LOCATION FISHBERRY NE+SDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Mixed, mesic, shallow Typic Ustipsamments
TYPICAL PEDON: Fishberry loamy fine sand with a convex, south facing 60 percent slope in an area of native vegetation. When described, the soil was moist throughout. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 5 inches; grayish brown (l0YR 5/2) loamy fine sand, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable; 8 percent by volume sandstone gravel; many very fine and fine and few medium roots throughout; strong effervescence; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 7 inches thick)
C--5 to 15 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) gravelly loamy fine sand, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; single grain; loose; 20 percent by volume sandstone gravel; many fine and very fine and few medium roots throughout; violent effervescence; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (5 to 13 inches thick)
Cr--15 to 80 inches; light gray (5Y 7/2) calcareous sandstone; cracks with roots spaced more than 4 inches apart; violent effervescence.
TYPE LOCATION: Cherry County, Nebraska; 1 mile north from northeast edge of Valentine; 1100 feet east and 800 feet north of the southwest corner of sec. 20, T. 34 N, R. 27 W. Valentine North topographic quadrangle; lat. 42 degrees, 53 minutes, 46 seconds N.; long. 100 degrees, 31 minutes, 48 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Typically, depth to carbonates ranges from 0 to 6 inches. Depth to bedrock ranges from 10 to 20 inches.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 through 6 (2 through 5 moist), and chroma of 2 or 3. Texture of the fine earth fraction typically is loamy fine sand with the range including fine sandy loam, sandy loam, loamy sand, fine sand, or sand. Rock fragments range from 1 to 15 percent by volume. Reaction is neutral through moderately alkaline.
Some pedons have an AC horizon.
The C horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y, or 5Y value of 5 through 8, 4 through 6 moist and chroma of 2 or 3. Texture of the fine earth faction typically is loamy fine sand with the range including loamy sand, fine sand and sand. Rock fragments typically range from 15 to 35 percent by volume. It is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
The Cr horizon is calcareous sandstone bedrock.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Hozho series in the same family. Tassel soils are in a closely related family. Hozho soils are drier in the soil moisture control section in May and June. Tassel soils are loamy in the particle size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Fishberry soils are on sides of river valleys and on tablelands. On valley sides, they are on shoulders and on the upper third of backslopes. On tablelands they are on plains and on summits, shoulders, and the upper third of backslopes of hills. Slopes range from 0 to 70 percent. Fishberry soils formed in sandy residuum weathered from calcareous sandstone with additions of eolian sand in places. The mean annual precipitation ranges from l8 to 24 inches and the mean annual temperature ranges from 47 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Duda, McKelvie, Longpine and Valentine soils. Duda soils are moderately deep to sandstone and are on plains and on the lower part of backslopes. They are on the middle part of backslopes of the sides of river valleys. McKelvie and Valentine soils are very deep. McKelvie soils are on the lower third of backslopes and on footslopes of the sides of river valleys. Longpine soils are shallow over sandstone and have a loamy particle size control section. Valentine soils are on dunes and hummocks of sandhills.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Excessively drained. Runoff is low to rapid. Rapidly permeable.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for rangeland, habitat for wildlife and recreation. The native vegetation is mainly blue grama, sideoats grama, little bluestem, prairie sandreed, sand bluestem, threadleaf sedge and prickly pear cactus. Native trees are mainly ponderosa pine and red cedar on 30 to 70 percent slopes on valley sides along the Niobrara River and its tributaries.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North central Nebraska, and south central South Dakota. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Cherry County, Nebraska, 1995.
REMARKS: These soils have previously been mapped with the Niobrara series. Prior to this, the Niobrara series had been mapped as taxadjuncts to the Tassel series.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: ochric epipedon - The zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of about 5 inches (the A horizon); paralithic contact - The zone from 15 to 80 inches.(the Cr horizon where roots penetrate cracks in the rock. The cracks are greater than 4 inches apart).
ADDITIONAL DATA: Pedons analyzed by National Soil Survey Laboratory (S86NE-031-086, Lab numbers 87PO653-87PO655, and S86NE-031-091, Lab numbers 87PO650-87PO652).