LOCATION GOSHEN             NE+CO KS SD WY
Established Series
Rev. JIB/DAY/JWB
05/2006

GOSHEN SERIES


The Goshen series includes very deep, well drained soils that formed in silty alluvium derived mainly from loess. These soils are in swales and narrow drainageways of uplands and have slopes ranging from 0 to 3 percent. Mean annual air temperature is 9 degrees C. (48 degrees F), and mean annual precipitation is 41 centimeters (16 inches) at the type location.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Pachic Argiustolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Goshen loam with a slope of less than 1 percent in a cultivated field. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

Ap--0 to 18 centimeters (0 to 7 inches); grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, friable; few pebbles on surface; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary.

A--18 to 46 centimeters (7 to 18 inches); very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak coarse blocky structure parting to weak fine and medium granular; soft, friable; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizon 20 to 51 centimeters (8 to 20 inches) thick)

Bt1--46 to 69 centimeters (18 to 27 inches); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, firm; thin nearly continuous films on peds; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary.

Bt2--69 to 89 centimeters (27 to 35 inches); grayish brown (10YR 5/2) silty clay loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, firm; nearly continuous films on peds; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary.

Bt3--89 to 127 centimeters (35 to 50 inches); grayish brown (10YR 5/2) silty clay loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak, medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, firm; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizons 58 to 102 centimeters (23 to 40 inches) thick)

C--127 to 152 centimeters (50 to 60 inches); pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; soft, friable; moderately alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Kimball County, Nebraska; about 14 kilometers (9 miles) north and 3 kilometers (2 miles) west of Kimball, 183 meters (600 feet) south and 37 meters (120 feet) east of the northwest corner, sec. 13, T. 16 N., R. 56 W.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Thickness of the solum: 89 to 152 centimeters (35 to 60 inches)
Carbonates in some pedons: 86 to 152 centimeters (34 to below 60 inches
Mollic epipedon: extends into the B horizon and 51 to 114 centimeters (20 to 45 inches) thick

A horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 3 to 5, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry or moist
Texture: typically loam, but include silt loam and fine sandy loam
Reaction: slightly acid to slightly alkaline.

Bt horizon:
The upper part: colors similar to the A horizon.
The lower part:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 5 or 6, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry or moist
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline
Texture: typically loam and silty clay loam but includes silt loam
Average clay content of the argillic horizon: 24 to 35 percent

BC or BCk horizon is in some pedons.
Texture: silt loam, loam, or very fine sandy loam

C horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 6 to 8, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Reaction: moderately alkaline
Texture: silt loam, very fine sandy loam, or loam
Carbonates: in the lower part in some pedons
Contrasting material: 102 to 152 centimeters (40 and 60 inches) in some pedons

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Hall, Johnstown, Kinsell, Kuma, Lazarus, Mobridge, Simpatico and Zepol series.
Hall soils are in an area of higher rainfall and have lower base saturation.
Johnstown soils have a buried soil and gravelly sand at depths of 102 to 152 centimeters (40 to 60 inches).
Kinsell soils are in an aridic moisture regime bordering on ustic.
Kuma soils have buried paleosols within 20 inches.
Lasarus soils do not contain visible secondary calcium carbonates in the substratum.
Zepol soils have small amounts of volcanic ash in the coarse silt and fine sand fraction.
Kuma soils have a polygenetic solum.
Mobridge soils have chroma of 1 in the A horizon and are shallower to carbonates.
Simpatico soils have moisture control sections that are dry for 15 consecutive days from May 15 to July 15 when the soil temp is greater than 5 degrees C. (41 degrees F.)

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landforms: swales or narrow drainageways of uplands
Slopes: 0 to 3 percent
Parent material: silty alluvium derived mainly from soils formed in loess
Climate: semiarid
Mean annual precipitation: 36 to 48 centimeters (14 to 19 inches)
Mean annual air temperature: 7 to 13 degrees C. (45 to 55 degrees F.)
Flooding: none, rare, or occasional

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Alliance, Duroc, Keith, Richfield, Rosebud, and Ulysses series.
Keith soils are higher on the landscape.
Duroc soils do not have an argillic horizon and are slightly higher than Goshen soils.
Alliance, Richfield, and Ulysses soils have a mollic epipedon less than 51 centimeters (20 inches) thick and are above Goshen soils.
Rosebud soils have a mollic epipedon less than 51 centimeters (20 inches) thick, fine-grained sandstone, or limestone between a depth of 51 to 102 centimeters (20 to 40 inches), and are above the Goshen soils.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage: well drained
Runoff: low or medium
Saturated hydraulic conductivity: moderately high
Flooding: none, rare, or occasional

USE AND VEGETATION: Most of the acreage is cultivated.
Winter wheat and sorghum are the principal dryland crops.
Corn, alfalfa, sugar beets, field beans, potatoes, and small grains are grown on irrigated soils.
Grasses are primarily of the short and mid type where the soil is in native vegetation.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Nebraska and Kansas, South Dakota, and eastern Wyoming and Colorado. The series is moderately extensive.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska, 1913.

REMARKS:

ADDITIONAL DATA: Physical and chemical data from two pedons of Goshen loam are provided in Soil Survey Investigations Report No. 5, pages 52-55.

Modified format by LRM in 2/2006 to include metric conversion and change permeability to saturated hydraulic conductivity.


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.