LOCATION GATES NEEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-silty, mixed, superactive, nonacid, mesic Typic Ustorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Gates very fine sandy loam - from a convex slope of 5 to 11 percent in a cultivated field. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 5 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) very fine sandy loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to weak fine granular; slightly hard, very friable; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
AC--5 to 18 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) very fine sandy loam, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to weak fine subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (4 to 16 inches thick)
C--18 to 60 inches; pale red (2.5YR 7/2) very fine sandy loam, weak red (2.5YR 5/2) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure; slightly hard, friable; few films and threads of calcium carbonate; moderately alkaline; slight effervescence.
TYPE LOCATION: Custer County, Nebraska; 5 miles south and 1.5 miles west of Anselmo; 200 feet north and 2440 feet west of the southeast corner of sec. 6, T. 18 N., R. 22 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: The soil moisture control section is moist in some part from October through April; intermittently moist from May through July; driest in July through September; ustic moisture regime
Depth to secondary carbonates: 12 to 36 inches; accumulations of free carbonates are visible in the C horizon, but not in sufficient quantity to constitute a calcic horizon
Thickness of mollic epipedon: 3 to 6 inches
Thickness of solum: 7 to 22 inches
A horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5YR
Value: 4 to 7 dry, 3 to 6 moist
Chroma: 1 to 3
Texture: typically very fine sandy loam, but the range includes silt loam, fine sandy loam, and loamy fine sand
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline
AC and C horizons:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5YR
Value: 5 to 8 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: 10 to 40 inch control section is typically very fine sandy loam, but silt loam and sub-horizons of loamy very fine sand are included
Reaction: slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in the same family. Similar series in other families are the Colby, Coly, Crofton, Hersh, Ida, Kenesaw, Keota, Lowry, Mitchell, Nevee, Sully, Uly, and Ulysses soils. Colby, Keota, Mitchell, and Nevee soils are dry for a longer period of time. Coly and Crofton have fine-silty textures and are calcareous throughout the profile. Ida soils are dry for a shorter period of time. Hersh soils are coarse-loamy. Kenesaw, Lowry, Uly, and Ulysses soils have mollic epipedons. The closely related Sully soil is calcareous throughout the profile.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Gates soils occur on stream terraces, valley side slopes and on dissected uplands. They are in transition areas between large areas of sandhills and the loess hills and table lands. Slope gradients are typically 2 to 11 percent, but range from 0 to 60 percent. Gates soils formed in loess, reworked alluvium that lacks stratification, or reworked residual material. Mean annual temperature ranges from 48 to 51 degrees F. and the mean annual precipitation ranges from 18 to 24 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Anselmo, Kenesaw, Hersh, and Valentine soils. Anselmo and Hersh soils are in similar landscapes as Gates but have a coarse-loamy control section, and Anselmo soils have a mollic epipedon. Kenesaw soils occupy lower positions in the landscape and have a mollic epipedon. Valentine soils are on nearly level to hilly sandhills and have a sandy control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained to excessively drained. Runoff ranges from medium on gentle slopes to rapid on steep and very steep areas. Permeability is moderate.
USE AND VEGETATION: The steeper areas of these soils are in native grass. The less sloping areas are commonly cropped to wheat, alfalfa, corn, and forage crops. The native vegetation consists mainly of blue grama, little bluestem, big bluestem, sideoats grama, and needleandthread grass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central and north-central Nebraska. This series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Custer County, Nebraska, 1980.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons or features recognized in this soil are: ochric epipedon--the zone from 0 to 5 inches (Ap horizon). A sandy overblow phase is recognized.