LOCATION FARGO                   ND+MN MT

Established Series
Rev. NDP-KAA-JJB
05/2016

FARGO SERIES

The Fargo series consists of very deep, poorly drained and very poorly drained, slowly permeable soils that formed in calcareous, clayey lacustrine sediments. These soils are on glacial lake plains, floodplains, and gently sloping side slopes of streams within glacial lake plains. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent. Mean annual air temperature is about 5 degrees C, and mean annual precipitation is about 575 millimeters.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, frigid Typic Epiaquerts

TYPICAL PEDON: Fargo silty clay, in a map unit of Fargo silty clay, 0 to 1 percent slopes, on a level plane slope on a lake plane, in a cultivated field. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated)

Ap--0 to 20 centimeters; black (10YR 2/1) silty clay, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; moderate fine subangular blocky structure parting to strong fine granular; very hard, blocks friable, granules firm, very sticky and very plastic; many fine roots; many fine pores; neutral (pH 7.2); abrupt smooth boundary.

A--20 to 33 centimeters; black (10YR 2/1) and very dark gray (10YR 3/1) crushed and rubbed silty clay, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) and dark gray (10YR 4/1) crushed and rubbed, dry; moderate medium subangular blocky structure parting to strong very fine angular blocky; extremely hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; many fine roots; many fine pores; faces of peds have shiny waxy sheen when moist; neutral (pH 7.0); abrupt wavy boundary.

Bss--33 to 53 centimeters; very dark gray (2.5Y 3/1) and very dark grayish brown (2.5Y 3/2) silty clay, gray (2.5Y 5/1) and dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) dry; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) crushed and rubbed, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) dry; few fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) redoximorphic concentrations; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to strong fine and very fine angular blocky; extremely hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; common fine roots; common pores; slickensides on vertical faces of peds; faces of blocks have waxy sheen when moist; slight effervescence in lower part, noneffervescent on tongues; cracks filled with A material throughout; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); abrupt irregular boundary.

Bkg--53 to 81 centimeters; olive gray (5Y 5/2) silty clay, light gray (5Y 7/2) dry; common fine prominent dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) redoximorphic concentrations; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to moderate fine angular blocky and granular; hard, friable, sticky and plastic; few roots; common fine pores; cracks filled with A material extend into this horizon; common fine masses of carbonates; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); clear wavy boundary.

Cg1--81 to 122 centimeters; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) silty clay, light gray (2.5Y 7/2) dry; common medium distinct brown (10YR 4/3) redoximorphic concentrations and gray (5Y 5/1) redoximorphic depletions; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to moderate very fine angular blocky and granular; very hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; few fine roots; common pores; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); gradual wavy boundary.

Cg2--122 to 173 centimeters; olive (5Y 4/3) and pale olive (5Y 6/3) silty clay, pale olive (5Y 6/3) and pale yellow (5Y 8/3) dry; many medium prominent dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) redoximorphic concentrations; laminated, fractures to moderate very fine blocky structure; very hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; few medium masses of carbonates; slight effervescence; moderately alkaline (pH 8.0); gradual wavy boundary.

Cg3--173 to 200 centimeters; pale olive (5Y 6/3) silty clay; pale yellow (5Y 8/3) dry; common medium prominent dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) redoximorphic concentrations; laminated, fractures to moderate very fine subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, very sticky and very plastic; common medium masses of carbonates; few fine masses of iron-manganese; slight effervescence; moderately alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Major Land Resource Area 56 - Red River Valley of the North (56); Traill County, North Dakota subset; about 9 miles south and 6 miles east of Hillsboro; 1170 feet south and 410 feet east of the northwest corner of sec. 29, T. 144 N., R. 49 W. Latitude 47 degrees, 15 minutes, 42.7 seconds N, Longitude 96 degrees, 55 minutes, 13.5 seconds W., NAD 83, Halstad SW, ND USGS 7.5 minute quadrangle.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Clay content of the particle size control section - typically 40 to 60 percent; however in some pedons material with less clay in the lower part of the control section results in an average between 35 and 40 percent.
Sand content of the particle size control section -- less the 15 percent fine sand and coarser
Rock fragments -- 0 percent
Thickness of the mollic epipedon -- 15 to 55 centimeters
Depth to carbonates -- 41 to 58 centimeters
Saline phases are recognized

Ap and A horizon:
Hue--10YR or 2.5Y
Value--2 to 3
Chroma--1
Texture--clay, silty clay, or silty clay loam
Reaction--pH 6.6 to 7.8
Thickness--23 to 46 centimeters

Bss horizon:
Hue--10YR or 2.5Y
Value--2 to 4 and 3 to 5 dry
Chroma--1 or 2
Texture--clay, silty clay, or silty clay loam
Reaction--pH 6.6 to 8.4
Vertic characteristics-slickensides and shiny, waxy surfaces of peds are common, and cracks filled with A horizon material commonly extend through the horizon and range from 1 to 12 centimeters in width
Some pedons have Bw or Bg horizons
Thickness-13 to 58 centimeters

