LOCATION CHERRY ND+MT
Established Series
CJH
01/2023
CHERRY SERIES
The Cherry series consists of very deep, well drained, moderately slowly or slowly permeable soils that formed in alluvium on fans, foot slopes, dissected uplands and terraces. Slopes range from 0 to 25 percent. Mean annual air temperature is 42 degrees F, and mean annual precipitation is 14 inches.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, frigid Typic Haplustepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Cherry silty clay loam - on a west-facing concave slope of 6 percent under native grass. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated. Where described, the soil was moist throughout.)
A--0 to 3 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) silty clay loam, very dark grayish brown (2.5Y 3/2) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure parting to moderate fine granular; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; many fine roots; many fine pores; slightly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
Bw1--3 to 15 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) silty clay loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium and fine angular blocky; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; common roots; common fine pores; thin patches of clay films on vertical faces of peds; strong effervescence; many fine threads of carbonates; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary.
Bw2--15 to 33 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) silty clay loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to strong medium and fine subangular blocky; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few roots; common fine pores; many fine threads and few medium masses of carbonates; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined Bw horizons 6 to 40 inches thick)
C--33 to 60 inches; light olive gray (5Y 6/2) silty clay, olive gray (5Y 4/2) moist; moderate medium and fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; some stratification present; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Stark County, North Dakota; about 8 miles south and 1 mile west of Taylor; 405 feet north and 135 feet east of the southwest corner, sec. 5, T. 138 N., R. 93 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The depth to carbonates ranges from 0 to 5 inches. The 10- to 40-inch particle-size control section typically averages between 27 and 35 percent clay but ranges from 18 to 35 percent. Saline phases are recognized.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 or 6 and 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3. It typically is silt loam or silty clay loam, but some is loam, clay or clay loam. It is neutral to moderately alkaline.
The Bw horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 5 to 7 and 4 to 6 moist, and chroma of 2 to 4. It is silt loam or silty clay loam and is slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline.
Some pedons have a Bk or BCk horizon. They are not calcic horizons.
The C horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 5 to 7 and 4 to 6 moist, and chroma of 2 to 4. It is silty clay, silty clay loam, clay loam, or silt loam, and is stratified in many pedons. Coarser or finer textures are in some pedons below a depth of 40 inches. It is moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Cherry soils are on level to moderately steep fans, foot slopes, dissected upland and terraces. Slope gradients typically are between 2 and 10 percent but range from 0 to 25 percent. The soils formed in local alluvium from silty shales. The climate is cool, semiarid. The mean annual air temperature ranges from 38 to 45 degrees F, and the mean annual precipitation ranges from 12 to 16 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Arnegard,
Cabba,
Farland,
Grail,
Grassna,
Lohler,
Morton,
Wyola,
Sen,
Shambo and
Wayden soils. Shambo, Farland and Wyola soils are on nearby terraces in valleys. These soils have a mollic epipedon. In addition, Farland and Wyola soils have an argillic horizon; Wyola soils are fine; and Shambo soils are fine-loamy. Arnegard, Grail and Grassna soils are on nearly level concave swales and fans in nearby uplands and terraces and have mollic epipedons more than 16 inches thick. Cabba and Wayden soils are on crests of hills and steep slopes on nearby uplands. They have paralithic contacts at depths of less than 20 inches. Lohler soils are on nearby stream flood plains. They do not have cambic horizons and are fine. Morton and Sen soils are on uplands and have mollic epipedons. In addition, Morton soils have argillic horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Medium and rapid runoff. Slow and moderately slow permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Soils are cropped to small grains, hay, and pasture and are used for grazing. Native vegetation is western wheatgrass, blue grama, green needlegrass, needleandthread, and a variety of forbs and shrubs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western North Dakota and eastern Montana. The soil is of large extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Salina, Kansas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: McKenzie County, North Dakota, 1932.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 3 inches (A horizon); cambic horizon - the zone from 3 to 33 inches (Bw1 and Bw2 horizons).
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.