LOCATION GARDENA                 ND+MN SD

Established Series
CJH-ARG
01/2016

GARDENA SERIES


The Gardena series consists of very deep, well drained and moderately well drained soils that formed in calcareous silty and loamy glaciolacustrine sediments. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high or high. These soils are on terraces, deltas and glacial lake plains and have slopes ranging from 0 to 9 percent. Mean annual air temperature is 39 degrees F, and mean annual precipitation is 18 inches.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-silty, mixed, superactive, frigid Pachic Hapludolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Gardena silt loam on a level plane slope of less than 1 percent under cropland. When described the soil was moist throughout. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated)

Ap--0 to 9 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) silt loam, black (10YR 2/1) moist; weak coarse and medium subangular blocky structure parting to moderate fine granular; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine roots; many fine pores; slightly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary.

A--9 to 15 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) silt loam, black (10YR 2/1) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine roots; many fine pores; slightly alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined A horizons 9 to 25 inches thick)

Bw--15 to 22 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silt loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium prismatic structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine roots; common pores; slightly alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (5 to 18 inches thick)

Bk--22 to 33 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine granular; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine roots; common pores; few krotovinas; a few small masses of segregated carbonates; violent effervescence; slightly alkaline; diffuse wavy boundary. (0 to 20 inches thick)

C1--33 to 56 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; few fine distinct grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) redox depletions and dark brown (10YR 3/3) redox concentrations in lower part; weak fine and very fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few roots; common fine pores; few krotovinas to 44 inches; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary.

C2--56 to 60 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3) silt loam grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; many medium prominent dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) redox concentrations; laminated; hard, friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Walsh County, North Dakota; about 5 1/4 miles west and 5 miles north of Grafton; 1,340 feet west and 430 feet north of the southeast corner, sec. 13, T. 158 N., R. 54 W.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The depth to carbonates typically is 20 to 40 inches and ranges from about 14 to 40 inches. The mollic epipedon ranges from 16 to about 40 inches in thickness and includes part or all of the Bw horizon. The 10- to 40-inch particle-size control section is silt loam, loam, or very fine sandy loam and has more than 5 percent fine sand and coarser.

The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 3 or 4 and 2 or 3 moist, and chroma of 1. It has chroma of 2 in the lower part of some pedons. It is loam, silt loam or very fine sandy loam. Reaction is neutral or slightly alkaline.

The Bw horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 3 to 5 and 2 to 4 moist, and chroma of 1 to 3. It is loam, silt loam or very fine sandy loam. It has weak or moderate grades of prismatic and blocky structure. Faint redox features are in the lower part of the Bw horizon in some pedons. Reaction is neutral to moderately alkaline.

The Bk horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 5 to 7 and 4 to 6 moist, and chroma of 2 to 4. It is loam, silt loam or very fine sandy loam. It has 10 to 30 percent calcium carbonate equivalent. Reaction is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline. Some pedons have BCk horizons.

The C horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 5 to 7 and 4 to 6 moist, and chroma of 2 to 4. It does not have redox features in some pedons. Reaction is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline. The C horizon below depths of 40 inches commonly has texture similar to the control section, but in some pedons it contains coarser or finer textured glacial till or lacustrine sediments.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Hantho series. Hantho soils formed in 3 to 6 feet of loess overlying glacial till and have less than 5 percent fine sand and coarser sand in the particle-size control section.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Gardena soils are on level to sloping terraces, deltas and glacial lake plains. Slope gradients commonly average between 1 to 3 percent and range from 0 to 9 percent. The soils formed in calcareous silty and loamy glaciolacustrine sediments. The climate is cool, subhumid. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 36 to 45 degrees F, and mean annual precipitation ranges from 15 to 24 inches. Most of the moisture falls in the spring and summer.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bearden, Borup, Colvin, Eckman, Embden, Glyndon, Overly and Perella soils. Bearden, Colvin and Perella soils are on nearby lake plains. They are fine-silty. In addition, Colvin and Perella soils are poorly drained; and Bearden and Colvin soils have calcic horizons within depths of 16 inches. Borup, Eckman and Glyndon soils are in a drainage sequence with Gardena soils. Borup soils are in the swales, basins and low flats; Eckman soils are on the slopes and convex parts of the landscape; and Glyndon soils are on the level parts and lower elevations. Borup soils have calcic horizons within depths of 16 inches and are poorly drained. Eckman soils have mollic epipedons less than 16 inches thick. Glyndon soils do not have Bw horizons and have calcic horizons at depths of less than 16 inches. Embden and Overly soils are on nearby deltas and lake plains. Embden soils are coarse-loamy. Overly soils are fine-silty.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained and moderately well drained. Runoff ranges from negligible to moderate depending on slope. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high or high. A seasonal high water table is at a depth of 3 to 5 feet at some time during the period of April through June in the moderately well drained phase. It is at a depth of 4 to more than 6 feet for the same period in the well-drained phase. A seasonal high water table is at a depth of 3 to 5 feet at some time during the period of April through June in the moderately well drained phase. It is at a depth of 4 to more than 6 feet for the same period in the well drained phase.

USE AND VEGETATION: Soils are cropped to small grains and row crops such as soybeans, potatoes, sugar beets, beans and sunflowers. Native vegetation was green needlegrass, bearded wheatgrass, western wheatgrass, prairie junegrass, needleandthread, blue grama and a variety of forbs.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North-central and eastern North Dakota, northeastern South Dakota and west-central Minnesota. The series is extensive.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Sargent County, North Dakota, 1961.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: mollic epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 22 inches (Ap, A, and Bw horizons).

ADDITIONAL DATA: Laboratory data: S51NDak-5-7, S50NDak-38-1 and North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station, Soils Department S66ND-39-1 and S66ND-50-3.


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.