LOCATION CULLISON NE+SD

Established Series
Rev. WCM, RRZ, RRH
12/2021

CULLISON SERIES

The Cullison series consists of very deep, poorly drained and very poorly drained soils formed in loamy eolian deposits on swales on interdunes on sandhills of the Nebraska Sandhills (MLRA 65). Permeability is moderate. Slope ranges from 0 to 1 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 46 centimeters (18 inches) and the mean annual air temperature is about 8 degrees C. (47 degrees F.) at the type location.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, carbonatic, mesic Typic Calciaquolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Cullison Mucky peat with a slope of less than 1 percent in a native hay meadow. When described, the soil was moist to 94 centimeters (37 inches) and wet below that depth. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)

Oe--0 to 3 centimeters (0 to 1 inches); very dark brown (10YR 2/2) Mucky peat, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry; soft, friable; violent effervescence; finely disseminated carbonate throughout; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 8 centimeters (0 to 3 inches) thick)

Ak1--3 to 20 centimeters (1 to 8 inches); black (10YR 2/1) loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; moderate very fine and fine granular structure; soft, very friable; many very fine and fine and few medium roots; violent effervescence; finely disseminated carbonate throughout; 23 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary.

Ak2--20 to 36 centimeters (8 to 14 inches); very dark gray (10YR 3/1) clay loam, gray (10YR 5/1) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to moderate very fine and fine granular; slightly hard, very friable; many very fine and fine and few medium roots; violent effervescence; finely disseminated carbonate throughout; 35 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary.

Ak3--36 to 46 centimeters (14 to 18 inches); very dark gray (10YR 3/1) clay loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to moderate fine granular; slightly hard, friable; common very fine and fine and few medium roots; violent effervescence; finely disseminated carbonate throughout; 42 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; moderately alkaline; gradual irregular boundary. (Combined Ak horizon is 18 to 117 centimeters (7 to 46 inches) thick.

Bkg1--46 to 61 centimeters (18 to 24 inches); dark gray (10YR 4/1) clay loam, gray (10YR 5/1) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine granular; slightly hard, friable; few very fine and medium roots; violent effervescence; finely disseminated carbonate throughout; 56 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary.

Bkg2--61 to 76 centimeters (24 to 30 inches); gray (10YR 5/1) clay loam, gray (10YR 6/1) dry; weak coarse subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine granular; slightly hard, friable; few very fine and fine roots; violent effervescence; finely disseminated carbonate throughout; 51 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary.

Bkg3--76 to 117 centimeters (30 to 46 inches); gray (10YR 5/1) and dark gray (10YR 4/1) clay loam, light gray (10YR 7/1) and gray (10YR 6/1) dry; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine granular structure; hard, friable; few very fine roots; violent effervescence; finely disseminated carbonate throughout; 39 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary.

Bkg4--117 to 200 centimeters (46 to 79) inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) and light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) loam, light gray (2.5Y 7/2) and pale yellow (2.5Y 8/2) dry; few fine distinct very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist iron depletions in the matrix; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable; few very fine roots; violent effervescence; finely disseminated carbonate throughout; 34 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; moderately alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Cherry County, Nebraska; about 22.4 kilometers (14 miles) east and 3.75 kilometers (6 miles) north of Gordon, Nebraska; 259 meters (850 feet) west and 30 meters (100 feet) south of the northeast corner of sec. 31, T. 34 N., R. 39 W. Irwin topographic quadrangle: latitude 42 degrees, 53 minutes, 13 seconds North and longitude 101 degrees, 47 minutes, 3 seconds West.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Moisture regime: aquic
Depth to redoximorphic features: 0 to 46 centimeters (0 to 18 inches)
Redoximorphic features: Greater than 100cm
Endosaturation depth: 0 to 46 centimeters (0 to 18 inches)
Depths of calcium carbonate: 0 to 200 centimeters (0 to 79 inches)
Calcium carbonate equivalent in the calcic horizon: 15 to 60 percent
Thickness of the mollic epipedon: 18 to 117 centimeters (7 to 46 inches)
Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Sand content: 25 to 45 percent
Silt content: 22 to 44 percent
Non-carbonate clay content: 9 to 18 percent

O horizon (when present):
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 4 to 6, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1 to 3
Texture: mucky peat, muck, peat
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline

Ak horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 4 to 7, 2 to 5 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2
Texture: loam, clay loam, sandy clay loam, mucky loam, mucky fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam, silty clay loam
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 25 percent
Electric Conductivity: 0 to 2 mmhos/cm
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline

