inches
Mean annual air temperature: 62 to 67 degrees F
Frost-free period: 210 to 250 days
Map Unit Composition
Bissett and similar soils: 55 percent
Rock outcrop: 30 percent
Dissimilar minor components: 15 percent
Minor components:
Soil taxonomic classification: Loamy-skeletal, carbonatic, thermic Lithic Ustic Haplocalcids
Setting
Landscape: Hills and mountains
Landform: Ridges
Landform position (two-dimensional): Summit, shoulder, backslope
Slope: 20 to 60 percent
Down-slope shape: Linear
Across-slope shape: Convex
Representative aspect: Southeast
Aspect range: All aspects
Soil temperature class: Thermic
Soil temperature regime: Thermic
Soil moisture class: Aridic (torric)
Properties and Qualities
Runoff class: Very high
Parent material: Colluvium and residuum weathered from limestone
Depth to restrictive feature: 7 to 20 inches to lithic bedrock
Frequency of flooding: None
Frequency of ponding: None
Depth to water table: More than 72 inches
Drainage class: Well drained
Shrink-swell potential: Low (about 1.5 LEP)
Salinity maximum: Not saline (about 1.0 dS/m)
Sodicity maximum: Not sodic
Calcium carbonate maximum: 80
Available water capacity: Very low (about 1.7 inches)
Gypsum maximum: None
Land capability subclass (nonirrigated): 7s
Hydric soil rating: No
Hydrologic soil group: D
Vegetation
Ecological site name and identification: Limestone Hill and Mountain, Desert Grassland (R042XC249TX)
Existing plants: Cane bluestem, Chino grama, sideoats grama, black grama, hairy grama, Arizona cottontop, tanglehead, range ratany, green sprangletop, slim tridens, lechuguilla, pricklypear, Gregg’s coldenia, whitethorn acacia, perennial forbs, perennial grasses, plains bristlegrass, other shrubs, skeletonleaf goldeneye
Typical Profile
A—0 to 3 inches; very gravelly loam
Bk—3 to 17 inches; very gravelly clay loam
R—17 to 27 inches; limestone bedrock
For additional information about the survey area, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_MANUSCRIPTS/texas/bigbendT...
For a detailed soil description, visit:
soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/B/BISSETT.html
For acreage and geographic distribution, visit:
Bissett soil and landscape
Soil Profile: Bissett very gravelly loam in an area of Bissett-Rock outcrop complex, 20 to 70 percent slopes. Bissett soils contain more than 35 percent coarse fragments, and are shallow soils over limestone.
Landscape: An area of Bissett-Rock outcrop complex, 20 to 70 percent slopes. Vegetation includes sideoats grama, slim tridens, lechuguilla, pricklypear, Gregg's coldenia, and whitethorn acacia. Bissett soils are in the Limestone Hill and Mountain ecological site, Desert Grassland vegetative zone of MLRA 42—Southern Desertic Basins, Plains, and Mountains. (Soil Survey of Big Bend National Park, Texas; by James Gordon, Soil Scientist, James A. Douglass, Soil Scientist, and Dr. Lynn E. Loomis, Soil Scientist, Natural Resources Conservation Service)
Map Unit Setting
Major land resource area (MLRA): MLRA 42—Southern Desertic Basins, Plains, and
Mountains
Elevation: 2,815 to 5,815 feet
Mean annual precipitation: 12 to 15 inches
Mean annual air temperature: 62 to 67 degrees F
Frost-free period: 210 to 250 days
Map Unit Composition
Bissett and similar soils: 55 percent
Rock outcrop: 30 percent
Dissimilar minor components: 15 percent
Minor components:
Soil taxonomic classification: Loamy-skeletal, carbonatic, thermic Lithic Ustic Haplocalcids
Setting
Landscape: Hills and mountains
Landform: Ridges
Landform position (two-dimensional): Summit, shoulder, backslope
Slope: 20 to 60 percent
Down-slope shape: Linear
Across-slope shape: Convex
Representative aspect: Southeast
Aspect range: All aspects
Soil temperature class: Thermic
Soil temperature regime: Thermic
Soil moisture class: Aridic (torric)
Properties and Qualities
Runoff class: Very high
Parent material: Colluvium and residuum weathered from limestone
Depth to restrictive feature: 7 to 20 inches to lithic bedrock
Frequency of flooding: None
Frequency of ponding: None
Depth to water table: More than 72 inches
Drainage class: Well drained
Shrink-swell potential: Low (about 1.5 LEP)
Salinity maximum: Not saline (about 1.0 dS/m)
Sodicity maximum: Not sodic
Calcium carbonate maximum: 80
Available water capacity: Very low (about 1.7 inches)
Gypsum maximum: None
Land capability subclass (nonirrigated): 7s
Hydric soil rating: No
Hydrologic soil group: D
Vegetation
Ecological site name and identification: Limestone Hill and Mountain, Desert Grassland (R042XC249TX)
Existing plants: Cane bluestem, Chino grama, sideoats grama, black grama, hairy grama, Arizona cottontop, tanglehead, range ratany, green sprangletop, slim tridens, lechuguilla, pricklypear, Gregg’s coldenia, whitethorn acacia, perennial forbs, perennial grasses, plains bristlegrass, other shrubs, skeletonleaf goldeneye
Typical Profile
A—0 to 3 inches; very gravelly loam
Bk—3 to 17 inches; very gravelly clay loam
R—17 to 27 inches; limestone bedrock
For additional information about the survey area, visit:
www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_MANUSCRIPTS/texas/bigbendT...
For a detailed soil description, visit:
soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/B/BISSETT.html
For acreage and geographic distribution, visit: