Soil Survey of Concho County, Texas Page: 17
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Concho County, Texas
Typically, the surface layer is clay loam about 18
inches thick. It is dark brown in the upper part and
reddish brown in the lower part. The next layer is
strongly cemented, pinkish white caliche to a depth of
about 26 inches. The underlying material to a depth of
60 inches is friable, pink and reddish yellow loam.
The soil is moderately alkaline and calcareous
throughout. Surface runoff is slow. Permeability is
moderately slow, and the available water capacity is very
low. The root zone is shallow. Water erosion is a slight
hazard, and soil blowing is a moderate hazard. In places,
roots can penetrate the hardened caliche through cracks
and filled-in prairie dog burrows.
Included with this soil in mapping are small areas of
Angelo, Cho, Nuvalde, and Rowena soils. Also included
are small areas of a soil that is similar to Mereta soil
except it does not have a strongly cemented caliche
layer within 20 inches of the surface. The included soils
make up less than 25 percent of the map unit.
This Mereta soil is mainly used as cropland or
rangeland.
Wheat, oats, and forage sorghum are the main crops
on this soil. Cool-season crops do better than warm-
season crops on this droughty soil. Some areas of this
soil are planted to kleingrass and King Ranch bluestem.
Crop residue left on the surface helps control water
erosion and soil blowing, reduces soil temperature and
evaporation, and improves tilth and water intake.
Growth of native plants is limited because of the very
low available water capacity and the shallow rooting
depth. Most rangeland is in buffalograss, curlymesquite,
sideoats grama, Texas wintergrass, silver bluestem,
threeawn, mesquite, pricklyash, and pricklypear. Live oak
trees are on sites in the southern part of the county.
The shallow depth to a cemented pan of hard caliche
and the high shrink-swell potential are the most limiting
features for urban uses. Excavating for structures and
utility lines is difficult. Lawns and gardens must be
watered frequently.
Depth to hard caliche affects recreational uses.
This soil provides a fair habitat for deer and fair
nesting areas for doves, quail, turkey, and songbirds.
This Mereta soil is in capability subclass Ills and in the
Shallow range site.
MeB-Mereta clay loam, 1 to 3 percent slopes. This
soil is shallow, well drained, and gently sloping. It is
mainly on outwash plains and ancient stream terraces on
uplands. This soil is mostly on high weakly convex to
plane ridges in a gently undulating landscape. The areas
are elongated to irregular in shape and range from 10 to
several hundred acres.
Typically, the surface layer is dark grayish brown clay
loam about 15 inches thick. The next layer is strongly
cemented, pinkish white caliche to a depth of about 18
inches. The underlying material is friable, pink limy earth
to a depth of about 60 inches.This soil is moderately alkaline and calcareous
throughout. Surface runoff is medium. Permeability is
moderately slow, and the available water capacity is very
low. The root zone is shallow. Water erosion and soil
blowing are moderate hazards. In places, roots can
penetrate the hardened caliche through cracks and
filled-in prairie dog burrows.
Included with this soil in mapping are small areas of
Angelo, Cho, Kavett, Nuvalde, Rowena, and Talpa soils.
Also included are soils similar to the Mereta soil except
they do not have a layer of strongly cemented caliche
within 20 inches of the surface. Also included are a few
areas of soils that have slopes of less than 1 percent.
The included soils make up less than 20 percent of the
map unit.
This Merta soil is mainly used as rangeland, but it can
be cultivated. Some areas are planted to kleingrass and
King Ranch bluestem.
Wheat, oats, and forage sorghum are the principal
crops on this soil. Sorghum tends to turn yellow in areas
where the caliche is near the surface. Crop residue left
on the surface helps control water erosion and soil
blowing, reduces soil temperature and evaporation, and
improves tilth and water intake. Implements used in deep
tillage or terrace construction generally cut into the
caliche and bring broken fragments to the surface.
Growth of native plants is limited because of the very
low available water capacity and the shallow rooting
depth. Most rangeland is in buffalograss, curlymesquite,
sideoats grama, Texas wintergrass, silver bluestem,
threeawn, mesquite, ephedra, pricklyash, and pricklypear.
Live oak trees are on sites in the southern part of the
county.
The shallow depth to a cemented pan of hard caliche
and the high shrink-swell potential are the most limiting
features for urban uses. Excavating for structures and
utility lines is difficult. Lawns and gardens must be
watered frequently. The underlying caliche layer is used
in places as base material for roads.
Depth to hard caliche affects recreational uses. Slope
is a limiting factor for some playgrounds.
This soil provides a fair habitat for deer and fair
nesting areas for doves, quail, turkey, and songbirds.
This Mereta soil is in capability subclass Ille and in the
Shallow range site.
MfB-Miles fine sandy loam, 1 to 3 percent slopes.
This soil is deep, well drained, and gently sloping. It is on
high terraces bordering the Colorado River. Slopes are
smooth or slightly convex. The areas are irregular in
shape and range from 10 to about 80 acres.
Typically, the surface layer is brown fine sandy loam
about 6 inches thick. The subsoil extends to a depth of
at least 80 inches. It is reddish brown sandy clay loam to
a depth of 53 inches and reddish yellow sandy clay loam
to a depth of 61 inches. Below that, it is reddish yellow17
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General Soil Map, Concho County, Texas (Map)
Map displays soil types along with creeks, towns, schools, churches, power transmission lines, oil and gas pipelines, roads, and railroads. Includes legend and symbols. Scale 1:253,400
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Clower, Dennis F. Soil Survey of Concho County, Texas, book, 1988; Washington D.C.. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth130209/m1/27/?q=tex-land: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.