LOCATION CROWTHER NE+SDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Calciaquolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Crowther mucky peat with a slope of less than 1 percent in native grass. When described, the soil was moist throughout. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Oe---0 to 3 centimeters (0 to 1 inches); very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) mucky peat, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry; slightly hard, friable; strong effervescence; finely disseminated carbonate throughout; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 8 centimeters (0 to 3 inches thick)
Ak1--3 to 11 centimeters (1 to 4 inches); very dark gray (10YR 3/1) loam, gray (10YR 5/1) dry; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable; violent effervescence; finely disseminated carbonate throughout; 25 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary.
Ak2--11 to 18 centimeters (4 to 7 inches); very dark gray (10YR 3/1) clay loam, gray (10YR 5/1) dry; weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable; violent effervescence; finely disseminated carbonate throughout; 31 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary.
Ak3--18 to 23 centimeters (7 to 9 inches); very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2)) clay loam, gray (10YR 6/1) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine granular; slightly hard, friable; violent effervescence; finely disseminated carbonate throughout; 39 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary.
Ak4--23 to 49 centimeters (9 to 19 inches); very dark gray (10YR 3/1) loam, gray (10YR 5/1) dry; few, fine faint dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist iron masses in the matrix; weak coarse subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine granular; slightly hard, friable; violent effervescence; finely disseminated carbonate throughout; 33 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. [Combined thickness of the Ak horizon is 18 to 51 centimeters (7 to 20 inches).]
ACk--49 to 74 centimeters (19 to 29 inches); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) sandy clay loam, light gray (10YR 7/1) dry; few fine faint dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist iron masses in the matrix; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable; violent effervescence; finely disseminated carbonate throughout; 25 percent calcium carbonate equivalent; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. [0 to 38 centimeters (0 to 15 inches thick)]
2Cg1--74 to 105 centimeters (29 to 41 inches); light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) fine sand, light gray (10YR 7/2) dry; common medium prominent dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; iron masses in the matrix; single grain; loose; slightly alkaline; clear wavy boundary.
2Cg2--105 to 200 centimeters (41 to 79 inches); light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) fine sand, light gray (2.5Y 7/2) dry; common medium distinct dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist and yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) moist iron masses in the matrix; single grain; loose; slightly alkaline. [Combined thickness of 2Cg horizons is 50 to 140 centimeters (20 to 55 inches)]
TYPE LOCATION: Sheridan County, Nebraska; about 1609 meters (1 mile) north and 805 meters (0.5 miles) east of Lakeside; 720 meters (1840 feet) south and 570 meters (1900 feet) east of the northwest corner of sec. 10, T. 24 N., R. 44 W. Lakeside topographic quadrangle; latitude 42 degrees, 4 minutes, 40 seconds North and longitude 102 degrees, 24 minutes, 26 seconds West.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Moisture regime: aquic
Depth to redoximorphic features: 0 to 46 centimeters (0 to 18 inches)
Endosaturation depth: 0 to 46 centimeters (0 to 18 inches)
Carbonates: typically at depths of 0 to 100 centimeters (0 to 40 inches),
Calcium carbonate equivalent in the calcic horizon: 15 to 40 percent
Thickness of the mollic epipedon: 18 to 51 centimeters (7 to 20 inches)
Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Sand content: 25 to 73 percent
Silt content: 10 to 58 percent
Non-carbonate clay content: 7 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 6, 2 to 4 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2
Texture: loam, clay loam, fine sandy loam, mucky fine sandy loam, mucky loam
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline
ACk horizon:
Hue: 10YR to 5Y
Value: 5 to 7, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 0 or 2
Texture: sandy clay loam, clay loam, loam, fine sandy loam, loamy fine sand
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline
2Cg horizon:
Hue: 10YR to 5Y
Value: 5 to 8, 2 to 6 moist
Chroma: 0 to 2
Textures: fine sand, sand, loamy fine sand, loamy sand
Reaction ranges: neutral to moderately alkaline
Some pedons have thin layers of darker colored or finer textured material below a depth of 100 centimeters (40 inches).
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other soils in the same family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: loamy over sandy 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
Els,
Marlake,
Hoffland,
Ipage,
Valentine, and
Wildhorse soils.
Els soils are slightly higher on swales on interdunes and are somewhat poorly drained
and have 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.
Ipage soils are higher on 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.
Wildhorse soils are slightly higher on swales on interdunes, are somewhat poorly drained having a seasonal zone of saturation or aquic conditions beginning at 46 centimeters (18 inches), and have a sodium adsorption ratio greater than 13 in half or more of the upper 51 centimeters (20 inches)
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 moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Sheridan County, Nebraska, 1992
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon: 0 to 49 centimeters (0 to 19 inches) (Oe, Ak1, Ak2, Ak3, and Ak4 horizons)
Calcic horizon: 3 to 74 centimeters (1 to 11 inches) (Ak1, Ak2, Ak3, Ak4, and ACk horizons)
Aquic soil conditions: 49 to 200 centimeters (19 to 79 inches) (ACk and Cg1 and Cg2 horizons).
RRH in 3/2007: Introductory paragraph: revised. Typical pedon: revised to reflect actual pedon sampled for SSL. RIC's: revised including - Ak: Textures: added mucky loam and mucky fine sandy loam; ACk: Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline;
Geographic Setting through Distribution and Extent: revised. Geographically Associated Soils: Deleted Lisco and added Ipage and Valentine. 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 80NE161001, 80NE161004, 80NE161010, 88NE161001, 06NE117022, and 06NE005002. Pedon ID 80NE161010 represents the Typical Pedon and is in NASIS.