LOCATION HEELAND NEEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic, shallow Typic Hapludolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Heeland loam - in native grass. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 6 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) loam, brown (7.5YR 4/2) dry; moderate medium granular structure parting to weak fine granular, slightly hard, very friable; many fine and medium roots throughout; many fine and medium tubular pores; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary. (4 to 7 inches thick)
AC--6 to 10 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) loam, brown (7.5YR 4/3) dry; weak fine subangular blocky parting to weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable; many fine and medium roots through; many fine and medium inerstitial and tubular pores; common faint very dark gray (7.5YR 3/1) organic coats on faces of peds; 10 percent subrounded sandstone gravel; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 6 inches)
C--10 to 16 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/3) loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) dry; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable; many fine and medium roots throughout; many fine and medium interstitial and tubular pores; few faint dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) organic coats on faces of peds; 14 percent subrounded sandstone gravel; slightly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 7 inches thick)
Cr--16 inches; reddish brown partially weathered sandstone.
TYPE LOCATION: Gage County, Nebraska; 2 mile east and 2 miles south of Beatrice; 1850 feet south and 400 feet east of northwest corner, sec. 24, T. 3 N., R. 6 E.; USGS Blue Springs Quadrangle, latitude 40 degrees, 12 minutes, 40 seconds N; longitude 96 degrees, 42 minutes, 28 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The depth to bedrock ranges from 10 to 20 inches. The clay content of the particle size control section ranges from 8 to 22 percent. The soil contains no free carbonates and ranges from moderately acid to neutral. Some soils have gravelly sandstone rock fragments between 15 and 35 percent by volume in any horizon.
The A and AC horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 2 or 3 and 4 or 5 dry, and chroma of 1 to 3. It is loam, sandy loam, or fine sandy loam, or their gravelly counterparts.
The C horizon has hue of 10YR, 7.5YR, or 5YR, value of 4 or 5 and 5 or 6 dry, and chroma of 2 to 6. It is loam, loamy sand or sandy loam or their gravelly counterpart. Some pedons do not have a C horizon.
COMPETING SERIES: The Vinland series is th only other series in this family. Vinland soils contain less sand and more clay in the series control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Heeland soils are on hillslopes of uplands. The slope gradient commonly is 6 to 18 percent, but the range is 3 to 30 percent. The soils formed in residuum weathered from noncalcareous sandstone of the Dakota formation. Where these soils occur, bedrock outcrops are common. The annual temperature ranges from 52 to 55 degrees F, and the annual precipitation ranges from 29 to 35 inches. Frost-free days range from 165 to 175.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Dickinson, Lancaster, Morrill and Yutan soils. Dickinson soils are very deep and have more clay in the particle size control section. Lancaster soils are moderately deep to bedrock and are on similar topographic positions as Heeland soils. Morrill and Yutan soils are very deep with more clay and less sand in the particle size control section and have an argillic horizon. All of these soils are higher on the uplands.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained. Runoff is medium on moderate slopes and rapid on steeper slopes. Permeability is moderate above the bedrock.
USE AND VEGETATION: Nearly all areas are in native pasture. Native vegetation is tall and mid grass prairie.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeastern Nebraska. The soils of this series are of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado
SERIES PROPOSED: Gage County, Nebraska 1996.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: mollic epipedon - the zone from the surface to about 10 inches; udic moisture regime; paralithic contact at 16 inches. This soil replaces the Hedville series that was formerly mapped in MLRA 106