LOCATION CANLON KS+NEEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, calcareous, mesic Lithic Ustorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Canlon loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A1--0 to 4 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable; many fine and medium roots; few worm casts; few small caliche fragments; violent effervescence; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
AC--4 to 8 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak fine and medium granular structure; slightly hard, friable; common fine and medium roots; few worm casts; many 1/4- to 1 1/2-inch caliche fragments; violent effervescence; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
C--8 to 13 inches; white (10YR 8/2) loam, light gray (10YR 7/2) moist; massive; hard, friable; few fine roots; many small to large caliche fragments; violent effervescence; moderately alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
R--13 inches; white hard caliche.
TYPE LOCATION: Ellis County, Kansas; about 1 mile east and 6.5 miles north of Ellis; 2,700 feet east and 100 feet north of the southwest corner of sec. 4, T. 12 S., R. 20 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The thickness of the solum ranges from 3 to 12 inches. Depth to bedrock ranges from 10 to 20 inches. These soils are mildly alkaline or moderately alkaline throughout. They are loam, fine sandy loam, silt loam, or gravelly loam. Fragments of caliche, less than 3 inches in diameter and comprising as much as 35 percent by volume, are common throughout the soil.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 to 7 and 3 to 6 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3. Where the color value is as dark or darker than 5.5 dry and 3.5 moist, the A horizon is too thin for a mollic epipedon or the organic matter is less than 1 percent.
The C horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 6 to 8 and 4 to 7 moist, and chroma of 2 to 4. The underlying bedrock is limy sandstone or caliche.
COMPETING SERIES: The Canlon series is the only series in this family. Competing soils in other families are the Brandenburg, Brownell, Campus, Canyon, Heizer, Kipson, and Nibson soils. Brandenburg soils have frigid temperatures and have more than 35 percent coarse fragments within the series control section. Brownell, Campus, Heizer, Kipson, and Nibson soils have mollic epipedons. In addition, the Brownell soils have bedrock between depths of 20 and 40 inches; Heizer soils have more than 35 percent coarse fragments within the series control section; and the Kipson and Nibson soils have a paralithic contact with silty shales at depths of less than 20 inches. Canyon soils lack a lithic contact within depths of 20 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Canlon soils are on upland ridges and side slopes. The slope gradient ranges from 2 to 50 percent. These soils formed in loamy residuum weathered from lime-cemented sandstone or caliche. The mean annual temperature varies from 50 to 57 degrees F, and mean annual precipitation varies from 18 to 25 inches. Thornthwaites Annual P-E Index ranges from 30 to 40.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Campus, Carlson, Harney, and Penden soils. All of these soils have mollic epipedons and lack a lithic contact within depths of 20 inches. Harney soils are on higher positions. The Campus, Carlson, and Penden soils are on similar topography.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained and somewhat excessively drained. Runoff medium on less sloping areas and rapid on steep areas. Permeability is moderate.
USE AND VEGETATION: Principally used for native range. Native vegetation is tall and mid-grass prairie with little bluestem and big bluestem as dominant species.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: West-central and north-central Kansas and possibly adjoining areas of Nebraska. The series is moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Ellis County, Kansas, 1970.