LOCATION BROWNSON NEEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey, mixed, superactive, mesic, shallow Aridic Argiustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Brownson loam - on less than 1 percent slope in a cultivated field. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap1--0 to 3 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak very fine granular structure; soft, very friable; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
Ap2--3 to 5 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky and moderate fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 4 inches thick)
Bt1--5 to 8 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; strong fine and very fine subangular blocky structure; moderately hard, firm; neutral; clear smooth boundary.
Bt2--8 to 13 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; strong fine prismatic structure parting to strong medium subangular blocky; moderately hard, firm; thin discontinuous films on faces of peds; slightly alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick)
2Bkc--13 to 17 inches; extremely channery sandy loam, white (10YR 8/1) weakly cemented fractured sandstone, moderately alkaline.
2Cr--17 to 25 inches; white (10YR 8/1) cemented sandstone, indurated caliche laminated and discontinuous across the profile.
TYPE LOCATION: Kimball County, Nebraska; about 14 miles south on highway 29 and 1.75 miles east of Kimball; 1,800 feet east and 200 feet south of the northeast corner of sec. 12, T. 12 N., R. 56 W. 41 degrees 01 minutes 9 seconds north longitude and 103 degrees 39 minutes 3 seconds west latitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature: 49 to 55 degrees F
Depth to paralithic contact: 10 to 20 inches
Depth to secondary calcium carbonate: 10 to 20 inches
Thickness of the solum: 10 to 20 inches
Thickness mollic epipedon: 7 to 20 inches
Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: 33 to 40 percent
A horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 and 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: loam and less commonly very fine sandy loam or fine sandy loam
Reaction: neutral or slightly alkaline
Bt horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 4 through 6 and 3 through 5 moist
Chroma: 2 through 4
Texture: clay loam and less commonly sandy clay loam
Clay content: 33 to 40 percent
Reaction: neutral or slightly alkaline
2Bkc :
Hue: 10YR
Value: 6 through 8 and 4 through 7 moist
Chroma: 1 through 4
Texture: loam ,very fine sandy loam or fine sandy loam
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 5 percent
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline
2Bkm horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 7 or 8 and 6 or 7 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2
Texture: cemented fractured sandstone
COMPETING SERIES: There are no series in the same family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: loess and loamy, calcareous residuum weathered from cemented fine grain sandstone
Landform: nearly level to very gently sloping and on tablelands
Slopes: 0 to 4 percent
Elevation: 3500 to 5500 feet
Mean annual temperature: 47 to 57 degrees F
Mean annual precipitation: 14 to 19 inches
Frost-free period: 120 to 150 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Canyon and
Tassel soils lack argillic horizons and are on similar and steeper landscapes.
Rosebud soils are moderately deep and are on similar landscapes.
Blanche soils are coarse loamy, moderately deep and on similar and steeper landscapes.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY:
Drainage: well drained
Permeability: moderate
Runoff: low
USE AND VEGETATION: Brownson soils are mostly cultivated. Winter wheat is the principal dryland crop. Many areas have been seeded to grass under the conservation reserve program. Some areas are native range.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Brownson soils are of small extent and occur mainly in Kimball County, Nebraska.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Kimball County, Nebraska in 2002
REMARKS:
The Bt horizon extends into cracks in the sandstone. A few sandstone rock fragments are on the surface. A thin mat of roots is often present at the point of contact above the sandstone.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon: the zone from the surface to a maximum depth of 20 inches (A and Bt horizons). Argillic horizon: the zone from 5 to 13 inches (Bt horizon).
The Brownson series was formerly included in the Canyon and Rosebud series.
The 2Cr is being investigated as a petrocalcic horizon. The petrocalcic horizon formed in the Ash Hollow formation of the Ogallala group deposited 5 to 10 million years ago during the Pliocene Epoch. There are areas of the petrocalcic horizon that have fractures less than the required horizontal spacing of 10cm.