LOCATION BRANDT SDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, frigid Calcic Hapludolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Brandt silty clay loam - on a slope of less than 1 percent in a cultivated field. When described the soil was moist throughout. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 7 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) silty clay loam, black (10YR 2/1) moist; weak fine and medium granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; slightly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)
Bw1--7 to 15 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silty clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to weak medium and fine subangular blocky; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; about 15 percent worm casts; neutral; clear wavy boundary.
Bw2--15 to 26 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) silty clay loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate coarse and medium prismatic structure parting to moderate coarse and medium subangular blocky; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; neutral; gradual wavy boundary.
Bw3--26 to 34 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) silt loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; moderate coarse and medium prismatic structure parting to moderate coarse and medium subangular blocky; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; neutral; clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of Bw horizon is 15 to 33 inches.)
Bk1--34 to 44 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) silt loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) moist; weak coarse and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable; common fine and medium accumulations of calcium carbonate; strong effervescence; slightly alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (5 to 27 inches thick)
2Bk2--44 to 52 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) gravelly loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, friable; common fine and medium accumulations of calcium carbonate; few pebbles coated with calcium carbonate; 15 percent gravel; strong effervescence; slightly alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 15 inches thick)
2C1--52 to 57 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) stratified gravelly loam and gravelly sandy loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) moist; massive; loose; few pebbles with undersides coated with calcium carbonate; 15 percent gravel; strong effervescence; slightly alkaline; gradual wavy boundary.
2C2--57 to 72 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) stratified gravelly sand and gravelly loamy sand; olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; many fine and medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) mottles; single grain; loose; 20 percent gravel; slight effervescence; slightly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Deuel County, South Dakota; about 6 miles west and 3/4 miles north of Toronto; 1,030 feet south and 630 feet east of the northwest corner, sec. 19, T. 113 N., R. 49 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The depth to free calcium carbonate ranges from 20 to 48 inches. The thickness of the mollic epipedon ranges from 8 to 16 inches. Depth to sand and gravel ranges from 40 to 60 inches. Clay content of the control section averages as low as 25 percent in some pedons and as high as 35 percent in others. The particle size control section has an irregular fine sand distribution and contains less than 15 percent fine sand or coarser.
The A horizon has value of 3 or 4 (2 or 3 moist) and chroma of 2 or less. It typically is silty clay loam but is silt loam in some pedons. It is slightly acid or neutral.
The Bw horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6 (2 to 5 moist) and chroma of 2 to 4. It typically is silty clay loam, but is silt loam in some pedons. It is slightly acid to slightly alkaline.
The Bk horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 or 6 (4 or 5 moist) and chroma of 2 to 4. It is silt loam, loam, or silty clay loam. It is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
Some pedons have C horizons with colors of the Bk horizon. It is sandy loam, loam, or sandy clay loam.
The 2Bk has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 to 6 (4 to 5 moist) and chroma of 2 to 4. It is gravelly loam, gravelly sandy loam or gravelly clay loam. It is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline. Some pedons do not have 2Bk horizons. Gravel content ranges from 15 to 35 percent.
The 2C horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 to 7 (4 or 5 moist) and chroma of 2 to 4. It is stratified and includes loamy sand, sand, gravelly loam, gravelly sandy loam, gravelly loamy sand, gravelly sand, very gravelly loamy sand, and very gravelly sand. It is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline. Gravel content ranges from 15 to 60 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Great Bend, Kranzburg, Poinsett, and Putney series. Great Bend soils have a uniform fine sand distribution in the particle size control section. Kranzburg soils have more than 15 percent fine sand or coarser in the particle size control section. Poinsett soils have fine strata of very fine sand, fine sand, and clay in the lower part of the series control section. Putney soils have gypsum and other salts within a depth of 20 inches In addition, Great Bend, Kranzburg, Poinsett, and Putney soils do not have a 2Bk horizon that has more than 15 percent gravel.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Brandt soils are on nearly level outwash terraces. Slopes are plane of slightly convex and ranges from 0 to 9 percent. They formed in silty materials over sand and gravel outwash. Growing season is about 120 to 140 days; average growing season precipitation is 15 to 18 inches; and growing degree days are about 2500 to 2900.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Kranzburg and Poinsett soils and the similar Estelline, Lamoure, and Sioux soils. Estelline soils have sand and gravel at depths of 20 to 40 inches and are on adjacent more convex or more sloping areas. Kranzburg and Poinsett soils are on adjacent uplands. The poorly drained Lamoure soils have mollic epipedons more than 16 inches thick and are on adjacent floodplains. Sioux soils have sand and gravel within a depth of 14 inches. They are on short steep escarpments.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Runoff is low or medium. Permeability is moderate in the upper part and very rapid in the underlying material.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are in cropland. Main crops are corn, soybeans, small grain and hay. Native grasses include big bluestem, little bluestem, green needlegrass, needleandthread, bluegrama, sedges, and forbs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern South Dakota and southwestern Minnesota. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Deuel County, South Dakota, 1990.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: mollic epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of about 15 inches (Ap and Bw1 horizons); cambic horizon - the zone from about 15 inches to a depth of about 34 inches (Bw2 and Bw3 horizons). In some counties this soil has been correlated as Estelline deep.