LOCATION THEDFORD NE

Established Series
Rev. RRH
02/2012

THEDFORD SERIES

The Thedford series consists of very deep, moderately well drained soils that formed in alluvial sands on stream terraces of valleys dissecting the Nebraska Sandhills (MLRA 65). Slopes range from 0 to 3 percent. Mean annual temperature is about 9 degrees C. (48 degrees F), and mean annual precipitation is about 56 centimeters (22 inches) at the type location.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy, mixed, mesic Fluvaquentic Haplustolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Thedford fine sand on a 1 percent linear south facing slope from a map unit of Thedford fine sand, 0 to 3 percent slopes in native rangeland. When described, the soil was moist from 0 to 12 centimeters (0 to 5 inches) and from 48 to 200 centimeters (19 to 79 inches) and dry from 12 to 48 centimeters (5 to 19 inches). (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

A1--0 to 12 centimeters (0 to 5 inches); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) fine sand, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium and fine granular structure; soft, very friable; many very fine and fine and common roots throughout; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary

A2--12 to 48 centimeters (5 to 19 inches); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) fine sand, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky parting to weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable; many very fine and fine and common medium roots throughout; slightly alkaline; very slight effervescence in lower part; clear wavy boundary. [combined thickness of the A horizon is 25 to 76 centimeters (10 to 30 inches) thick]

C--48 to 87 centimeters (19 to 34 inches); light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) fine sand, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist: single grain; loose; many very fine and fine and common medium roots throughout; moderately alkaline; slight effervescence; abrupt smooth boundary. [12 to 76 centimeters (5 to 30 inches) thick]

2Cg1--87 to 115 centimeters (34 to 45 inches); light gray (2.5Y 7/2) loamy fine sand, light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) moist; common fine prominent irregular strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) moist, iron masses in the soil matrix; single grain; loose; common very fine, fine, and medium roots throughout; moderately alkaline; slight effervescence; strata at 87 to 92 centimeters (34 to 36 inches of gray (5/N) loam, black (2.5/N) moist and with 30 percent irregular masses of calcium carbonate; clear wavy boundary. [12 to 76 centimeters (5 to 30 inches) thick]

2Cg2--115 to 150 centimeters (45 to 59 inches); light gray (2.5Y 7/2) fine sand, light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) moist; single grain; loose; common very fine, fine, and medium roots throughout; common medium and coarse prominent irregular strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) moist, masses of oxidized iron throughout; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; moderately alkaline; thin strata of dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist, loamy sand; abrupt smooth boundary.

2Cg3--150 to 185 centimeters (59 to 73 inches); stratified grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) loamy fine sand, very dark grayish brown (2.5Y 3/2) moist and light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable; common very fine, fine, and medium roots throughout; common medium prominent irregular strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) and many coarse prominent irregular strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) moist, masses of oxidized iron throughout; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; slightly alkaline; lenses of light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) coarse sand; abrupt smooth boundary.

3Ab--185 to 200 centimeters (73 to 79 inches); gray (2.5Y 5/1) clay loam, black (2.5Y 2.5/1) moist; massive; soft, very friable; common very fine roots throughout; moderately acid; strata of buried plant stems (30 millimeters thick) and leaves.

TYPE LOCATION: Thomas County, Nebraska; about 6.4 kilometers (4 miles) east of Seneca, Nebraska; located about 190 meters (623 feet) south and 75 meters (247 feet) east of the northwest corner of sec. 25, T.24 N., R. 30 W., Duck Lake USGS quad; lat.42 degrees, 1 minutes, 40 seconds N. and long. 100 degrees, 44 minutes, 58 seconds W., NAD 83

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Moisture regime: Ustic
Mollic epipedon: 25 to 76 centimeters (10 to 30 inches)
Depths of carbonates: typically 25 to 125 centimeters (10 to 50 inches)
Depth to redoximorphic features: 61 to 183 centimeters (24 to 72 inches)
Depth to endosaturation: 61 to 183 centimeters (24 to 72 inches)
Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: 1 to 10 percent
Total Sand content: 78 to 99 percent

A horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 4 or 5, 1 to 3 moist
Chroma: 1 to 3
Texture: sand, fine sand, loamy sand, loamy fine sand, fine sandy loam
Reaction: slightly acid to moderately alkaline
Some pedons have Ak horizons
Some pedons have AC horizons.

C1 horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 4 to 8, 3 to 7 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: sand, fine sand, loamy sand, loamy fine sand
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.

2C2 horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 4 to 8, 3 to 7 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: sand, fine sand, loamy sand, loamy fine sand with thin alluvial strata of finer or coarser textured material
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline

2Cg horizon:
Hue: 10YR and 2.5Y
Value: 4 to 8, 3 to 7 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: sand, fine sand, loamy sand, loamy fine sand with thin alluvial strata of finer or coarser textured material
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline.

3Ab horizon:
Hue: 10YR and 2.5Y
Value: 4 or 5, 1 to 3 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2
Texture: sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam, clay loam, mucky loam, mucky peat
Reaction: moderately acid to neutral

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Boel series.
Boel soils are somewhat poorly drained and have aquic conditions beginning at 46 centimeters.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: alluvial sands
Landscape: valleys
Landform: stream terraces
Slope: 0 to 3 percent
Elevation: 610 to 1067 meters (2000 to 3500 feet)
Mean annual precipitation: 41 to 64 centimeters (16 to 25 inches)
Mean annual air temperature: 8 to 10 degrees C. (46 to 50 degrees F.)
Frost Free Days: 120 to 150

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Calamus, Natick, Pivot and Valentine soils.
Calamus soils are on floodplains and have an irregular decrease in organic matter between 25 and 125 centimeters (10 and 49 inches).
Natick (tentative) soils are on similar stream terraces and lack mollic epipedons and lack an irregular decrease in organic matter between 25 and 125 centimeters (10 and 49 inches).
Pivot soils are on lower stream terraces and are somewhat excessively drained having no seasonal zone of saturation or aquic conditions.
Valentine soils are on dunes and are excessively drained having no seasonal zone of saturation or aquic conditions.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage: Moderately well drained
Saturated hydraulic conductivity: very high
Runoff: negligible
Seasonal high water table: 61 to 183 centimeters (24 to 72 inches) to greater than 200 centimeters (80 inches)

USE AND VEGETATION: The major uses are cropland and livestock grazing and haying of rangeland. Irrigated corn, alfalfa, and cool season grasses and are the major crops. The rangeland native plant community for the sandy lowland ecological site (R065XY029NE) is principally sand bluestem, little bluestem, prairie sandreed, needle and thread, and blue grama.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Thedford series is of small extent in and near the sandhills of Nebraska and South Dakota and mostly in LRR G, MLRA 65..

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Thomas County, Nebraska, 2010.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon: 0 to 48 centimeters (0 to 19 inches) A1 and A2 horizons
Aquic conditions: 87 centimeters to 200 centimeters (34 to 79 inches) (2C2, 2Cg1, 2Cg2, and 2Ab horizons)
Lithologic Discontinuity: 87 centimeters to 200 centimeters (34 to 79 inches) (2C2, 2Cg1, 2Cg2, and 2Ab horizons)
These soils were included with the Ovina and Wann soils in older surveys.

ADDITIONAL DATA: Data is available from the National Soil Survey Center, Soil Survey Laboratory for the typical pedon, Pedon ID 09NE171016.
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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.