LOCATION ALTVAN NE+CO SD WYEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Aridic Argiustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Altvan loam - on less than 1 percent slope in a cultivated field. When described the soil was moist to a depth of 58 centimeters (23 inches). (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 15 centimeters (0 to 6 inches); grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable; many fine pebbles; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary.
A--15 to 20 centimeters (6 to 8 inches); grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable; many fine pebbles; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizons is 13 to 36 centimeters (5 to 14 inches).)
BA--20 to 30 centimeters (8 to 12 inches); brown (10YR 5/3) loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 15 centimeters (0 to 6 inches) thick)
Bt--30 to 58 centimeters (12 to 23 inches); brown (10YR 5/3) clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate fine and medium subangular blocky; hard, firm; thin patchy films on faces of peds; neutral in upper part, slightly alkaline in lower part; clear smooth boundary. (23 to 46 centimeters (9 to 18 inches) thick)
Bk--58 to 66 centimeters (23 to 26 inches); very pale brown (10YR 7/3) loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable; disseminated carbonates in root channels and on faces of peds; violent effervescence; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 46 centimeters (0 to 18 inches) thick)
C--66 to 89 centimeters (26 to 35 inches); very pale brown (10YR 7/3) loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable; strong effervescence; strongly alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 25 centimeters (0 to 10 inches) thick)
2C--89 to 152 centimeters (35 to 60 inches); pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly sand, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; single grain; 20 percent gravel by volume; strong effervescence; strongly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Kimball County, Nebraska; about 6 miles north and 6 1/2 miles west of Bushnell; 658 mrters (2160 feet) east and 30 meters (100 feet) south of the northwest corner of sec. 31, T. 16 N., R. 58 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature: 10 to 15 degrees C (49 to 59 degrees F)
Depth to abrupt textural change: 51 to 102 centimeters (20 to 40 inches), typically is 61 to 91 centimeters (24 to 36 inches)
Depth to secondary calcium carbonate: 41 to 97 centimeters (16 to 38 inches)
Thickness of the solum: 41 to 91 centimeters (16 to 38 inches)
Thickness of the mollic epipedon: 18 to 51 centimeters (7 to 20 inches) thick, includes the upper part of the argillic horizon in some pedons
Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: 20 to 35 percent
Rock fragments:
Content: 0 to 15 percent gravel
A horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 and 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: loam and less commonly sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or silt loam
Clay content: 15 to 23 percent
Reaction: slightly acid through slightly alkaline
Bt horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 4 through 6 and 2 through 4 moist
Chroma: 2 through 4
Texture: clay loam and less commonly sandy clay loam or loam
Clay content: 20 to 35 percent
Reaction: neutral through moderately alkaline
Bk horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 5 through 7 and 4 through 6 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: silt loam and less commonly loam, some pedons have a very gravelly 2Bk horizon that extends to 60 inches or more
Clay content: 8 to 15 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 1 to 10 percent
Reaction: slightly alkaline through strongly alkaline
C horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 6 through 8 and 5 or 6 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: loam and less commonly silt loam, some pedons have a layer of fine sandy loam less than 5 inches thick above the 2C horizon
Clay content: 8 to 15 percent
Rock fragments: gravel content ranges from 0 to 15 percent by volume
Reaction: slightly alkaline through strongly alkaline
2C horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 5 through 7 and 4 through 6 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4
Texture: gravelly sand and less commonly gravelly coarse sand, sand, or coarse sand
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 10 percent
Rock fragments: gravel content ranges from 5 to 35 percent by volume
Reaction: slightly alkaline through strongly alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Atencio,
Eckley,
Gustspring,
Landavaso,
Newlin,
Redridge,
Tuthill,
Wheatridge and
Wolfvar soils.
Atencio soils have hue redder than 7.5YR.
Eckley soils have gravelly sand at a depth of 25 to 51 centimeters (10 to 20 inches)
Gustspring soils have 15 to 35 percent rock fragments in the Bt and Bk horizons.
Landavaso and Wheatridge soils are noncalcareous above depths of 102 centimeters (40 inches).
Newlin and Redridge soils have gravelly Bt horizons and have free carbonates from 102 centimeters (40 inches) to more than 152 centimeters (60 inches).
Tuthill soils contain more sand and less silt in the argillic horizon and do not have gravelly sand in the 2C horizon
Wolfvar soils have the base of the Bt horizon at depths less than 10 inches
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: derived from loamy sediments mainly of Tertiary Age
Landform: uplands and stream terrace
Slopes: 0 to 15 percent
Elevation: 914 to 1524 meters (3000 to 5000 feet)
Mean annual temperature: 8 to 14 degrees C (47 to 57 degrees F)
Mean annual precipitation: 36 to 46 centimeters (14 to 18 inches)
Frost-free period: 130 to 150 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Alliance,
Ascalon,
Canyon,
Chappell, Chappell,
Dix,
Eckley,
Keith,
Rosebud and
Tripp.
Alliance are deep, over calcareous, soft sandstone, are fine-silty, and on similar landscapes
Ascalon soils are very deep and on slightly higher ridges.
Canyon: are shallow over residual tertiary material and on ridges, side slopes, or knolls.
Chappell soils are on foot slopes.
Dix soils are shallow, sandy-skeletal, and are mainly on steep side slopes
Eckley soils have gravelly sand at a depth of 25 to 64 centimeters (10 to 20 inches)
Keith soils are very deep, fine-silty and on similar landscapes
Rosebud soils are on similar landscapes
Satanta soils are very deep, fine-loamy and on similar landscapes
Tripp soils are very deep, coarse-silty, do not have an argillic horizon, and are on similar high stream terraces and in a few places on uplands
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage: well drained.
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity: high in the solum and very rapid in the 2C horizon
Runoff: slow on nearly level slopes, medium on the gentle slopes and rapid on moderately steep slopes
USE AND VEGETATION: Soils are generally cultivated except on the steeper slopes. Dryland crops are wheat, corn, grain sorghum, millet, and spring-sown small grains.
Irrigated crops are corn, alfalfa, sugar beets, and field beans.
The native vegetation species are western wheatgrass, needleandthread, blue grama, thread leaf sedge, little bluestem, and buffalograss.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Altvan soils are extensive in western Nebraska and adjacent areas of Colorado, Wyoming, and South Dakota.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Archer Dryland Field Station, Laramie County, Wyoming, 1947.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon: 18 to 51 centimeters (7 to 20 inches). (A, BA and upper Bt horizons)
Argillic horizon: 23 to 46 centimeters (9 to 18 inches). (Bt horizon)
Abrupt textural change: 51 to 102 centimeters (20 to 40 inches). (2C horizon)
4/17/2000: OSD was reformatted for use in the Deuel County, NE final correlation
09/2005: metric conversion added and permeability changed to saturated hydraulic conductivity. LM and JCR