LOCATION CRETE NE+KS

Established Series
Rev. GLM, DJK
07/2020

CRETE SERIES

The Crete series consists of very deep, moderately well drained soils formed in loess. Crete soils are on interfluves and hillslopes on loess uplands and loess-covered stream terraces on river valleys in Central Loess Plains, MLRA 75. Slopes range from 0 to 11 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 760 millimeters (30 inches), and mean annual temperature is about 12 degrees C (53 degrees F).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, mesic Pachic Udertic Argiustolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Crete silt loam on a convex, 0.5 percent slope in crop cover at an elevation of 440 meters (1445 feet). (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

Ap--0 to 15 centimeters (0 to 6 inches); very dark gray (10YR 3/1) silt loam, black (10YR 2/1) moist; weak very fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable; moderately acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (13 to 25 centimeters (5 to 10 inches) thick)

A--15 to 36 centimeters (6 to 14 inches); very dark gray (10YR 3/1) silty clay loam, black (10YR 2/1) moist; moderate medium blocky structure parting to moderate fine granular; hard, friable; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary. (10 to 25 centimeters (4 to 10 inches) thick)

BA--36 to 48 centimeters (14 to 19 inches); dark gray (10YR 4/1) silty clay loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm; faint gray coatings on faces of peds; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 13 centimeters (0 to 5 inches) thick)

Bt1--48 to 71 centimeters (19 to 28 inches); brown (10YR 4/3) silty clay, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to strong medium blocky; very hard, very firm; few fine soft dark brown accumulations (iron and manganese oxide); slightly acid; gradual smooth boundary.

Bt2--71 to 89 centimeters (28 to 35 inches); brown (10YR 5/3) silty clay, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to strong medium blocky; very hard, very firm; few fine dark brown accumulations (iron and manganese oxide); few fine soft accumulations of calcium carbonate; neutral; gradual smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of Bt horizon is 23 to 66 centimeters (9 to 26 inches)

BC--89 to 107 centimeters (35 to 42 inches); light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) silty clay, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; moderate medium blocky structure; very hard, very firm; many small soft accumulations of calcium carbonate; strong effervescence; slightly alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 30 centimeters (0 to 12 inches) thick)

C--107 to 152 centimeters (42 to 60 inches); light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) silty clay loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) moist; few faint gray (10YR 6/1) and brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) iron stains in the matrix; massive; slightly hard, firm; few soft masses of calcium carbonate; strong effervescence; slightly alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Saline County, Nebraska; about 9 kilometers (5.5 miles) east and 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) north of Dorchester; 610 meters (2000 feet) south and 30 meters (100 feet) west of the northeast corner, sec. 18, T. 8 N., R. 4 E.; Dorchester USGS quadrangle; latitude 40 degrees 39 minutes 47.8 seconds N and longitude 97 degrees 0 minutes 33.8 seconds W., NAD83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture control section: moist in some part from October to April; intermittently moist from May to July; driest in July to September; ustic moisture regime bordering on udic
Mean annual soil temperature: 11 to 14 degrees C (52 to 58 degrees F)

Depth of the mollic epipedon: 51 to 91 centimeters (20 to 36 inches)
Depth to argillic horizon: 15 to 60 centimeters (6 to 24 inches)
Depth to carbonates: 65 to 100 centimeters (25 to 40 inches), but some pedons lack carbonates.

Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: 42 to 55 percent
Sand content: 2 to 7 percent

A or Ap horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 3 to 5 dry; 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2 dry or moist
Texture: silt loam or silty clay loam
Clay content: 18 to 34 percent clay
Sand content: 4 to 13 percent sand
Reaction: strongly or moderately acid.

BA horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 3 to 5 dry; 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2 dry or moist
Texture: silty clay loam or silty clay
Clay content: 30 to 42 percent
Sand content: 2 to 10 percent
Reaction: moderately acid to neutral

Bt horizon (Upper Portion):
Hue: 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry and 3 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry or moist
Texture: silty clay
Clay content: 42 to 55 percent clay
Sand content: 2 to 7 percent sand
Reaction: moderately acid to neutral.

Bt horizon (Lower Portion):
Hue: 10YR
Value: 4 to 7 dry; 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4 dry or moist
Texture: silty clay loam or silty clay
Clay content: 33 to 48 percent clay
Sand content: 2 to 7 percent sand
Reaction: slightly acid to slightly alkaline.

BC horizon:
Hue: 10YR to 5Y
Values: 5 to 7 dry; 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4 dry or moist
Texture: silty clay loam or silty clay
Clay content: 27 to 42 percent clay
Sand content: 3 to 11 percent sand
Redoximorphic concentrations: Hue, 7.5YR or 10YR; Value, 4 to 6 moist; chroma, 4 to 8 moist
Redoximorphic depletions: Hue, 5YR or 7.5YR; value, 4 or 5 moist; chroma, 1 moist.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 2 percent
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline.

