LOCATION ABERDEEN SD+ND
Established Series
LDS-CJH
07/2014
ABERDEEN SERIES
The Aberdeen series consists of very deep, moderately well drained soils formed in glacial lacustrine sediments on lake plains. Permeability is slow in the solum and moderate to slow in the underlying material. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 19 inches, and mean annual air temperature is about 43 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, frigid Glossic Natrudolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Aberdeen silty clay loam - on a plane slope of less than 1 percent in cultivation. When described the soil was dry to 30 inches and moist below. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated)
Ap--0 to 8 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) silty clay loam, black (10YR 2/1) moist; weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; slightly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (Combined A horizons 5 to 12 inches thick)
BE--8 to 11 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) silty clay loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; gray (10YR 6/1) silt coatings on faces of peds; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to weak thin platy; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
Btn1--11 to 18 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) silty clay, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate fine blocky; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; shiny films on faces of peds; neutral; clear wavy boundary.
Btn2--18 to 26 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) silty clay, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium and fine blocky; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; shiny films on faces of peds; neutral; clear wavy boundary. (Combined Btn horizons 8 to 26 inches thick)
Bkyz1--26 to 31 inches; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) silty clay loam, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to weak medium subangular blocky; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common fine nests of gypsum and other salts; common very fine accumulations of carbonate; strong effervescence; slightly alkaline; clear wavy boundary.
Bkyz2--31 to 38 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) silty clay loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to weak medium subangular blocky; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common fine nests of gypsum and other salts; common very fine accumulations of carbonate; strong effervescence; slightly alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined Bkyz horizons 0 to 20 inches thick)
C1--38 to 51 inches; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) silt loam, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; few fine prominent of yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) redoximorphic concentrations and few fine distinct gray (10YR 5/1) moist redoximorphic depletions; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine threads and nests of gypsum and other salts; slight effervescence; slightly alkaline; gradual wavy boundary.
C2--51 to 60 inches; pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) silt loam, laminated with thin layers of silty clay and very fine sandy loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) moist; common fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) and strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) redoximorphic concentrations, and gray (10YR 5/1) moist redoximorphic depletions; massive; laminations 1 to 3 mm thick; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; slight effervescence; slightly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Brown County, South Dakota; about 2 miles east and 4 miles south of Aberdeen; 580 feet west and 93 feet south of the northeast corner of sec. 9, T. 122 N., R. 63 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The depth to carbonates ranges from 16 to about 40 inches. Depth to accumulated salts is typically greater than 20 inches.
The A horizon has value of 3 or 4 and 2 or 3 moist. It typically is silty clay loam or silt loam but is loam, fine sandy loam, or silty clay in some pedons. It is moderately acid to neutral.
The BE horizon has value of 4 or 5 and 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 1 or 2. It has gray or light gray silt coatings on faces of peds. It is slightly acid or neutral. Some pedons have E or B/E horizons. Some pedons have relic columnar peds that are deeply degraded both in color and in structure, with horizontal and vertical streaks of gray or light gray extending an inch or more into the columns.
The Btn horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 3 to 5 and 2 to 4 moist, and chroma of 1 to 3. It is silty clay, silty clay loam or clay that contains an estimated 35 to 55 percent clay and less than 15 percent fine sand or coarser. It ranges from neutral to moderately alkaline. Some pedons have Btk or Btkn horizons.
The Bkyz horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 5 to 7 and 3 to 5 moist, and chroma of 1 to 4. It is silty clay loam, silty clay or silt loam. It is slightly to strongly alkaline. It has more exchangeable magnesium plus sodium than calcium plus hydrogen and exchangeable sodium exceeds 15 percent in the Bkz or C horizons. The Bkz and upper part of the C horizons have few or common fine nests and threads of gypsum and other salts. Some pedons do not have accumulations of gypsum and/or other salts. Some pedons have a BCk horizon.
The C horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 5 to 8 and 4 to 6 moist, and chroma of 2 to 4. It is silt loam or silty clay loam and typically is laminated with very thin strata of very fine sand to clay. Varves range from less than 1 mm to 10 mm in thickness. It is slightly to strongly alkaline. Some pedons have sandy materials below a depth of 40 inches. Other pedons have loamy glacial till below a depth of 40 inches.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the
Cresbard series. Cresbard soils contain more than 15 percent fine sand or coarser.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Aberdeen soils are on level and nearly level lake plains. Slope gradients are less than 2 percent. The soils formed in laminated glaciolacustrine sediments of silt sized particles but with thin lens of very fine sand or clay sized particles. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 38 to 45 degrees, and mean precipitation from 17 to 24 inches. Most of the precipitation comes in the spring and summer. Growing season is about 120 to 140 days; average growing season precipitation is 14 to 18 inches; and growing degree days are about 2500 to 3000.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Beotia,
Bearden,
Fargo,
Exline,
Great Bend,
Harmony,
Nahon and
Zell soils. Beotia, Great Bend, Harmony, and Zell soils do not have a natric horizon and are on the slightly higher plane to convex surfaces. In addition, Beotia and Great Bend soils are fine-silty and Zell soils are coarse-silty. Bearden and Fargo soils do not have a natric horizon are lower on the landscape. In addition, Bearden has a calcic horizon within a depth of 16 inches. Fargo soils are poorly drained. Exline soils have visible salts within a depth of 16 inches and are in slightly lower parts of the landscape. Harmony soils lack natric horizons. Nahon soils have columnar structure in the Btn horizon. Harmony and Nahon soils are on the broad smooth flats in close association with the Aberdeen soils.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained. Runoff is low or medium. Permeability is slow in the solum and moderate to slow in the underlying material.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are cropped to small grains, sunflowers, and alfalfa. Native vegetation includes western wheatgrass, green needlegrass, little bluestem, big bluestem, sideoats grama, blue grama, porcupinegrass, needleandthread, sedges, and forbs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern South Dakota and eastern North Dakota. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Brown County, South Dakota, 1925.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: mollic epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of about 26 inches (Ap, BE, Btn1, Btn2 horizons); natric horizon - the zone from a depth of about 11 to 26 inches (Btn1 and Btn2 horizons).
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.