LOCATION BUTTERMILK KS+OK
Established Series
BRH-CEW-JLD
02/2016
BUTTERMILK SERIES
The Buttermilk series consists of very deep, moderately well drained, moderately permeable saline soils on stream terraces in the Central Red Rolling Prairies (MLRA 80A). They formed in silty alluvium. Slope ranges from 0 to 3 percent. Mean annual temperature is 14.4 degrees C (58 degrees F), and mean annual precipitation is 762 mm (30 in).
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, thermic Pachic Haplustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Buttermilk silt loam--native grass, at an elevation of 543 m (1780 ft). (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 13 cm (0 to 5 in); grayish brown (10YR 5/2) silt loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium granular structure; hard, friable; many fine roots; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (Thickness of the A horizon ranges from 0 to 20 cm [0 to 8 in])
Ay1--13 to 48 cm (5 to 19 in); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silt loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate medium granular structure; hard, friable; many fine roots; common fine white salt crystals; slight effervescence; slightly saline; moderately alkaline, gradual smooth boundary.
Ay2--48 to 71 cm (19 to 28 in); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silt loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak medium granular structure; hard, friable; few fine roots; common fine white salt crystals; strong effervescence; slightly saline; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (Thickness of the Ay horizon ranges from 15 to 64 cm [6 to 25 inches])
Bwy--71 to 112 cm (28 to 44 in); light brown (7.5YR 6/4) silt loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable; few fine roots; common fine white gypsum crystals; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (Thickness of the Bw horizon is 20 to 61 cm [8 to 24 in])
Cy--112 to 155 (44 to 61 in); pink (7.5YR 7/4) silt loam, light brown (7.5YR 6/4) moist; massive; hard, friable; many fine white gypsum crystals; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Comanche County, Kansas; about 7 miles south of Protection; 2,550 feet west and 400 feet south of the northeast corner of sec. 13, T. 34 S., R. 20 W.
USGS topographic quadrangle: Protection, KS
Latitude: 37 degrees, 5 minutes, 22 seconds N
Longitude: 99 degrees, 26 minutes, 32 seconds W
Datum: NAD 83
UTM Easting: 460688 m
UTM Northing: 4104948 m
UTM Zone: 14
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Thickness of the solum: is more than 152 cm (60 in)
Thickness of mollic epipedon: 51 to 102 cm (20 to 40 in) thick, and includes the Bw horizon in some pedons.
Depth to secondary carbonates: 0 to 51 cm (0 to 20 in)
Depth to gypsum accumulations: 71 cm (28 in)
A horizon:
Hue: 5YR to 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry and 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry or moist
Texture: silt loam or loam
Electrical conductivity (mmhos/cm): 2 to 8
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline
Bw horizon:
Hue: 5YR to 10YR
Value: 5 or 6 dry and 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6 dry or moist
Texture: silt loam or silty clay loam
Electrical conductivity (mmhos/cm): 4 to 16
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline
C horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR to 10 YR
Value: 5 to 7 dry and 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 4 to 6 dry and moist
Texture: silt loam or silty clay loam
Electrical conductivity (mmhos/cm): 2 to 8
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline
COMPETING SERIES:
Dale is the only other series in the same family. Soils in similar families are
Corbin,
Elandco,
Pond Creek,
Port,
Reinach,
St. Paul, and
Westview series.
All the competing series do not have saline characteristics
Elandco and
Port soils: have organic matter contents that decrease irregularly as depth increases and is more than 0.5 percent at a depth of 127 cm (50 in)
Corbin,
Pond Creek,
St. Paul, and
Westview soils: have an argillic horizon
Reinach soils: have less than 18 percent clay in the control section
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: formed in silty alluvium
Landscape: alluvial plains
Landform: nearly level high stream terraces
Slope: 0 to 3 percent
Mean annual precipitation: 737 to 787 mm (29 to 31 in)
Mean annual air temperature: 13.9 to 15 degrees C (57 to 61 degrees F)
Frost-free period: 181 to 240 days
Elevation: 366 to 427 m (1200 to 1400 ft)
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing
Dale,
Port, and
Reinach series, and the
Brewer,
Canadian,
Carey,
Clairemont,
Kingsdown,
Lela, and McLain series.
Dale soils: do not have electrical conductivity above 2 mmhos/cm, and are on similar positions
Clairemont and
Port soils: are on lower positions. In addition, Clairemont soils do not have a mollic epipedon.
Canadian and
Reinach soils: are on slightly higher positions nearer to the stream. In addition, Canadian soils have a mollic epipedon less than 51 cm (20 in) thick and have a coarse-loamy control section.
Brewer,
Lela, and McLain soils: are on slightly lower positions farther from the stream and have more than 35 percent clay in the control section
Carey and
Kingsdown soils: are on convex side slopes, ridges, or knobs, and have a mollic epipedon less than 51 cm (20 in) thick
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY:
Drainage: Moderately well
Runoff: negligible
Permeability: moderate
Flooding: rare
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are cultivated to wheat and grain sorghum. Native vegetation is tall and mid grasses tolerant of salinity.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South central Kansas and north central Oklahoma. LRR H; MLRA 80A. The soil is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Comanche County, Kansas; 1986
REMARKS:
These soils were formerly mapped as Dale silt loam, saline.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon: 0 to 71 cm (0 to 28 in) (A1, Ay1, and Ay2 horizons)
Cambic horizon: 71 to 112 cm (28 to 44 in) (Bwy horizon)
Updated extensively during SDJR (JLD 01/2016).
ADDITIONAL DATA: Lab data by Kellogg Soil Survey Laboratory, Pedon ID 84KS033002, Lincoln, Nebraska.
Taxonomic version: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Twelfth Edition, 2014
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.