LOCATION GREENTON           MO
Established Series
Rev. AHJ-KDV
02/97

GREENTON SERIES


The Greenton series consists of very deep and deep, somewhat poorly drained, slowly permeable soils formed in thin loess and the underlying residuum from clay shales and thinly bedded limestone. These soils are on uplands. Slopes range from 2 to 25 percent. Mean annual temperature is 55 degrees F, and mean annual precipitation is about 37 inches.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, mesic Aquertic Argiudolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Greenton silt loam - on a 7 percent convex south-facing slope in a pasture at an elevation of 900 feet. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)

Ap--0 to 7 inches; black (10YR 2/1) silt loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; weak very fine granular structure; very friable; common fine roots; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary.

A--7 to 12 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) silt loam, gray (10YR 5/1) dry; weak very fine subangular blocky structure; friable; lower 2 inches mixed with dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) peds, rubbed very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2); common fine roots; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizon is 8 to 24 inches.)

Bt1--12 to 28 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) and brown (10YR 4/3) silty clay; weak fine angular blocky structure; firm; common fine roots; many faint dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) clay films on faces of peds; few fine distinct dark gray (10YR 4/1) iron depletions; common fine dark brown (10YR 3/3) soft masses (Fe and Mn oxides); slightly acid; clear smooth boundary. (12 to 24 inches thick)

2Bt2--28 to 30 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) silty clay; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; firm; few very fine roots; common faint clay films on faces of peds; common medium distinct light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) iron depletions; few fine black (10YR 2/1) and few fine dark brown (10YR 3/3) concretions (Fe and Mn oxides); few fine shale fragments; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 16 inches thick)

2C1--30 to 39 inches; olive (5Y 5/3) clay; massive; very firm; few very fine roots; few fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation; 5 percent limestone rock fragments; slight effervescence; mildly alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (6 to 20 inches thick)

2C2--39 to 60 inches; mixed pale olive (5Y 6/4) and yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silty clay; massive; very firm; 10 percent limestone rock fragments; slight effervescence; mildly alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Caldwell County, Missouri; about 3 miles north of Cowgill; 1,100 feet north and 500 feet east of the southwest corner of section 34, T. 56 N., R. 27 W; Cowgill quadrangle, lat. 39 degrees 36 minutes 57 seconds N. and long. 93 degrees 54 minutes 33 seconds W.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mollic epipedon is 10 to 24 inches thick and includes the upper part of the Bt horizon in some pedons. Depth to the 2Bt horizon is 20 to 40 inches. Depth to clayey shales is greater than 40 inches.

The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 2 or 3, 3 to 5 dry and chroma of 1 or 2. It is silt loam or silty clay loam. It is moderately acid to neutral.

The Bt horizon has hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 3 to 6 and chroma of 2 to 5. It is silty clay loam or silty clay. Reaction is moderately acid to neutral.

The 2Bt horizon has hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 2 to 5 and chroma of 1 to 8. It is silty clay loam or silty clay with evidence of shale fragments. Iron masses or depletions with both high and low chroma are distinct or prominent. Reaction is moderately acid to neutral.

The 2C horizon has mixed colors with hue of 7.5YR to 5Y, value of 4 to 6 and chroma of 1 to 6. It is silty clay or clay with coarse fragments of limestone lithology ranging from 0 to 25 percent by volume. It is neutral to moderately alkaline. 2Cr horizons may occur below a depth of 40 inches.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Adair, Arisburg, Arispe, Chase, Flanagan, Grundy, Herrick, Ipava, Lagonda, Lamoni, Macksburg, Martin, Mayberry, Pawnee, Rutland, Seymour, Shorewood, Tina and Wymore soils. All of these soils do not have shale fragments in the series control section.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Greenton soils are on valley side slopes and crest positions at the end of ridges. The soils formed in loess and in the underlying residuum from clay shales and thinly bedded limestone. Slope gradients range from 2 to 25 percent. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 35 to 42 inches, and mean annual temperature ranges from 54 to 57 degrees F.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include the competing Adair, Grundy, Lagonda, and Lamoni soils and the Chillicothe and Polo soils. Chillicothe and Polo soils are better drained. All of these soils are on higher adjacent or nearby landscape positions.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained. Runoff is medium. Permeability is slow. In undisturbed areas, a perched water table has and upper limit of 1.0 to 2.5 feet during November to April in most years.

USE AND VEGETATION: Soils are used to grow corn, soybeans, and wheat or are used for pasture. Native vegetation is tall prairie grasses.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern Missouri. The series is of moderate extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Indianapolis, Indiana

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Caldwell County, Missouri, 1974.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this series are: mollic epipedon-the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 12 inches (Ap and A horizons); argillic horizon-the zone from approximately 12 inches to 30 inches (Bt1 and 2Bt2 horizons).


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.