LOCATION ALDA NEEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Oxyaquic Haplustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Alda fine sandy loam -in a cultivated field; when described, the water table was at a depth of 152 centimeters (60 inches). (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 20 centimeters (0 to 8 inches); dark gray (10YR 4/1) fine sandy loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, friable; many medium roots; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary.
A--20 to 28 centimeters (8 to 11 inches); dark gray (10YR 4/1) fine sandy loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine granular; soft, very friable; common fine roots; neutral; clear wavy boundary. (Combined A horizon is 18 to 51 centimeters (7 to 20 inches) thick)
AC--28 to 43 centimeters (11 to 17 inches); grayish brown (10YR 5/2) fine sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable; common fine roots; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 20 centimeters (0 to 8 inches) thick)
C--43 to 74 centimeters (17 to 29 inches); light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; common fine distinct dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) iron stains in the matrix; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable; few fine roots; fine strata of fine sand and coarse sand; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (30 to 43 centimeters (12 to 17 inches) thick)
2Cg1--74 to 86 centimeters (29 to 34 inches); light gray (10YR 7/2) coarse sand, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) moist; single grain; loose; slightly alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (10 to 38 centimeters (4 to 15 inches) thick)
2Cg2--86 to 203 centimeters (34 to 80 inches); light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) coarse sand and gravelly sand, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; common medium prominent dark reddish brown (5YR 2/2) iron masses in soil matrix; single grain; loose; neutral.
TYPE LOCATION: Polk County, Nebraska; about 12 miles north and 2 miles east of Shelby. 488 meters (1600 feet) north and 8 meters (25 feet) east of the southwest corner, sec. 12, T. 16 N., R. 1 W. USGS Columbus South topographic quadrangle: lat. 41 degrees, 22 minutes, 14 seconds N. and long. 97 degrees, 23 minutes, 13 seconds
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: Soil is moist December through April and intermittently moist May through December. The driest months are July through September.
Depth to secondary carbonates: Discontinuous zone within the top 91 centimeters (36 inches) of the surface allowed
Depth to redoximorphic features: 46 to 91 centimeters (18 to 36 inches) deep
Depth to endosaturation: 46 to 137 centimeters (18 to 54 inches)
Thickness of the mollic epipedon: 18 to 51 centimeters (7 to 20 inches)
Thickness of the Solum: 25 to 71 centimeters (10 to 28 inches)
Particle - Size control section:
Clay content: 2 to 12 percent
Silt content: 15 to 27 percent
Sand Content: 60 to 75 percent
A horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2
Texture: Typically loam, fine sandy loam or sandy loam--silt loam and very fine sandy loam textures are included; Strata of finer and coarser textured material is allowed in this horizon.
Clay Content: 2 to 27 percent
Rock fragments: Rounded gravel 2 to 75mm in diameter, 0 to 2 percent by volume
Conductivity: 0 to 4 mmhos/cm in the surface
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline
C horizon
Hue: 7.5 YR, 10YR, or 2.5 Y
Value: 4 to 8 dry, 3 to 6 moist
Chroma: 1 to 3
Texture: sandy loam, fine sandy loam or very fine sandy loam, with sand, fine sand and loamy fine sand making up the full range; Stratifed textures commonly occur in some pedons located near natural drains
Clay Content: 2 to 27 percent
Rock fragments: Rounded gravel, 2 to 75 mm in diameter, gravel percent is 2 to 15 percent by volume at depth between 20 to 40 inches
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline
2Cg
Hue: 7.5 YR, 10YR, or 2.5 Y
Value: 4 to 8 dry, 3 to 6 moist
Chroma: 1 to 3
Texture: coarse sand, gravelly sand or gravelly coarse sand
Clay content: 2 to 10 percent
Rock fragments: rounded gravel 2 to 75 mm.in diameter 3 to 35 percent by volume
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: These are no competing series.
Closely similar soils are the
Marksbutte,
Novina,
Ovina,
Sunset,
Wann,
Cass,
Darr,
Lex, and
Ord soils.
Marksbutte soils may be saturated for less than 90 days during the growing season and salinity is more than 4 mmhos throughout.
Novina, Ovina, Sunset, Wann, and Cass soils lack coarse sand or gravelly sand above a depth of 40 inches.
Cass soils are better drained.
Darr soils are similar in depth to coarse sand or gravelly sand but are better drained.
Lex soils are in the fine-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal texture class.
Ord soils are coarse-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent Materials: 51 to 102 centimeters (20 to 40 inches) of stratified loamy alluvium over coarse sand or gravelly sand.
Landform: nearly level flood plains. Some areas are channeled.
Slope: 0 to 3 percent
Mean annual temperature: 9 to 13 degrees C (48 to 55 degrees F)
Mean annual precipitation: 46 to 76 centimeters (18 to 30 inches).
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include the
Cass,
Darr,
Lex,
Gibbon,
Inavale,
Leshara,
Ovina,
Platte and
Wann soils.
Gibbon and Leshara soils are fine-silty.
Inavale soils lack a mollic epipedon and are in the sandy texture class.
Platte soils have coarse sand or gravelly sand at a depth of 25 to 51 centimeters (10 to 20 inches).
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage: somewhat poorly drained or moderately well drained
Runoff: low.
Saturated hydraulic conductivity: upper part is high; underlying gravelly sand is very high.
Seasonal zone of saturation: .5 to 1 meter (1.5 to 4.5 feet). 2 to 3 meters (6 to 8 feet) during the late summer and fall in some years.
Flooding: rarely or occasionally
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are in irrigated cultivated crops.
Main crops are corn, soybeans, alfalfa, and grain sorghum.
The remaining acreage is principally in native hay.
Native vegetation is big bluestem, little bluestem, switchgrass, Indiangrass, and prairie cordgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central and western Nebraska. The soil series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Douglas County, Nebraska; 1970.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon: 0 to 51 centimeters (0 to 20 inches) (Ap, A and AC horizon)
Aquic soil conditions: 76 to 203 centimeters (30 to 80 inches) (2Cg1 and 2Cg2 horizons).
A saline phase is recognized.
Stratification is present within the soil profile usually only where intermittent drains flow through or are adjacent to the Alda soil delineation. AC horizons may not be present in all soil profiles.
OSD Modifications:
(9/5/2003 PRF) made minor gramatical edits and updated the competing series.
(5/2002 RRZ) Recommend that taxonomy be changed from COARSE-LOAMY, MIXED SUPERACTIVE, MESIC FLUVAQUENTIC HAPLUSTOLLS to COARSE-LOAMY, MIXED SUPERACTIVE, MESIC OXYAQUIC HAPLUSTOLLS;
Water depth changed to 1.5 to 4.5 ft.; Natural Drainage Class changed from somewhat poorly drained to somewhat poorly drained to moderately well drained; solum thickness increased to 71 centimeters (28 inches);, A saline phase of the Alda Series is recognized with EC.2 to 8 mmhos/cm.
Changed permeability to Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity 9/05. JCR