LOCATION VALE                    SD+CO WY

Established Series
Rev. TJO/JWW
04/2015

VALE SERIES

The Vale series consists of deep and very deep, well drained soils that formed in alluvium or residuum derived from reddish siltstone and silty shale. Vale soils are on backslopes and footslopes of terraces, fans, fan remnants, and hillslopes on uplands and in valleys. Slopes range from 0 to 25 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 482 mm (19 inches) and the mean annual temperature is about 8 degrees C (47 degrees F).

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

TYPICAL PEDON: Vale silt loam, on a north facing, linear slope of less than 1 percent in small grain, at an elevation of 1,051 meters (3,450 feet). (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.) When described on April 15, 1964 the soil was moist from 0 to 122 cm.

Ap--0 to 18 cm (0 to 7 inches); brown (7.5YR 4/2) silt loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; common fine and very fine, few medium roots; slightly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (10 to 30 cm thick)

Bt1--18 to 33 cm (7 to 13 inches); brown (7.5YR 4/3) silty clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine and very fine, few medium roots; common faint clay films on vertical faces of peds; few to common distinct medium and coarse worm casts; slightly alkaline; gradual wavy boundary.

Bt2--33 to 51 cm (13 to 20 inches); brown (7.5YR 5/4) silty clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; hard, firm, slightly sticky and moderately plastic; few fine and very fine roots; many distinct clay films on vertical faces of peds; slightly effervescent, calcium carbonate disseminated and occurs discontinuously through horizon; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizon is 28 to 50 cm)

Btk--51 to 76 cm (20 to 30 inches); light brown (7.5YR 6/4) loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to weak medium and fine subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few faint and few distinct clay films on vertical faces of peds; few fine and very fine roots; violently effervescent, common prominent fine soft masses and threads of calcium carbonate; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 30 cm thick)

Bk1--76 to 109 cm (30 to 43 inches); light brown (7.5YR 6/4) loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; very few fine roots; violently effervescent, common prominent fine soft masses and threads of calcium carbonate; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary.

Bk2--109 to 124 cm (43 to 49 inches); light brown (7.5YR 6/4) loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; few (about 1 percent) medium pinkish gray (5YR 7/2) redox depletions; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; strongly effervescent, common prominent medium and fine soft masses and threads of calcium carbonate; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bk horizon is 32 to 72 cm.)

2C--124 to 152 cm (49 to 60 inches); light reddish brown (5YR 6/4) fine sandy loam, stratified with thin layers of loamy sand and very fine sandy loam, reddish brown (5YR 5/4) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; violently effervescent, calcium carbonate disseminated; moderately alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Lawrence County, South Dakota; about 3.2 km (2 miles) north-northwest of Spearfish; located about 686 meters (2,250 feet) south and 137 meters (450 feet) west of the northeast corner of sec. 29, T. 7 N., R. 2 E.; Chicken Creek USGS quad; 44 degrees 32 minutes 27.3 seconds N. latitude and 103 degrees 53 minutes 28.8 seconds W. longitude; NAD 83

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Thickness of mollic epipedon: 18 to 49 cm (7 to 19 inches)
Depth to argillic horizon: 10 to 30 cm (4 to 12 inches)
Depth to secondary calcium carbonate: 25 to 66 cm (10 to 26 inches)
Depth to bedrock: typically greater than 150 cm (60 inches); soft red shale and/or siltstone occurs between 100 and 150 cm (40 to 60 inches) in some pedons

Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: 25 to 34 percent
Sand content: less than 15 percent fine sand and coarser

A horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 3 or 4 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: silt loam, loam, very fine sandy loam
Clay content: 12 to 25 percent
Reaction: slightly acid to slightly alkaline

Bt horizon:
Hue: 2.5YR, 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: silty clay loam, clay loam, silt loam, loam
Clay content: 25 to 35 percent
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline

Btk horizon:
Hue: 2.5YR, 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: loam, silt loam, clay loam, silty clay loam
Clay content: 18 to 32 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 15 percent
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline

