LOCATION GUS NE+SDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Cumulic Endoaquolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Gus clay loam with a slope of less than 1 percent in a native meadow. When described, the soil was moist to 119 centimeters (47 inches) and wet below that depth. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated).
A1--0 to 18 centimeters (0 to 7inches); black (10YR 2/1) clay loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable; many very fine and fine and common medium and coarse roots; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. A layer of decomposed plant material [3 centimeters (1 inch) thick] is on the surface.
A2--18 to 33 centimeters (7 to 13 inches); black (10YR 2/1) sandy clay loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to moderate fine granular; slightly hard, friable, few fine distinct dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist iron masses in the soil matrix; many very fine and fine and common medium and coarse roots; neutral; clear smooth boundary.
A3--33 to 51 centimeters (13 to 20 inches); black (10YR 2/1) and very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) and grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry; few fine distinct dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist iron masses in the soil matrix; weak coarse subangular blocky structure parting to weak medium granular; slightly hard, lenses of grayish brown (10YR 5/2) fine sand in the lower part; very friable; many very fine and fine and common medium and coarse roots; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary.
A4--51 to 74 centimeters (20 to 29 inches); black (2.5Y 2/1) sandy clay loam, very dark gray (2.5Y 3/1) dry; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable; many very fine and fine roots; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. [Combined thickness of A horizons range from 61 to 91 centimeters (24 to 36 inches)].
Cg1--74 to 89 centimeters (29 to 35 inches); dark gray (10YR 4/1) fine sandy loam, gray (10YR 6/1) dry; massive; slightly hard, very friable; common very fine and fine roots; neutral; gradual irregular boundary.
Cg2--89 to 114 centimeters (35 to 45 inches); dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) sandy clay loam, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure; hard, friable; few fine distinct brown (7.5YR 4/4) iron masses in the matrix; common very fine and fine roots; few 0.5 to 1.0 cm brownish yellow concretions; neutral; gradual irregular boundary.
Cg3--114 to 200 centimeters (49 to 79 inches); dark gray (5Y 4/1) clay loam, gray (5Y 5/1) dry; weak coarse prismatic structure; slightly hard, friable; few fine distinct brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist iron masses in the soil matrix; few very fine roots; slightly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Cherry County, Nebraska; about 16 miles south and about 15 miles west of Nenzel; 1,700 feet west and 100 feet south of the northeast corner of sec. 9, T. 31 N., R. 35 W. USGS Medicine Lake topographic quadrangle; latitude 42 degrees, 41 minutes, 8 seconds North and longitude 101 degrees, 25 minutes, and 46 seconds West.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Moisture regime: aquic
Depth to redoximorphic features: 0 to 46 centimeters (0 to 18 inches)
Endosaturation depth: 0 to 46 centimeters (0 to 18 inches)
Depth to carbonates: can be at depths 0 to 61 centimeters (0 to 24 inches)
Thickness of the mollic epipedon: 61 to 165 centimeters (24 to 65 inches)
Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Fine sand or coarser content: greater than 15 percent
Clay content: 27 to 35 percent
A horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 3 to 5, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 0 to 2
Texture: clay loam, sandy clay loam, loam, mucky loam, fine sandy loam, or clay. Some pedons have organic horizons [3 to 15 centimeters (1 to 6 inches) thick] on the surface.
Reaction: moderately acid to slightly alkaline.
Some pedons have an ACg horizon
Cg horizon:
Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y, or 5Y
Value: 5 to 7, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2
Texture: sandy clay loam, clay loam, loam, fine sandy loam, or very fine sandy loam
Some pedons have sandy material below a depth of 40 inches. Some pedons have buried organic and dark mineral layers below a depth of 40 inches.
Reaction: slightly acid to slightly alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Coland,
Comfrey,
Delft,
Excello,
Glencoe,
James Canyon,
Keddie,
Kimmerling,
Nosal and
Romnell series.
Coland soils have a mollic epipedon more than 91 centimeters (36 inches) thick.
