LOCATION CROSSPLAIN SDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, mesic Typic Argiaquolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Crossplain 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 9 inches; black (10YR 2/1) clay loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; few fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) redox concentrations; weak coarse and medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, friable, slightly sticky, and slightly plastic; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. (Thickness of the A horizon ranges from 6 to 20 inches.)
Bt--9 to 15 inches; very dark gray (5Y 3/1) and black (5Y 2/1) clay loam, very dark gray (5Y 3/1) and dark gray (5Y 4/1) dry; few fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) redox concentrations; weak medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium and fine subangular blocky; very hard, firm, sticky, and plastic; shiny coats on vertical faces of peds; neutral; clear wavy boundary.
Btg--15 to 23 inches; dark gray (5Y 4/1) clay loam, gray (5Y 5/1) dry; common fine and medium prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) redox concentrations; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium and fine subangular blocky; very hard, firm, sticky, and plastic; tongues of black (5Y 2/1) from 1/2 to 1 1/2 inch wide on vertical faces of peds; shiny coats on faces of all peds; common fine dark accumulations (iron and manganese oxides); neutral; clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of Bt horizon ranges from 12 to 30 inches.)
Bkg1--23 to 28 inches; olive gray (5Y 5/2) clay loam, gray (5Y 6/1) dry; common medium prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) redox concentrations; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to weak medium subangular blocky; hard, friable, slightly sticky, and slightly plastic; shiny coats on vertical faces of peds; many fine dark masses and few dark concretions (iron and manganese oxides); many medium soft masses and common medium concretions of calcium carbonate; strong effervescence; slightly alkaline; gradual wavy boundary.
Bkg2--28 to 36 inches; olive gray (5Y 5/2) clay loam, gray (5Y 6/1) dry; many coarse and medium prominent light olive brown (2.5Y 5/6) redox concentrations; weak coarse subangular blocky structure parting to weak medium subangular blocky; very hard, friable, sticky, and plastic; common medium dark masses and common fine dark concretions (iron and manganese oxides); common medium concretions and many medium soft masses of calcium carbonate; strong effervescence; slightly alkaline; diffuse boundary.
Bkg3--36 to 48 inches; olive gray (5Y 5/2) heavy loam, gray (5Y 6/1) dry; many medium and coarse prominent light olive brown (2.5Y 5/6) redox concentrations; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; very hard, friable, sticky, and plastic; common medium dark masses and few medium dark concretions (iron and manganese oxides); many medium soft masses of calcium carbonate; strong effervescence; slightly alkaline; diffuse boundary. (Combined thickness of Bk horizon ranges from 10 inches to 36 inches.)
Cg--48 to 60 inches; olive gray (5Y 5/2) loam, gray (5Y 6/1) dry; many coarse and medium prominent light olive brown (2.5Y 5/6) redox concentrations; massive with laminations evident; very hard, friable, sticky, and plastic; common medium dark masses and few fine dark concretions (iron and manganese oxides); few medium soft masses of calcium carbonate; strong effervescence; slightly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Hutchinson County, South Dakota; about 7 miles north and 1/2 mile east of Freeman; 2,204 feet east and 175 feet south of the northwest corner of sec. 25, T. 100 N., R. 56 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mollic epipedon ranges from 12 to 36 inches thick and extends into or includes all of the Bt horizons. The depth to free calcium carbonate typically is 20 to 28 inches but ranges from 16 to 48 inches.
The A horizon has 10YR or 2.5Y hue, value of 2 or 3 and 3 to 5 dry, and chroma of 1 or less. It typically is clay loam, but is silt loam, silty clay loam or loam in some pedons. It is slightly acid or neutral. Most pedons have faint mottling in the A horizon.
An AB horizon is in some pedons and has color of the A horizon.
The Bt horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y, or 5Y; value of 2 to 4 and 3 to 6 dry; and chroma of 1 or 2. It is clay loam or clay. Clay content ranges from 35 to 45 percent with more than 15 percent fine sand or coarser. Some pedons have a thin Bt1 horizon that have less than 35 percent clay. Typically, dark colored tongues from 1/2 to 2 inches wide extend into the Bt horizon. It is slightly acid or neutral.
The Bk horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 4 or 5 and 5 to 7 dry, and chroma of 1 to 3. It is clay loam or loam. It has disseminated and common to many masses of calcium carbonate and ranges from neutral to moderately alkaline. In some pedons visible nests of gypsum are in the lower part of the Bk horizon, but are generally below 40 inches.
The C horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 4 or 5 and 5 to 7 dry, and chroma of 1 to 3. It is loam or clay loam. It has disseminated and few to common masses of calcium carbonate and is slightly or moderately alkaline. Thin lenses of sandy loam or sand mixed with gravel are below depths of 40 inches in some pedons.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bremer, Gregory, Lodgepole, Taintor, Winterset and Worthenton series. Bremer and Lodgepole soils contain less than 15 percent fine sand or coarser iin the particle-size control section. In addition, Bremer soils are leached of carbonates to depths greater than 60 inches. Gregory soils do not have secondary carbonate masses in the lower one-half of the series control section. Taintor and Winterset soils are leached of carbonates to depths greater than 40 inches and contain less sand. Worthenton soils are moderately or strongly alkaline in the argillic horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Crossplain soils are nearly level in swales, drainageways, and closed depressions on uplands. Surfaces are plane to concave with slope gradients less than 2 percent. Crossplain soils formed in glacial drift or a thin mantle of local alluvium over glacial drift. The mean annual temperature ranges from 45 to 52 degrees F, and the mean annual precipitation ranges from 18 to 26 inches. Growing season is about 130 to 165 days; average growing season precipitation is 14 to 20 inches; and growing degree days are about 2600 to 3400.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Clarno, Davison, Hand, Harps, Prosper, Tetonka, Whitewood and Worthing soils. Clarno and Hand soils are on the higher parts of the landscape and do not have an argillic horizon and are better drained. Davison and Harps soils are on low convex knolls adjacent to swales and have a calcic horizon. Prosper and Whitewood soils are in swales. Prosper soils have a fine-loamy control section and Whitewood soils have a fine-silty control section. Tetonka and Worthing soils are in closed depressions. Tetonka soils have an E horizon. Worthing soils have a mollic epipedon more than 36 inches and are ponded for longer periods during the growing season.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly and poorly drained. Runoff is low. Permeability is slow or moderately slow. A perched water table typically is between depths of 0 to 2 feet.
USE AND VEGETATION: Mostly cultivated. Corn, soybeans, grain sorghum, small grains, alfalfa, and tame grass are the principal crops. Major native grass species are big bluestem, needlegrass, switchgrass, porcupinegrass, western wheatgrass, sideoats grama, bluegrass, sedges and forbs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: East-central and southeastern South Dakota; possibly northeastern Nebraska. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Hutchinson County, South Dakota, 1974.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: mollic epipedon - the zone from the surface to a depth of about 15 inches (Ap, Bt horizons); argillic horizon - the zone from about 9 to 23 inches (Bt, Btg horizons).
The classification was changed to Typic from Vertic due to less than 6 cm of cole in the control section.