LOCATION DORRANCE                KS

Established Series
Rev. DRJ-ELF
06/2022

DORRANCE SERIES


The Dorrance series consists of excessively drained, very rapidly permeable soils formed in loamy material overlying old alluvial sandy and gravelly sediments at a depth of 10 to 24 inches. These soils are on uplands. Slopes range from 0 to 15 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 25 inches, and mean annual temperature is about 57 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy, mixed, mesic Entic Haplustolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Dorrance gravelly sandy loam - on an east-facing slope of 6 percent in native grass range. When described the soil was dry throughout. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

A--0 to 11 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) gravelly sandy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable; common fine and very fine roots; 15 percent gravel; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (7 to 19 inches thick)

AC--11 to 15 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly loamy sand, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable; few fine and very fine roots; 20 percent gravel; violent effervescence; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick)

C1--15 to 26 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) gravelly loamy sand, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; single grain; loose; 20 percent gravel; violent effervescence; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 15 inches thick)

C2--26 to 60 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) gravelly sand, light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) moist; single grain; loose; 15 percent gravel; violent effervescence; moderately alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Russell County, Kansas; about 7 miles north and 5 miles east of Russell; 10 feet east and 2300 feet south of the northwest corner of sec. 22, T. 12 S., R. 13 W.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Loose loamy sand or coarser material is at depths of 10 to 24 inches. Depth to free carbonates ranges from 0 to 10 inches. The mollic epipedon ranges from 7 to 19 inches in thickness. Gravel in the solum consists mainly of quartz and feldspar material with lesser amounts of limestone fragments and ranges from 5 to 35 percent by volume. Cobbles in the solum consist only of limestone fragments and range from 0 to 5 percent by volume.

The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 3 to 5 and 2 or 3 moist, and chroma of 1 or 2. It is sandy loam, gravelly sandy loam, loam, or gravelly loam. It commonly is mildly alkaline or moderately alkaline, but a few pedons are neutral in the upper part.

The AC horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 4 to 6 and 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3. It is sandy loam, gravelly sandy loam, loamy sand, or gravelly loamy sand. It is mildly alkaline or moderately alkaline.

The C horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 5 to 7 and 4 to 6 moist, and chroma of 2 to 4. It is gravelly loamy sand, sand, gravelly sand, and coarse sand. It is mildly alkaline or moderately alkaline. Gravel ranges from 2 to 50 percent by volume but averages less than 35 percent. Limestone material makes up less than 1 percent of the coarse fragments.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Doger, Dunday, Heber, Meadin, and Pivot series in the same family and the Alwilda, Oneill, Orton, and Simeon series. Doger, Dunday, Meadin, Oneill, Pivot, and Simeon soils lack free carbonates to a depth of 40 inches. Heber soils are at elevations of 6,000 feet or more. They support different kinds of native vegetation, have a frost-free season of less than 140 days, and have less than 16 percent coarse fragments. Alwilda soils have a cambic horizon and are noncalcareous to a depth of at least 20 inches. Orton and Oneill soils are moderately deep over sandy sediments.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Dorrance soils are on uplands. The slope gradient ranges from 0 to 15 percent. The soils formed in loamy material overlying old alluvial sandy and gravelly sediments. Limestone fragments in the solum are colluvial and alluvial sediments from higher adjacent soils. The mean annual temperature ranges from 55 to 59 degrees F, and the mean annual precipitation ranges from 23 to 28 inches. Thornthwaite Annual P-E Index ranges from 36 to 46.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Armo, Bogue, Hedville, Lancaster, McCook, Munjor, Nibson, and Wells soils. All these soils lack sand and gravel at depths less than 20 inches. Hedville is shallow over sandstone, and Nibson is shallow over chalky shale and soft limestone. Armo, Hedville, Lancaster, Nibson, and Wells are on uplands above Dorrance soils. McCook and Munjor soils are on terraces and flood plains below Dorrance soils.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Excessively drained. Runoff is slow or medium. Permeability is very rapid.

USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of Dorrance soil are used for rangeland. Some of the lesser sloping areas are cultivated. Native vegetation is prairie grasses.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North-central Kansas. The soils of this series are of small extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Salina, Kansas

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Russell County, Kansas, 1980.



National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.