Bkg horizon above 100 centimeters (40 inches):
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 4 to 7 dry, 2 to 5 moist
Chroma of 1 or 2
Texture: loam, clay loam, sandy clay loam, fine sandy loam, silty clay loam
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 40 to 60 percent
Electric Conductivity: 0 to 2 mmhos/cm
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline

Bkg horizon below 100 centimeters (40 inches):
Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y, or 5Y
Value: 5 to 8 dry, 4 to 7 moist
Chroma of 1 or 2
Texture: clay loam, sandy clay loam, silty clay loam, or loam. Some pedons have buried surface layers or sandy material below a depth of 102 centimeters (40 inches).
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 5 to 60 percent
Electric Conductivity: 0 to 2 mmhos/cm
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline
Some pedons have Cg horizons

COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in the same family.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: loamy eolian deposits
Landscape: sandhills
Landform: swales on interdunes
Slopes: 0 to 1 percent
Elevation: 914 to 1189 meters (3000 to 3900 feet)
Mean annual air temperature: 8 to 10 degrees C. (46 to 49 degrees F.)
Mean annual soil temperature: 9 to 11 degrees C. (46 to 51 degrees F.)
Mean annual precipitation: 41 to 48 centimeters (16 to 19 inches)
Frost Free Days: 120 to 140

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Elsmere, Hoffland, Nenzel, Marlake, and Valentine soils.
Elsmere soils are slightly higher on swales on interdunes and are somewhat poorly drained having a seasonal zone of saturation or aquic conditions beginning at 46 centimeters (18 inches).
Hoffland soils are on similar swales on interdunes and are sandy in the control section.
Nenzel soils are higher on swales and hummocks on interdunes and are moderately well drained having a seasonal zone of saturation or aquic conditions beginning at 91 centimeters (36 inches).
Marlake soils are in depressions on interdunes and are very poorly drained having a seasonal zone of saturation or aquic conditions beginning at the surface and having ponding up to 61 centimeters (24 inches).
Valentine soils are on higher hummocks and dunes and are excessively drained having no seasonal zone of saturation or aquic conditions.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage: poorly drained and very poorly drained
Runoff: negligible
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity: high
Ponding frequency: frequent on the very poorly drained soil
Ponding duration: long on the very poorly drained soil with a depth of up to15 centimeters (6 inches)

USE AND VEGETATION: The major use is livestock grazing and haying. The rangeland native plant community for the wet subirrigated ecological site (RO65XY023NE) is mostly big bluestem, prairie cordgrass, switchgrass, yellow indiangrass, and tall dropseed; for the wetland ecological site (R065XY022NE) it is mostly prairie cordgrass, northern reedgrass, bluejoint reedgrass, slender wheatgrass, sedges, and rushes.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: In the western sandhills of Nebraska and sandhills of southwestern South Dakota (MLRA 65, LRR G). The series is of small extent.

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Salina, Kansas

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Keith County, Nebraska, 1989

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon: 0 to 46 centimeters (0 to 18 inches) (the Oe,Ak1, Ak2, and Ak3 horizons)
Calcic horizon: 3 to 200 centimeters (1 to 79 inches) (the Ak1, Ak2, Ak3, Bkg1, Bkg2, Bkg3, and Bkg4 horizons)
Aquic soil conditions: 46 to 200 centimeters (18 to 79 inches) (the Bkg1, Bkg2, Bkg3, and Bkg4 horizons)
RRZ in 6/2002: FSL and SICL textures were added to the Ak horizon. SICL texture added to the Bkg horizon
RRH in 3/2007: All changed to metric. Introductory paragraph: revised. Typical pedon: revised, extended Ak horizon to include all of mollic epipedon. RIC's: revised including the O horizon: described ranges as in other horizons, Ak horizon: Textures: added mucky loam and mucky fine sandy loam. Geographic Setting through Distribution and Extent: revised. Geographically Associated Soils: Deleted Crowther, Els, Gannett, and Gus, added Elsmere and Nenzel. Additional Data: revised.
RRH in 3/2009: Introductory paragraph and Geographic Setting: Changed slope range to 0 to 1 percent. Typical pedon: changed loam to mucky peat to agree with Oe horizon.

ADDITIONAL DATA: Data is available from the National Soil Survey Center, Soil Survey Laboratory for Pedon IDs 89NE031036, 89NE031039, 89NE031040, and 91NE075001. Pedon ID 89NE031036 represents the Typical Pedon and it also has data from the Nebraska Department of Roads.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.