LOCATION BADGER SD+MNEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, frigid Vertic Argiaquolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Badger silty clay loam, on a slightly concave slope of less than 1 percent in a cultivated field. When described the soil was moist throughout. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 23 centimeters (0 to 9 inches); black (10YR 2/1) silty clay loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; weak medium granular structure; friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. [Thickness of the A horizon is 20 to 61 centimeters (8 to 24 inches).]
Bt1--23 to 51 centimeters (9 to 20 inches); very dark gray (10YR 3/1) silty clay, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; strong medium prismatic structure parting to strong medium and coarse subangular blocky; firm, very sticky and very plastic; clay films on faces of peds; few fine iron and manganese oxide concretions; neutral; gradual smooth boundary.
Bt2--51 to 89 centimeters (20 to 35 inches); very dark gray (10YR 3/1) silty clay, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate coarse and medium subangular blocky; firm, very sticky and very plastic; clay films on faces of peds; few fine iron and manganese oxide concretions; neutral; gradual wavy boundary. [Combined thickness of the Bt horizon is 23 to 89 centimeters (9 to 35 inches).]
BCg--89 to 117 centimeters (35 to 46 inches); grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) silty clay loam, light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable, sticky and plastic; common fine and medium prominent brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) redoximorphic concentrations; slightly alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. [Thickness of the BCg horizon is 0 to 76 centimeters (0 to 30 inches).]
Cg1--117 to 140 centimeters (46 to 55 inches); grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) silty clay loam, light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) dry; massive; friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many medium prominent brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) redoximorphic concentrations and many medium distinct light gray (10YR 7/1) redoximorphic depletions; slightly alkaline; clear wavy boundary.
2Cg2--140 to152 centimeters (55 to 60 inches); grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) clay loam, light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) dry; massive; friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine dark accumulations (iron and manganese oxides); few fine accumulations of carbonate; many medium prominent brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) redoximorphic concentrations and many medium distinct light gray (10YR 7/1) redoximorphic depletions; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Kingsbury County, South Dakota; about 2 miles south of Badger; 400 feet south and 120 feet east of the northwest corner, sec. 4, T. 111 N., R. 53 W. USGS Badger, South. Dakota topographical quadrangle; latitude 44 degrees 27 minutes 18.11 seconds N. and longitude 97 degrees 12 minutes 31.02 seconds W., NAD 83
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mollic epipedon ranges from 51 to 114 centimeters (20 to 45 inches) thick and extends into or includes all of the Bt horizons. The depth to carbonates ranges from 89 to greater than 152 centimeters (35 to greater than 60 inches). The depth to glacial till or glacial drift is greater than 102 centimeters (40 inches).
The Ap or A horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 2 or 3 (3 or 4 dry), and chroma of 1 or less. It typically is silty clay loam or silt loam but is loam or clay loam in some pedons. It is slightly acid or neutral.
Some pedons have an AB horizon.
The Bt horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y or 5Y; value of 2 to 5 (3 to 6 dry); and chroma of 1 or 2. It typically is silty clay or clay but is silty clay loam or clay loam in some pedons. Clay content ranges from 35 to 50 percent. It is slightly acid or neutral.
Some pedons have a Btk horizon with colors and textures similar to the Bt.
The Bk or BCg horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, values of 4 to 6 (5 to 7 dry), and chroma of 1 to 4. They typically are silty clay loam, silty clay or clay loam but are silt loam or loam in some pedons. The Bk horizon has common to many accumulations of carbonates. Reaction is neutral or slightly alkaline in the BC horizon and slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline in the Bk horizon. Some pedons have few to common accumulations of gypsum and other salts in the lower part.
The Cg horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, values of 4 to 7 (5 to 8 dry), and chroma of 1 to 6. It typically is silty clay loam or silt loam. In some parts, the Cg horizon has few accumulations of carbonate. Some pedons have few to common accumulations of gypsum and other salts. Reaction is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
The 2Cg horizon has colors similar to the Cg horizon. It typically is clay loam or loam, but is sandy clay loam in some pedons. Some pedons have few accumulations of carbonate. Some pedons have few to common accumulations of gypsum and other salts. Reaction is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline. Some pedons do not have a 2C horizon.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Parnell series. The Parnell series has saturation at the surface for the very poorly drained phase and less than 30 cm (12 inches) on the poorly drained phase.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Badger soils are in upland swales, drainageways and toeslopes on uplands. Surfaces are plane or concave with slope gradients of 0 to 2 percent. Badger soils are formed in alluvium or alluvium over glacial till. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 4 to 7 degrees C (38 to 45 degrees F), and mean annual precipitation ranges from 485 to 735 millimeters (19 to 29 inches). Average growing season is 120 to 160 days. Average growing season precipitation ranges from 330 to 457 millimeters (13 to 18 inches). Elevation above sea level is 305 to 701 meters (1,000 to 2,300 feet). Growing degree days range from 2,500 to 3,000.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Aastad, Barnes, Brookings, Cubden, Forman, Hamerly, Kranzburg, McKranz, Oldham, Parnell, Peever, Poinsett, Svea, Tonka, Vienna, and Waubay soils. The moderately well drained Aastad, Brookings, Svea, and Waubay soils do not have an argillic horizon and are on higher parts of the landscape. The well drained Barnes, Forman, Peever, Poinsett and Vienna soils have a thinner mollic epipedon and are on higher parts of the landscape. The somewhat poorly drained Cubden, Hamerly, and McKranz soils have a calcic horizon and are on slight rises above swales and depressions. The very poorly drained Oldham soils are calcareous to the surface and are in closed depressions and basins of shallow lakes. The very poorly drained phase of Parnell soils are in closed depressions and have saturation at the surface. The poorly drained phase of Parnell are on similar landscape positions but have saturation within 30 cm (12 inches) of the surface. The poorly drained Tonka soils have an albic horizon and are in closed depressions and basins.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Somewhat poorly drained. Runoff is low to negligible. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is .15 to .5 centimeters (.06 to .2 inches) per hour. Seasonal high saturation occurs as high as 1 foot, typically in the spring in normal years. Very brief, frequent flooding can occur where this soil occurs in drainageways.
USE AND VEGETATION: Mostly areas are cultivated and some areas are artificially drained. Corn, soybeans, small grains, alfalfa and tame grass are the principal crops. Major native grass species are big bluestem, Indiangrass, prairie cordgrass, switchgrass, porcupinegrass, leadplant, sedges, and forbs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRA-55B and 102A. North-central and northeastern South Dakota and western Minnesota. Moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Deuel County, South Dakota, 1990.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: mollic epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 89 centimeters (35 inches) (Ap, Bt1, Bt2 horizons); argillic horizon - the zone from a depth of 23 to 89 centimeters (9 to 35 inches) (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons); aquic suborder- Value of 5 or more and chroma of 2 or less and redox features that have higher chroma. Vertic subgroup based on more than 6 cm of COLE in the upper 102 centimeters (40 inches) (clay content is 35 to 50 percent in the argillic).
In the past this series was correlated as both poorly drained and somewhat poorly drained. This created interpretive problems for hydric soils and overlap with the Parnell series. The central concept of this series is somewhat poorly drained. The poorly drained phase of Parnell is the hydric component on the landscape.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Refer to pedon National Soil Survey Lab number S87SD-077-016 for results of the typical pedon.