LOCATION ASHOLLOW NEEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, calcareous, mesic Aridic Ustorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Ashollow very fine sandy loam, on a 22 percent convex southwest-facing slope in native grass. When described, the soil was dry throughout. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 8 centimeters (0 to 3 inches); grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (5 to 23 centimeters (2 to 9 inches) thick)
AC--8 to 25 centimeters (3 to 10 inches); brown (10YR 5/3) very fine sandy loam; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure; slightly hard, very friable; 2 percent sandstone gravel by volume; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick)
C1--25 to 81 centimeters (10 to 32 inches); pale brown (10YR 6/3) very fine sandy loam; brown (10YR 4/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable; 2 percent sandstone gravel by volume; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary.
C2--81 to 203 centimeters (32 to 80 inches); light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very fine sandy loam; brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable; 3 percent sandstone gravel by volume; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Garden County, Nebraska; about 5 miles southeast of Lewellen on state highway 26; 335 meters (1100 feet) east and 30 meters (100 feet) south of the northwest corner of Sec. 23, T. 15 N., R. 42 W. Ruthton topographic quadrangle; latitude 41 degrees, 15 minutes, 53 seconds North and longitude 102 degrees, 6 minutes, 31 seconds West.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to carbonates: 0 to 25 centimeters (0 to 10 inches), increase uniformly with increasing depth
Rock fragments in particle-size control section: 2 to 15 percent by volume - typically less than 5 percent
A horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Reaction: slightly to moderately alkaline
Texture: very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loamy very fine sand
Comments: Values of less than 5.5 dry and 3.5 moist are less than 7 inches thick.
AC horizon (if it occurs):
Hue: 10YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Reaction: slightly to moderately alkaline
Texture: very fine sandy loam, loamy very fine sand, fine sandy loam
C horizons:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 6 to 8 dry, 4 to 7 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Reaction: slightly to moderately alkaline
Texture: very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loamy very fine sand
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Lindrith,
Otero and
Pitchdraw series.
Lindrith soils are intermittently moist in some part of the soil moisture control section December through April and July through September, driest during
May and June
Otero soils: have erratic amount and distribution of carbonates throughout the control section lower on the landscape, formed in alluvium
Pichdraw soils are only moderately deep soils
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landscape: uplands, sandhills
Landform: drainageways
Slopes: 3 to 60 percent
Elevation: 1067 to 1524 meters (3500 to 5000 feet) (using 2900-3500')
Parent Material: loamy and sandy residuum weathered from calcareous sandstone
Mean annual air temperature: 8 to 12 degrees C (47 to 53 degrees F) (using 50-54)
Mean annual precipitation: 36 to 46 centimeters (14 to 18 inches) (using 15-22")
Frost-free period: 120 to 155 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Bankard,
Busher,
Sarben,
Sidney,
Tassel, and
Valent soils
Bankard soils: formed in sandy alluvium on flood plains below areas of Ashollow soils on the landscape
Busher and Sidney soils: have a mollic epipedon, sandstone at depths between 102 to 152 centimeters (40 and 60 inches) on higher landscapes
Sarben soils: have carbonates at 38 to 102 centimeters (15 to 40 inches), do not have sandstone fragments on higher landscapes
Tassel soils: have weakly cemented sandstone between 10 and 20 inches
on higher landscapes
Valent soils: are sandy on dune topography, do not contain sandstone fragments
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage: well drained
Saturated hydraulic conductivity: high
Runoff: low to high.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are in native grass rangeland and not suited for cultivation.
Native vegetation is mainly blue grama, prairie sandreed, needleandthread, threadleaf sedge, little bluestem and yucca.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Ashollow soils are moderately extensive in western Nebraska, possibly eastern Colorado and eastern Wyoming.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Sioux County, Nebraska, 1993.
REMARKS: Diagnostic features recognized in this pedon are:
ochric epipedon: 0 to 8 centimeters (0 to 3 inches) (A horizon)
This soil was previously mapped with the Otero soils.
Additional Data: Pedon S90NE069-032 was sampled and described for the National Soil Survey Laboratory.
Modified by LM and JCR in 9/2005 to include metric conversion and change permeability to saturated hydraulic conductivity.