Bkg horizon:
Hue--10YR to 5Y
Value--4 to 6 and 5 to 8 dry
Chroma--1 or 2
Texture--clay, silty clay, or silty clay loam
Reaction--pH 7.9 to 8.4
Redoximorphic features-typically contains few to common distinct or prominent high chroma features
Concentrations-10 to 25 percent calcium carbonate equivalent diffused or in masses. Where it has more than 15 percent calcium carbonate equivalent, it does not have more than 5 percent as masses or decrease by more than 5 percent in a lower horizon
Thickness-20 to 66 centimeters

Cg horizon:
Hue--2.5Y or 5Y
Value--4 to 6 and 5 to 8 dry
Chroma--1 to 4
Texture--clay, silty clay, or silty clay loam
Reaction--pH 7.4 to 8.4
Redoximorphic features-typically contains common to many distinct or prominent low to high chroma features
Concentrations--gypsum crystals are present in some pedons
Structure--sediments are laminated in the lower part of the horizon at depths below 90 centimeters in most pedons
Some pedons have a 2Cg horizon that is silty or sandy at depths below 100 centimeters. Some pedons have glacial till below a depth of 100 cm.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Clearwater series.
Clearwater: has 2 to 8 percent rock fragments throughout and formed in till.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform-- level and nearly level glacial lake plains and flood plains and gently sloping side slopes of streams within glacial lake plains
Slope--0 to 2 percent
Parent material--calcareous, clayey glaciolacustrine sediments
Elevation--230 to 650 meters
Mean annual air temperature--2 to 8 degrees C
Mean annual precipitation--410 to 650 millimeters
Frost-free period--110 to 160 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bearden, Cashel, Colvin, Dovray, Grano, Hegne, Ludden, Overly, Ryan and Wahpeton soils.
Bearden, Colvin, and Overly-- are on nearby lake plains and are fine-silty.
Cashel-- are on floodplains of larger streams and have fine stratification below the Ap horizon.
Dovray-- are in concave swales and depressions on lake plains and do not have cracks filled with A material that extend through the Bw horizon
Grano-are in concave swales and depressions on lake plain and have carbonates at depths of less than 25 centimeters
Ludden-- are on floodplains of larger streams and have carbonates at depths of less than 25 centimeters
Hegne--are on slight rises and have calcic horizons within depths of 16 inches, and areusually in complex with Fargo soils
Ryan--are on nearby areas where the lake sediments contain more salts and have natric horizons and are usually in complex with Fargo soils
Wahpeton--are on levees and low terraces of large streams, commonly at slightly higher elevations than the lake plain and are moderately well drained

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class--poorly drained and very poorly drained-- a seasonal high water table is at the surface to 3.0 feet below the surface at some time during the period of March through July. It is 1.0 foot above the surface to 2.0 feet below the surface at some time during the period of February through August in the ponded, depressional or very poorly drained phases. The soil has episaturation.
Runoff--negligible-- a system of legal drains, section lines, road ditches, and field drains remove surface water from most Fargo soils.
Saturated hydraulic conductivity--0.01 to 0.1 micrometers per second (very low to low)

USE AND VEGETATION: The soils are nearly all cropped to corn, small grains, soybeans and sugar beets. Native vegetation is western wheatgrass, Kentucky bluegrass and a variety of forbs.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Physiographic Division-Interior Plains
Physiographic Province-Central Lowland
Physiographic section-Western Lake section
MLRA--Red River Valley of the North (56);
Central Black Glaciated Plains (55B)
Northern Black Glaciated Plains (55A)
also used in a small extent of glaciolacustrine areas in west-central Montana.
LRR-Northern Great Plains Spring Wheat Region (F)
Extent--large

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Grand Forks Area, North Dakota, 1902.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
mollic epipedon -- the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 53 centimeters (Ap, A and Bss horizons)
vertisol criteria -- cracks filled with A material extend through the A and Bss horizons and range from 1 to 12 centimeters in width, slickensides in the 33 to 53 centimeter layer (Bss horizon)
aquic moisture regime
The site will be revisted in the future to more thoroughly document the Vertisol criteria.

MLRA SSO Responsible: 10-FAR (Fargo, North Dakota)
ADDITIONAL DATA:
Pedon 1972ND097035 is the type location.
Laboratory data--KSSL data includes pedons 1953ND017003, 1953ND017004, S1954ND099001, S1954ND099002, 1993MN119020, and 1993MN119022. Pedons 1971MN051(1374), 1971MN069(1284), 1974MN027(1747), 1979MN167(3185), 1982MN155-024 (3543) have accompanying University of Minnesota lab data in KSSL. Additional hard copy lab data includes S51NDak-5-3; S51NDak-5-4; S51NDak-5-8; S51NDak-5-9; S53NDak-9-3; S53NDak-9-4; S54NDak-50-1; S54NDak-50-2; Soil Survey Investigation No. 2, pages 72 to 87. Also S64NDak-9-1; S64NDak-9-4; S64NDak-50-3; S64NDak-50-4; S65NDak-39-1; S65NDak-39-2; S65NDak-39-3; S65NDak-39-4; and S65NDak-49-1 (Type Location 15 feet to the west of this lab sample) by Soils Department, North Dakota Agriculture Experiment Station.
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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.