LOCATION GRANER SDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, acid, mesic Torrertic Ustorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Graner clay - on northeast-facing slope of 5 percent under native grass. When described the soil was moist to 38 inches. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 5 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) clay, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak very fine granular structure; soft, friable; many fine roots; many very fine shale fragments; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
AC--5 to 20 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very shaly clay, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) crushing to dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable; common fine roots; many very fine shale fragments; very strongly acid; gradual boundary. (8 to 16 inches thick)
C--20 to 60 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very shaly clay, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) crushing to dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; very weak coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable; few fine roots; many fine shale fragments; extremely acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Butte County, South Dakota; about 8 miles west and 5 miles north of Belle Fourche; 1800 feet west and 500 feet north of southeast corner of sec. 4, T. 9 N., R. 1 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Colors throughout the soil are largely inherited from the shale. Texture of the control section is clay containing from 55 to 60 percent clay. Consistence is soft or slightly hard when dry and friable when moist. It is strongly acid to extremely acid throughout. The soil has an Ustic moisture regime that borders on Aridic.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6 and 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 1 or 2. The A horizon contains less than 1 percent more organic matter than the C. It contains common to many partially weathered very fine shale fragments.
The AC and C horizons have hue of 10YR, 2.5Y, or 5Y; value of 5 or 6 and 3 or 4 moist; and chroma of 2. They contain over 50 percent by volume of partially weathered very fine shale fragments. Bedded fissile shale is below depths of 40 inches in some pedons.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other soils in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Graner soils are on undulating to hilly uplands with slope gradients between 2 and 25 percent. They formed in clayey materials derived from acid shales. Mean annual temperature ranges from 45 to 48 degrees F, and mean annual precipitation from about 14 to 16 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Broadhurst, Demar and Grummit soils. The Broadhurst soils are on adjacent nearly level to gently sloping fans and terraces. They have very firm consistence and when dry have cracks 1/2 to 1 inch wide and several feet long extending downward through the solum. Demar soils have argillic horizons and are on nearly level to gently sloping terraces and fans. Grummit soils are on moderately sloping to steeply sloping uplands. They have bedded shale within depths of 20 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Runoff is low or medium depending on slope. Permeability is moderate.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used primarily as native rangeland. Native vegetation is prairie sandreed, little bluestem, sand bluestem and western wheatgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western South Dakota. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Butte County, South Dakota, 1970.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon: ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 5 inches (A horizon). The soil has an Ustic moisture regime that borders on Aridic. The soil will be reclassified to the Torrertic subgroup when it is approved.