LOCATION FLORENCE                KS

Established Series
Rev. HLP, WAW, BKN
07/2020

FLORENCE SERIES

The Florence series consists of deep, well drained soils that formed in residuum from cherty limestone. Florence soils are on hillslopes on uplands in Bluestem Hills, MLRA 76. Slopes range from 2 to 15 percent. Mean annual air temperature is 11 degrees C (53 degrees F), and mean annual precipitation is about 810 millimeters (32 inches), at the type location.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey-skeletal, smectitic, mesic Udic Argiustolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Florence gravelly silt loam - on a south-southwest facing, convex slope in rangeland at an elevation of 426 meters (1397 feet). (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.) As described June 1, 1969.

A1--0 to 10 centimeters (0 to 4 inches); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) gravelly silt loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate medium granular structure; slightly hard, friable; many medium roots; 15 percent chert fragments 6 to 13 millimeters (1/4 to 2 inches) in diameter; neutral; clear smooth boundary.

A2--10 to 28 centimeters (4 to 11 inches); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) extremely gravelly silty clay loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate medium and fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable; many medium roots; 80 percent chert fragments 6 to 25 millimeters (1/4 to 4 inches) in diameter; slightly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizons 23 to 41 centimeters (9 to 16 inches).)

BA--28 to 38 centimeters (11 to 15 inches); brown (7.5YR 4/2) extremely gravelly silty clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; strong fine and very fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm; many fine roots; 80 percent chert fragments up to 25 millimeters (4 inches) in diameter; slightly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 20 centimeters (0 to 8 inches) thick.)

Bt--38 to 112 centimeters (15 to 44 inches); dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4) extremely cobbly clay, dark red (2.5YR 3/6) moist; strong medium and fine blocky structure; extremely hard, very firm; common fine roots; few faint discontinuous clay films on faces of peds; common dark stains and fine black concretions; 80 percent chert fragments 25 to 51 millimeters (4 to 8 inches) in diameter; slightly acid; clear irregular boundary. (50 to 100 centimeters (20 to 40 inches) thick.)

R--112 centimeters (44 inches); cherty limestone that has a few vertical and lateral fractures.

TYPE LOCATION: Morris County, Kansas; about 6.4 kilometers (4 miles) west and 8 kilometers (5 miles) south of Council Grove; 670 meters (2,200 feet) east and 244 meters (800 feet) south of the center, sec. 7, T. 17 S., R. 8 E. Wilsey SE, Kansas USGS quadrangle; latitude 38 degrees 35 minutes 8.0 seconds N. and longitude 96 degrees 34 minutes 15.7 seconds W., WGS84.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture regime: ustic bordering on udic
Soil temperature regime: mesic
Mollic epipedon thickness: 25 to 49 centimeters (10 to 20 inches)
Depth to the argillic horizon: 23 to 61 centimeters (9 to 24 inches)
Depth to bedrock: 100 to 150 centimeters (40 to 60 inches). Bedrock is cherty limestone or limestone.
Soil moisture: The soil moisture control section is intermittently moist in some part from March through October; driest in November through February.
Mean annual soil temperature: 13 to 14 degrees C (55 to 58 degrees F)
Particle size control section (weighted average)
Clay content: 50 to 80 percent
Sand content: 5 to 14 percent
Rock fragments: 35 to 80 percent cherty limestone or shale gravels and cobbles
In some pedons, a few carbonate concretions or seams of calcium carbonate are below a depth of 76 centimeters (30 inches).

A or BA horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 3 or 4 and 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2
Texture: silt loam or silty clay loam, or their gravelly to extremely gravelly counterparts.
Clay content: 20 to 35 percent
Sand content: 5 to 14 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 80 percent, cherty limestone.
Reaction: from moderately acid to neutral.

Bt horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR, 5YR, or 2.5YR
Value: 3 to 5 dry or moist
Chroma: 3 to 6
Texture: gravelly to extremely gravelly, or the cobbly or extremely cobbly counterparts of silty clay or clay.
Clay content: 50 to 80 percent
Sand content: 5 to 14 percent
Rock fragments: 35 to 80 percent, cherty limestone or shale
Reaction: slightly acid to slightly alkaline
Mottles with hues ranging from 5YR to 2.5Y, value of 4 or 5 moist, and chroma of 3 to 6 occur in some pedons.

COMPETING SERIES: Florence is the only series in the family.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: residuum from cherty limestone
Landforms: hillslopes on uplands
Slopes: 2 to 15 percent
Mean annual precipitation: 710 to 860 millimeters (28 to 34 inches
Mean annual temperature: 11 to 14 degrees C (52 degrees to 57 degrees F)
Precipitation pattern: Precipitation is usually evenly distributed throughout the year with the exception of November through February being the driest months and May and June being the wettest months. Summer precipitation occurs during intense summer thunderstorms.
Frost-free period: 175 to 200 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Konza, Labette, Matfield and Tully soils.
The Konza and Labette soils are on higher less sloping areas with less than 35 percent coarse fragments in the solum.
The Matfield soils are in similar landscape positions as the Florence soils and have a thicker solum and mollic epipedon.
The Tully soils are on slopes below Florence soils and have a thicker mollic epipedon than Florence soils.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage: Well drained
Runoff: medium to very high
Saturate hydraulic conductivity: moderate high

USE AND VEGETATION: Used exclusively for rangeland and hayland. Native grasses are big and little bluestem, switchgrass, and Indiangrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: East-central Kansas; Land Resource Region H, Central Great Plains Winter Wheat and Range region; Major Land Resource Area (MLRA) 76 Bluestem Hills. The Florence series is extensive, about 300,000 acres.

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Salina, Kansas

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Marion County, Kansas, 1930.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizon and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon: the zone from 0 to 38 centimeters (0 to 15 inches) (A1, A2, & BA horizons)
Argillic horizon: the zone from 38 to 112 centimeters (15 to 44 inches) (Bt horizon)
Lithic contact: cherty limestone at 112 centimeters (44 inches) (R horizon)

07/2012 JLG converted English measurements to metric; Updated introduction paragraph, geographical setting, geographically associated soils, and Drainage and Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity; Added quadrangle to type location; Added soil moisture, mean annual soil temperature, particle size control sections, and clay & sand percentages to range of characteristics, and Land Resource Region and MLRA to distribution and extent.

07/2003 WAW changed to semi-tabular format, updated terminology for runoff and reaction classes.

06/2020 BKN Added site information to typical pedon and type location headings. Added soil temperature regime, soil moisture regime, and rock fragment percent to RIC.

Keys to Soil Taxonomy: Twelfth Edition, 2014.

ADDITIONAL DATA: NSSL Laboratory samples 87P0451 (pedon 87KS161004); 40A1837 (pedon 63KS017004); 40A5192 (pedon 63KS017002).

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.