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Essay On Texas

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The types of soils found in the state of Texas vary over a wide range. Research done by the Natural Resources Conservation service indicated that there are approximately over 1300 different types of soils that can be located in the State of Texas. All of these soil types each play a different role in how it affects the foundation of structures. However, this wide range of soil types, has been shrunk down to fit into nine groups of Taxonomy to help make it easier for identification and research (Vepraskas et al., 26). In this essay, I shall discuss the different types of soils that can be located in Texas according to their respective taxonomic group. The Histosols and Spodosols, are soil types the least concentrated soil types …show more content…

The vertisols can appear in three colors black, red and grey. Due to its clay nature, the vertisols can expand and contract. However, its instability makes it a poor soil to support the growth of trees, but it provides a perfect condition for cotton to grow. Its unstable nature makes it hard for trees to grow. The vertisols are often located in the grasslands and woodlands. Vertisols can be used as soils for foundations of buildings. However, the foundation has to possess a wiggle room to let the foundation move easily along the earth. However, the foundation is made too tight then there might be some future consequences. An example is the Houston Black soil located between the red river and San Antonio. The texture of the soil is very dry. The soils are porous and can hardly hold any water. Moreover, it is considerably impermeable to any moisture. The Aridisols does not support plant life, but instead, it promotes minerals (Allen et al., 19). Their location is mainly in the desert areas. It is found in the far western part of the state of Texas. However, some little vegetation can grow on its topsoil. There are several minerals located in the aridisols namely gypsum, sodium, calcium and carbonate (Ettema et al., 45). Also, the soil provides the perfect texture for building the foundation of a structure. The Ultisol soils are characterized by low fertility and a weather-beaten quality. It is commonly located in the

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