LOCATION FIAT KSEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, thermic Vertic Argiaquolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Fiat silty clay loam - rangeland. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 11 inches; black (10YR 2/1) silty clay loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; strong fine granular structure; firm, hard; many fine roots; medium acid; gradual smooth boundary. (7 to 12 inches thick.)
Bt1--11 to 24 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) silty clay, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; few fine prominent yellowish red (5YR 5/8) mottles; strong fine subangular blocky structure; very firm, extremely hard; common fine roots; slightly acid, clear smooth boundary.
Bt2--24 to 30 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silty clay, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry; many medium distinct olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) and few fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) mottles; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; very firm, extremely hard; few fine roots; neutral; abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizons is 10 to 30 inches.)
R--30 inches; hard limestone.
TYPE LOCATION: Elk County, Kansas; about 4 1/2 miles east of Howard; 2,250 feet east and 1,800 feet north of the southwest corner of sec. 35, T. 29 S., R. 11 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness and depth to hard limestone bedrock range from 20 to 40 inches. A few limestone fragments may occur in any horizon.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 2 or 3 and 3 or 4 dry, chroma of 1 or 2. It is dominantly silty clay loam, but the range includes silty clay. It is slightly acid or medium acid.
The Bt horizon has hue of 2.5Y to 7.5YR, value 2 to 4 and 3 to 5 dry, chroma of 1 to 3. It is silty clay or clay. It is medium acid to neutral. Mottles range from few to many and are distinct or prominent.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bernard and Mayes series in the same family and the Apperson, Kenoma, Summit, Woodson, and Zaar series. The Bernard, Mayes, Summit, Woodson, and Zaar soils are more than 60 inches thick over bedrock. In addition, the Woodson soils have an abrupt textural change between the A and Bt horizons, and the Zaar soils lack an argillic horizon. The Apperson soils are 40 to 60 inches thick over rock. The Kenoma soils are more than 40 inches thick over bedrock. GEOGRAPHICAL SETTING: Fiat soils are on nearly level to gently sloping uplands. Slopes range from 0 to 3 percent. They have formed in materials weathered from limestone and shale. The mean annual temperature ranges from 57 to 64 degrees F, and the mean annual precipitation from 35 to 40 inches. Thornthwaites Annual P-E index ranges from 58 to 70.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Apperson and Kenoma soils and the Catoosa, Eram, and Shidler soils. The Apperson and Catoosa soils occur on similar positions as the Fiat soils. Catoosa soils are fine-silty. Eram and Shidler soils generally occur on lower topographic positions than Fiat soils. Eram soils are formed over shale. Shidler soils are less than 20 inches deep to limestone. The Kenoma soils usually occur on higher positions.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained. Slow to medium runoff. Slow permeability. These soils have a perched seasonal water table at a depth of 1 to 2 feet, during the winter and spring months.
USE AND VEGETATION: Soils are used mainly for native range or native hay meadows, with some areas being used for cultivated crops. Native vegetation is tall grass prairie.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeast Kansas and possibly northeast Oklahoma. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Elk County, Kansas, 1984.