LOCATION MACE NEEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Aridic Argiustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Mace silt loam - on a nearly level plane in a cultivated field. When described the soil was dry throughout. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 13 centimeters (0 to 5 inches); grayish brown (10YR 5/2) silt loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. (10 to 20 centimeters (4 to 8 inches) thick)
Bt--13 to 28 centimeters (5 to 11 inches); grayish brown (10YR 5/2) clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate fine and medium subangular blocky; hard, friable; few very fine pores; few discontinuous clay films on faces of peds; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (13 to 36 centimeters (5 to 14 inches) thick)
Btb--28 to 46 centimeters (11 to 18 inches); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silty clay loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate medium and coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate fine and medium subangular blocky; hard, friable; few very fine pores; few discontinuous clay films on faces of peds; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 25 centimeters (0 to 10 inches) thick)
BCkb--46 to 58 centimeters (18 to 23 inches); light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) silt loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, very friable; many worm casts and channels 3 to 10 millimeters in diameter; common films and threads of calcium carbonate; violent effervescence; moderately alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary. (10 to 20 centimeters (4 to 8 inches) thick)
C--58 to 76 centimeters (23 to 30 inches); light gray (10YR 7/2) silt loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable; many soft white masses of calcium carbonate; violent effervescence; moderately alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary. (10 to 20 centimeters (4 to 8 inches) thick)
Cr--76 to 203 centimeters (30 to 80 inches); very pale brown (10YR 8/2) Ogallala material; about 60 to 70 percent by volume caliche fragments having hardness of less than 3 on Mohs' scale and about 30 to 40 percent by volume soft powdery caliche and loamy material.
TYPE LOCATION: Chase County, Nebraska; about 24 kilometers (15 miles) west and 8 kilometers (5 miles) north of Imperial; 543 meters (1,782 feet) east and 100 meters (330 feet) north of the southwest corner of section 36, T. 8 N., R. 4l W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Thickness of the solum: 41 to 91 centimeters (16 to 36 inches)
Depth to bedrock: 51 to 102 centimeters (20 to 40 inches)
Mollic epipedon: 18 to 49 centimeters (7 to 19 inches)
Depth to carbonates: 30 to 76 centimeters (12 to 30 inches)
A horizon:
Hue: l0YR
Value: 4 or 5, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2
Texture: silt loam, loam or very fine sandy loam.
Bt and Btb horizons:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 4 or 5, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2
Texture: clay loam, silty clay loam, or silt loam
Bt clay: 20 and 28 percent
Btb clay: 25 and 35 percent
Reaction: neutral or slightly alkaline.
BCkb horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 5 to 7, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: silt loam, loam or very fine sandy loam
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
C horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 6 or 7, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: silt loam, very fine sandy loam or fine sandy loam
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
Cr horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 7 or 8, 6 or 7 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
COMPETING SERIES: These are Alliance, Beauvais, Cale, Kadoka, Keith, Norka, Thirtynine, and Vale.
Alliance soils have bedrock at 40 to 60 inches.
Beauvais and
Keith soils are very deep soils formed in loess with bedrock below 60 inches.
Cale,
Norka,
Thirtynine and
Vale soils do not have bedrock within 60 inches.
Kadoka soils have glass shards throughout the profile.
Rosebud soils are fine-loamy.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: loamy loess overlying loamy residuum weathered from Ogallala material
Landform: uplands
Slopes: 0 to 6 percent
Mean annual temperature: 10 to 12 degrees C. (49 to 53 degrees F)
Mean annual precipitation: 36 to 46 centimeters (14 to 18 inches)
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Alliance,
Ascalon,
Canyon,
Keith,
Kuma,
Richfield and
Rosebud soils.
The Alliance, Keith, and Rosebud soils are on similar landscapes.
The Ascalon soils are fine-loamy and are on slightly higher ridges and knolls. Canyon soils are on ridges or knolls and shallow over Ogallala material.
Kuma soils are very deep and have mollic colors more than 51 centimeters (20 inches) thick.
Richfield soils are very deep and have more clay in the particle size control section.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage: Well drained
Runoff: low to moderately high
Saturated hydraulic conductivity: moderately slow
USE AND VEGETATION: Almost all the areas of Mace soils are cultivated, and much of the acreage is irrigated. Wheat and corn are the principal dryland crops, and corn, sugar beets, dry edible beans and alfalfa are the principal irrigated crops.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwest Nebraska and adjoining parts of Kansas and Colorado. Mace soils are moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Chase County, Nebraska; l980.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
mollic epipedon: 0 TO 46 centimeters (0 to 18 inches) (Ap, Bt and Btb horizon)
Argillic horizon: 13 to 46 centimeters (5 to 18 inches) (Bt and Btb horizon)
ADDITIONAL DATA: See S76NE29-43.
Modified format by LRM in 10/2005 to include metric conversion and change permeability to saturated hydraulic conductivity.