LOCATION FERNEY SDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, frigid Leptic Natrudolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Ferney loam - on a slightly concave, southeast-facing slope of 1 percent in a cultivated field. When described the soil was moist throughout. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 5 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) loam, black (10YR 2/1) moist; moderate medium and fine subangular blocky structure parting to moderate fine granular; slightly hard, friable; common fine and many very fine roots; few pebbles; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
Btn--5 to 10 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) clay loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; strong medium columnar structure parting to strong medium and fine angular blocky; very hard, very firm, sticky and plastic; many very fine roots; thin continuous gray (10YR 6/1) coatings on tops of columns; shiny films on faces of peds; few pebbles; slightly alkaline, clear wavy boundary. (3 to 10 inches thick)
Btnkz--10 to 25 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) clay loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; moderate coarse and medium prismatic structure parting to strong medium and fine angular blocky; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common very fine roots; common medium and fine very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) tongues, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; few pebbles; few fine accumulations of carbonate; many medium and fine nests of salts; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 16 inches thick)
Bkz1--25 to 39 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) clay loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; few fine prominent strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) redox concentrations and few fine distinct gray (10YR 5/1) redox depletions; weak coarse and medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium and fine angular blocky; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few very fine roots; common medium and fine very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) tongues, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; few fine dark stains (iron and manganese oxides); common fine accumulations of carbonate; common fine nests of salts; few pebbles; few fragments of shale; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary.
Bkz2--39 to 50 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) clay loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; common fine prominent strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) redox concentrations and many coarse and medium prominent gray (10YR 5/1) redox depletions; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium and fine subangular blocky; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few very fine roots; common medium and fine very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) tongues, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; common fine dark stains (iron and manganese oxides); common fine accumulations of carbonate; many coarse nests of salts; few pebbles; few fragments of shale; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined Bkz horizons 6 to 30 inches thick)
C--50 to 60 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) clay loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; common fine prominent strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) redox concentrations and common medium and fine prominent gray (10YR 5/1) redox depletions; massive; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common fine dark stains (iron and manganese oxides); common fine accumulations of carbonate; few nests of salt; few pebbles; few fragments of shale; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Brown County, South Dakota; about 5 miles east and 1 miles north of Verdon; 2,525 feet west and 150 feet south of the northeast corner, sec. 36, T. 121 N., R. 60 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to carbonates and depth to horizons with accumulations of salt range from 5 to 16 inches. Ferney soils contain up to 5 percent pebbles. The soils have a Udic soil moisture regime.
The Ap horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 3 to 5 and 2 or 3 moist, and chroma of 1.5 or less. It is clay loam, loam or silt loam and is slightly acid or neutral.
Some pedons have an E horizon 1 to 5 inches thick with a hue of 10YR, value of 4 to 7 and 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 1 or 2.
The Btn horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 3 to 5 and 2 or 3 moist, and chroma of 1 to 4. It is clay loam or clay averaging between 35 and 50 percent clay and more than 15 percent fine sand or coarser. It ranges from neutral to moderately alkaline.
The Btnkz horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 3 to 6 and 2 to 4 moist, and chroma of 2 to 4. It is clay loam or clay. It typically has common or many accumulations of salts and few to many accumulations of carbonate. It ranges from slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline.
The Bk horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 to 8 and 3 to 6 moist, and chroma of 2 to 4. It is clay loam, clay or loam and typically has common or many accumulations of salts. It is moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
The C horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y, or 5Y; value of 5 to 8 and 3 to 6 moist; and chroma of 2 to 4. It is clay loam, clay or loam and is moderately or strongly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Adger, Exline, Miranda and Rhoades series in the same family. Adger soils do not have mottles, typically have less fine sand or coarser sand and formed in clayey alluvium or residuum from shale. Exline and Rhoades soils have less than 15 percent fine sand or coarser sand. In addition, Exline soils formed in lacustrine materials and the Rhoades soils formed in clayey material weathered from shale. Miranda soils have an Ustic moisture regime.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Ferney soils are nearly level to gently sloping on glacial till plains. Slope gradients typically are less than 2 percent but range from 0 to 6 percent. The Ferney soils formed in firm clay loam glacial till. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 38 to 45 degrees F, and mean annual precipitation ranges from 16 to 24 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Aastad, Cavour, Cresbard, Forman, Heil, Peever, Ranslo, and Tonka soils. The Aastad, Forman, and Peever soils do not have a natric horizon and are on nearby uplands. Cavour soils have thicker combined A and E horizons and have accumulations of salts at depths greater than 16 inches. The Cavour soils are in slightly higher positions on the landscape. The Cresbard soils have interfingering or tonguing of E materials for more than 1 inch into the Bt horizon and are on slightly higher landscape positions. The poorly drained Heil and Tonka soils are in depressions. In addition, the Tonka soils do not have a natric horizon. The Ranslo soils are on stream terraces and bottomlands and formed in clayey alluvium.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained and somewhat poorly drained. Surface runoff is medium to very high. Permeability is very slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for hay and pasture. Many areas are cultivated when in complex with other soils. Native vegetation includes western wheatgrass, blue grama, buffalograss, and saltgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern South Dakota. This series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Brown County, South Dakota, 1987.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: mollic epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of approximately 10 inches (Ap, Btn horizons); natric horizon - the zone from approximately 5 to 25 inches (Btn, Btnkz horizons); leptic feature - the accumulation of visible salts at about 10 inches (Btnkz horizon).