C horizon:
Hue: 10YR to 5Y
Values: 5 to 7 dry; 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4 dry or moist
Texture: silty clay loam or silt loam
Clay content: 21 to 36 percent clay
Sand content: 3 to 11 percent sand
Redoximorphic concentrations: Hue, 5YR to 10YR; value, 4 to 6 moist; chroma 4 to 8 moist.
Redoximorphic depletions: Hue, 5YR to 10YR; value, 5 or 6 moist; chroma, 1 or 2 moist.
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 5 percent
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline

When there are secondary carbonates present, the BC and C horizons are now being called Bk horizons to indicate soil development. Bk horizons would have the same properties as described in the Range in Characteristics for the BC and C horizons.

COMPETING SERIES: They are the Blazefork and Ladysmith series.
The Blazefork soils have a lithologic discontinuity with textures having sand contents greater than 20 percent below 100 cm.
The Ladysmith soils are somewhat poorly drained.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: loess
Landform: interfluves and hillslopes on loess uplands and loess-covered stream terraces on river valleys
Slopes: 0 to 11 percent
Elevation: 400 to 600 meters (1310 to 1970 feet)
Mean annual temperature: 10 to 13 degrees C (50 to 55 degrees F)
Mean annual precipitation: 560 to 860 millimeters (22 to 34 inches)
Precipitation pattern: Precipitation is usually evenly distributed throughout the year with the exception of November through February being the driest months and May and June being the wettest months. Summer precipitation occurs during intense summer thunderstorms.
Frost-free period: 149 to 196 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Butler, Fillmore, and Hastings soils
Butler soils are on flat or slightly concave swales on uplands, have an aquic soil moisture regime, and are somewhat poorly drained.
Fillmore soils are in closed depressions, have an albic horizon, and are somewhat poorly drained.
Hastings soils are on similar landform positions but have mollic epipedons less than 50 centimeters (20 inches) thick.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage: Moderately well drained
Runoff: low to high
Saturated hydraulic conductivity: moderately low

USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are cropped.
The main crops are corn, soybeans, sorghum and wheat.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South-central Nebraska and adjoining parts of
north-central Kansas; Land Resource Region H, Central Great Plains Winter Wheat and Range Region, Rolling Plain and Breaks MLRA 73, Central Kansas Sandstone Hills MLRA 74 and Central Loess Plains MLRA 75. Crete soils are extensive.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Adams County, Nebraska, 1923.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in this pedon: Mollic epipedon: 0 to 71 centimeters (0 to 28 inches) (the Ap, A, BA, and Bt1 horizon)
Argillic horizon: 48 to 89 centimeters (19 to 35 inches) (Bt1 and Bt2 horizon).
Vertic features: The presence of linear extensibility of 6.0 cm or more between 0 and 100 centimeters (0 to 40 inches). This was determined from lab data for Crete soils.
Severely eroded Crete soils no longer classify as Mollisols and need to be correlated to a new series.

ADDITIONAL DATA: Data from pedons S60NE-18-1, S55NE-30-1, S55NE-30-2, S55NE-76-1 and S55NE-76-2 are published in Nebraska Soil Survey Investigations Report No.5. Additional KSSL characterization data available for pedons 53KS169001, 53KS169002, 55NE151001, 60NE035001, 78NE081001,78NE081002, 79NE059003, 79NE059004, 79NE059009, 79NE059011, 79NE059012, 79NE059019, 80NE059018, 81NE059012, 85NE035101, 85NE035103, 85NE035104, 85NE035106, 85NE035107, 85NE035109, 85NE035110, 89KS061002, 90NE035001, 92NE129001, 97KS029171, and S08NE035001.
10/17/05 JCR
Changed formatting to semi tabular format. Set range of clay content in lower Bt to 37 based on NSSL lab data.
Updated competing series.
Changed permeability to Saturated Hydraulic conductivity.

8/02/11 DJK
Changed classification from Pachic Argiustolls to Pachic Udertic Argiustolls due to Crete meeting the requirements of being vertic based on lab data.
Added in or updated sand and clay content for each horizon in the RIC using lab data.
Deleted silty clay as a texture for BC in RIC.
Added in slope, slope shape, and elevation for typical pedon.
Added quad and latitude/longitude for type location.
Updated competing series for new classification.
Added in elevation and FFD and updated the landform in geographic setting.
Updated geographically associated soils to meet MO5 standards (deleted Hall, Holdrege, and Wymore and updated differences of Butler, Fillmore and Hastings).
Updated basic formatting along with adding in metric values where needed.

8/2012 DJK Added depth to argillic in RIC. Added soil moisture and temperature statement to RIC. Added BA to RIC. Removed slightly alkaline from reaction for the Bt (upper) horizon. Removed moderately acid from reaction for the Bt (lower) horizon. Added CCE to the BC and C horizons in RIC and added statement on now being Bk horizons. Edited competing series. Changed runoff to include high. Changed saturated hydraulic conductivity from low to moderately low. Added precipitation pattern to geographic setting. Added KSSL characterization pedons that have been sampled to additional data.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.