LOCATION HORD NE+KS

Established Series
Rev. LGR, RRZ, KEG
04/2020

HORD SERIES

The Hord series consists of very deep, well drained, moderately permeable soils that formed in mixed loess and alluvium on foot slopes and stream terraces. Slope is dominantly less than 1 percent, but can range from 0 to 7 percent. Mean annual temperature is about 11 degrees C (51 degrees F), and mean annual precipitation is about 580 millimeters (23 inches) at the type location.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Cumulic Haplustolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Hord silt loam with a slope of less than 1 percent, in an irrigated field of cultivated crop. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

Ap--0 to 20 centimeters (0 to 8 inches); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silt loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak medium granular structure; slightly hard, friable; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary.

A--20 to 36 centimeters (8 to 14 inches); dark gray (10YR 4/1) silt loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak medium granular structure; slightly hard, friable; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of Ap and A is 10 to 24 inches.)

Bw--36 to 70 centimeters (14 to 28 inches); grayish brown (10YR 5/2) silt loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (8 to 15 inches thick)

BC--70 to 120 centimeters (28 to 48 inches); light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) silt loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to weak medium subangular blocky; soft, very friable; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (6 to 22 inches thick)

C--120 to 200 centimeters (48 to 80 inches); light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) silt loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; massive; soft, friable; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Buffalo County, Nebraska; 1.6 kilometers (one mile) south and 1.6 kilometers (one mile) east of Riverdale; 402 meters (1320 feet) west and 30 meters (100 feet) north of the southeast corner, sec. 5, T. 9 N., R. 16 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
Depth to secondary carbonates: 50 to 150 centimeters (20 to 60 inches); some profiles lack carbonates
Thickness of mollic epipedon: 50 to 140 centimeters (20 to 55 inches) and extends into the B horizon
Thickness of the solum: 60 to 150 centimeters (24 to 60 inches)

The A horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 3 to 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2
Texture: silt loam, loam, very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam and silty clay loam
Reaction: moderately acid to neutral

Bw horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 3 to 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2
Texture: silt loam or silty clay loam
Reaction: slightly acid or neutral

BC horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 4 to 7 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: silt loam, but includes silty clay loam and loam
Clay content: 25 percent clay, ranging from 20 to 35 percent
Reaction: slightly acid through slightly alkaline

C horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 4 to 7 dry, 3 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: On stream terraces, very fine sandy loam to silty clay loam and is commonly stratified. On the uplands, typically silt loam, but includes silty clay loam
Reaction: mildly or moderately alkaline
Comment: In some areas buried horizons are common; material coarser than very fine sandy loam is below a depth of 102 centimeters (40 inches) in some pedons

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Ackmen, Alcester, Coleridge, Gabaldon, Irak, Muir, Roxbury, Shell, Tobin, Trementina and Vega series in the same family.
Ackmen, Shell, Tobin, and Vega soils lack B horizons.
Alcester soils occur in an area of lower temperature.
Coleridge soils have aquic conditions within 100 cm of the soil surface for some time in most years.
Gabaldon soils are at higher elevations.
Irak soils lack a cambic horizon.
Muir soils lack free carbonates above a depth of 120 centimeters (48 inches).
Roxbury soils have carbonates above a depth of 40 centimeters (15 inches) and formed in finely stratified alluvium.
Shell soils also have carbonates below a depth of 120 centimeters (48 inches),
Trementina soils have carbonates between 40 and 75 centimeters (15 and 30 inches) and occur in a 360 to 510 millimeter (14 to 20 inch) rainfall.
Vega soils contain carbonates throughout.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Hord soils are nearly level to gently sloping stream terraces. In some locations, the soils are mapped in loess on uplands. On stream terraces they formed in a mixture of loess and alluvium, on uplands the soils formed in loess. Dominant slope gradient is less than 1 percent, but the range is from 0 to 7 percent. The range of mean annual temperature is from 10-14 degrees C (49 to 57 degrees F). The range of mean annual precipitation is from 510 to 710 millimeters (20 to 28 inches).

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Blendon, Cozad, Hall, Hobbs, Holdrege, Holder, and Wood River soils. Blendon soils are coarse-loamy. Holder soils have argillic horizons. Wood River soils are in the fine family and have an argillic horizon.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Hord soils are well drained. Runoff is low to moderately high. Permeability is moderate. Flooding is none or rare.

USE AND VEGETATION: Nearly all the acreage is in cultivated crops and much of it is irrigated. Corn, grain sorghum, soybeans and alfalfa are the principal crops. Minor crops are winter wheat and introduced pasture grasses. A small acreage is in native grass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central and northeastern Nebraska and north-central Kansas. The series is extensive.

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Salina, Kansas

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Nance County, Nebraska, 1958.

REMARKS: Phases correlated to date include wet substratum, bedrock substratum, sandy substratum and terrace. Hord soils were formerly classified as Pachic. A different series should be used for those areas mapped in the upland position. Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: mollic epipedon--the zone from 0 to 72 centimeters (0 to 28 inches) thick (Ap, A and Bw horizon) and cambic horizon--the zone from 36 to 72 centimeters (14 to 28 inches) (the Bw horizon). Buried soils are below a depth of 102 centimeters (40 inches) in some areas.

3/20 KEG converted measurements to metric

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.