Bk horizon:
Hue: 2.5YR, 5YR, 7.5YR
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6
Texture: loam, silt loam, silty clay loam
Clay content: 15 to 30 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 15 percent
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline

2C horizon (present in most pedons that occur on fans and terraces with slopes of 6 percent or less):
Hue: 2.5YR, 5YR, or 7.5YR
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6
Texture: loam, very fine sandy loam, or fine sandy loam with strata of loamy sand, loamy fine sand, silt loam, and/or silty clay loam; some pedons have very gravelly sandy loam, very gravelly coarse sandy loam, very gravelly loamy sand, very gravelly coarse loamy sand, very gravelly sand, or very gravelly coarse sand below 100 cm (40 inches)
Clay content: typically 15 to 27 percent; less than 15 percent where textures are very gravelly sandy loam or coarser
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 10 percent
Reaction: slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Agar, Eakin, Fairlo, Highmore, Holdrege, Monticello, Northdale, and Paka series.
Agar - contains less than 3 percent fine sand in the particle-size control section and has hue of 10YR or yellower
Eakin - has glacial till at depths of 51 to 102 cm and has hue of 10YR or yellower
Fairlo - contains clayey sediments at depths of 24 to 38 inches and has hue of 10YR or yellower
Highmore - has hue of 10YR or yellower
Holdrege - contain calcium carbonate at depths greater than 75 cm and has hue of 10YR or yellower
Monticello - has 18 to 25 percent clay in the Bt horizon
Northdale - has a lithic contact at depths of 51 to 102 cm
Paka - have hue in the B and C horizons that are 7.5YR or yellower and typically has siltstone bedrock between 100 and 150 cm (40 to 60 inches)

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: alluvium or residuum derived from reddish colored, Triassic and Permian-age siltstone and silty shale of the Spearfish Formation
Landform/Landscape: terraces, fans, fan remnants, and hillslopes on uplands and in valleys
Slopes: 0 to 25 percent
Elevation: 914 to 1,524 meters (3,000 to 5,000 feet)
Mean annual air temperature: 7 to 10 degrees C (45 to 50 degrees F)
Mean annual precipitation: 432 to 560 mm (17 to 22 inches)
Precipitation pattern: Over one-half the mean annual precipitation falls as snow and rain during the period March through July
Frost-free period: 120 to 140 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Nevee - lack mollic epipedons and argillic horizons and are coarse-silty; on slightly higher landscape positions
Spearfish - lack mollic epipedons, B horizons, and are shallow to siltstone; on higher landscape positions
St. Onge - are fine-loamy and have mollic epipedons greater than 50 cm (20 inches) thick; on lower landscape positions
Swint - lack argillic horizons and are fine-loamy; on lower landscape positions
Tilford - lack argillic horizons; on similar landscape positions

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage: Well
Ksat: moderately high
Surface runoff: low to high, depending on slope

USE AND VEGETATION:
Use: native range, pasture, hayland, and cropland. Small grains, corn (where irrigated), and alfalfa are the principal crops.
Native vegetation: little bluestem, big bluestem, western wheatgrass, green needlegrass, needleandthread, blue grama, and forbs.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Vale soils occur in the Red Valley physiographic area of the Black Hills Foothills of South Dakota and Wyoming, as well as parts of north-central Wyoming and central Colorado; LRR G, MLRA 61; the series is of moderate extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Salina, Kansas

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Soil Survey of Belle Fourche Area, South Dakota, 1907.

REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle-size control section - 18 to 68 cm (7 to 27 inches); (Bt1, Bt2, and the upper part of the Btk horizons)
Mollic epipedon - 0 to 33 cm (0 to 13 inches); (A and Bt1 horizons)
Argillic horizon - 18 to 76 cm (7 to 30 inches); (Bt1, Bt2, Btk horizons)

The taxonomic classification of the series is changed from Aridic Argiustolls to Typic Argiustolls with this update. The type location for the series is in the typic-ustic moisture regime in MLRA 61.

Taxonomic Version: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Twelvth Edition, 2014

ADDITIONAL DATA: KSSL site number S70SD081-001, lab pedon number 40A2503; KSSL site number S2014SD081001; lab pedon number 15N0168.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.