LOCATION HIDATSA NDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid Pachic Haplustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Hidatsa loam - on a 3 percent convex northwest facing slope in hayland. When described the soil was dry throughout. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 6 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; neutral abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 9 inches thick)
Bw--6 to 16 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate coarse prismatic structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and very fine roots; neutral; clear wavy boundary.
Bw--16 to 22 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to weak medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; 1 percent limestone pebbles; few very fine roots; neutral; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of Bw is 11 to 23 inches thick.)
2C--22 to 60 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) very gravelly sandy loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; violent effervescence; mildly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Dunn County, North Dakota; 11 miles north and 7 miles west of Killdeer; 3,200 feet east and 100 feet south of the Northwest corner, sec. 27, T. 147 N., R. 96 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The depth to limestone gravel commonly is about 20 to 24 inches but ranges from 18 to 28 inches. The 10- to 40-inch control section averages more than 50 percent by volume of limestone gravel. The mollic epipedon is 16 to 26 inches thick and includes all or part of the Bw horizon.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 4 or 5 dry and 2 or 3 moist, and chroma of 1 or 2s It is loam or fine sandy loam. It is slightly acid or neutral.
The Bw horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 4 or 5 dry and 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3. It is loam or fine sandy loam. Reaction is slightly acid or neutral. The lower part of the Bw horizon contains less than 5 percent limestone pebbles. Bk or BCk horizons are present in some pedons.
The 2C horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y or 5Y; value of 5 to 8 dry and 4 to 7 moist; and chroma of 2 to 4. It is very gravelly sandy loam or very gravelly loam. It is mildly or moderately alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Garber, Lolo, and Mescalero series in the same family and Bowdle, Lehr, Manning, and Stady series. Garber soils have hue of 5YR and 10YR. Lolo soils have gravel throughout the solum. Mescalero soils have bedrock at depth of 20 to 40 inches. Bowdle soils are fine-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal. Lehr, Manning, and Stady soils have mollic epipedons less than 16 inches thick.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Hidatsa soils are on pediments that have a plane or convex surface. The slope gradient commonly is 1 to 6 percent but the range is 1 to 9 percent. The soils formed in loamy alluvium over limestone gravel alluvium. The mean annual temperature varies from 38 degrees to 45 degrees F, and the mean annual precipitation varies from 14 to 19 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Arnegard, Farland, and Shambo soils. Arnegard, Farland, and Shambo soils are on similar positions but do not have gravel.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Surface runoff is slow on the nearly level areas and medium on the more sloping areas. Permeability is moderate in the solum and rapid in the 2C horizon.
USE AND VEGETATION: Primarily cropped to small grain, alfalfa, and corn. Native vegetation is primarily mid and short prairie grasses.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Hidatsa soils are limited to small areas in western North Dakota. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Dunn County, North Dakota, 1981.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: mollic epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 22 inches (Ap, Bwl, and Bw2 horizons).