Comfrey, Delft and soils have free carbonates in the series control section.
Glencoe soils have up to 5 percent coarse fragments in the series control section.
Excello soils have a cambic horizon James Canyon soils contain 15 to 35 percent by volume gravel in the particle size control section.
Keddie soils have rock fragments in the series control section.
Kimmerling soils have a mollic epipedon more than 91 centimeters (36 inches) thick.
Nosal soils have rock fragments in the series control section.
Romnell soils have gypsum throughout the solum and are 61 to 102 centimeters (24 to 40 inches) thick over basal glacial till.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: loamy eolian deposits
Landscape: sandhills
Landform: swale on interdune
Slope: 0 to 2 percent
Elevation: 610 to 1066 meters (2000 to 3500 feet)
Mean annual precipitation: 41 to 58 centimeters (16 to 23 inches)
Mean annual air temperature: 8 to 10 degrees C. (46 to 50 degrees F.)
Frost Free Days: 120 to 150
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Cutcomb,
Elsmere,
Gannett,
Loup,
Marlake,
Nenzel, and
Valentine soils.
Elsmere, Loup, Marlake, Nenzel, and Valentine soils are sandy in the particle size control section.
Cutcomb soils are histosols.
Elsmere soils are slightly higher on swales on interdunes and are somewhat poorly drained having a seasonal zone of saturation or aquic conditions beginning at 46 centimeters (18 inches).
Gannett soils are coarse-loamy over sandy in the particle size control section.
Nenzel soils are higher on flats and hummocks on interdunes and are moderately well drained having a seasonal zone of saturation or aquic conditions beginning at 91 centimeters (36 inches).
Marlake soils are in depressions on interdunes and are very poorly drained having a seasonal zone of saturation or aquic conditions beginning at the surface and having ponding up to 61 centimeters (24 inches).
Valentine soils are on dunes and are excessively drained having no seasonal zone of saturation or aquic conditions.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY:
Drainage: poorly and very poorly
Runoff: negligible
Saturated hydraulic conductivity: very high
Ponding frequency: frequent on the very poorly drained soil
Ponding duration: long on the very poorly drained soil with a depth of up to15 centimeters (6 inches)
USE AND VEGETATION: The major uses are livestock grazing and haying. The rangeland native plant community for the wet subirrigated ecological site (RO65XY023NE) is mostly big bluestem, prairie cordgrass, switchgrass, and yellow indiangrass; for the wetland ecological site (R065XY022NE) is mostly prairie cordgrass, northern reedgrass, sedge, rush, bluejoint, and slender wheatgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Nebraska Sandhills in Nebraska and South Dakota (LRR G, MLRA 65). The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Cherry County, Nebraska, 1995
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon: 0 to 74 centimeters (0 to 29 inches) (A1, A2, A3, and A4 horizons)
Aquic soil conditions: 18 to 200 centimeters (7 to 79 inches) (Cg1, Cg2, and Cg3 horizons)
Gus soils were formerly mapped with the Gannett series.
Classification changed from Haplaquolls to Endoaquolls according to changes in Taxonomy in 1992.
RRH, 8/2007: Introductory paragraph: revised parent material, landform and landscape; Typical Pedon: revised introductory paragraph and reversed moist and dry colors in each horizon, revised slightly to match original pedon description; Range in Characteristics: A horizon: texture added mucky loam; Competing Series: revised; Geographic Setting: revised; Geographically Associated Soils: deleted Cullison and added Cutcomb. Drainage and Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity through Distribution and Extent: revised; Additional Data: revised
RRH in 3/2009: Introductory paragraph and Geographic Setting: Changed slope range to 0 to 1 percent. Range of Characteristics: Changed thickness of mollic epipedon based on additional data from Arthur County, Nebraska.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Data is available from the National Soil Survey Center, Soil Survey Laboratory for Pedon IDs 89NE031035, 89NE031037, and 89NE031038. Pedon ID 89NE031035 represents the Typical Pedon and is in NASIS.