LOCATION HURLEY SDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Very-fine, smectitic, mesic Leptic Natrustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Hurley silt loam - on simple slope of 1 percent under grass. When described the soil was dry throughout. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted.)
E--0 to 3 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) silt loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; weak thin platy structure parting to weak fine granular; slightly hard, friable; many roots; slightly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)
Btn--3 to 9 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) clay, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; gray (10YR 5/1) coatings on tops of columns; moderate medium columnar structure parting to strong medium and coarse subangular blocky; hard, firm; shiny surfaces on faces of peds; many roots; slightly alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
Btnkz--9 to 16 inches; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) clay, very dark grayish brown (2.5Y 3/2) moist; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, firm; shiny surfaces on faces of peds; common roots; few fine accumulations of carbonate; few fine and medium nests of salts; slight effervescence; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
Bkz--16 to 25 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) shaly clay, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; massive; hard, firm; few roots; 30 percent by volume of fragments of shale; few fine accumulations of carbonate; many fine and medium nests of gypsum and other salts; slight effervescence; slightly alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (4 to 15 inches thick)
Cr--25 to 60 inches; gray (5Y 6/1) fractured soft bedded shale, dark gray (5Y 4/1) moist; multicolored seams of (10YR 5/4, 5Y 5/4, and 5Y 7/1); moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Potter County, South Dakota; about 4 miles west and 8 miles north of Gettysburg; 2215 feet south and 425 feet east of the northwest corner, sec. 17 T. 119 N., R. 76 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to carbonates ranges from 4 to 12 inches. Depth to bedded shale ranges from 20 to 40 inches. Accumulations of salts are above or in the horizons with accumulations of carbonates and are at depths between 4 and 16 inches, and the SAR ranges from 10 to 20. When the soil is dry, common cracks 1/2 to 2 inches wide and several feet long extend through the sola. The dark gray color of the clay shale is evident throughout the soil.
The E horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y, or 5Y; value of 4 to 6 and 3 or 4 moist; and chroma is 1 or 2. It typically is silt loam or silty clay loam but is silty clay in some pedons. It is slightly acid or neutral.
The Bt horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y, or 5Y, value of 4 or 5 and 2 or 3 moist, and chroma of 1 or 2 in the upper part and value of 4 to 6 and 3 or 4 moist and chroma of 1 or 2 in the lower part. The Bt horizon averages between 60 and 70 percent clay and ranges from neutral to moderately alkaline. It has moderate or strong, medium or fine columnar structure that parts to moderate medium and fine blocky or subangular blocky in the upper part. Some pedons do not have accumulations of carbonate and salts in the lower part of the Bt horizon.
The Bk horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y or 5Y; value of 5 or 6 and 4 or 5 moist; and chroma of 1 or 2. It is clay with as much as 35 percent fragments of shale by volume. It ranges from slightly to strongly alkaline. It has accumulations of gypsum and other salts.
Some pedons have BC horizons with color and texture of the Bk horizon.
The C horizon if it is present has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 5 or 6 and 4 or 5 moist, and chroma of 1 or 2 moist. It is clay and contains 15 to 50 percent fragments of shale by volume. It ranges from slightly to strongly alkaline. Some pedons have C2 horizons.
The Cr horizon ranges from slightly acid to moderately alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Capa series. The Capa soils do not have bedrock between depths of 20 and 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Hurley soils are on plane or slightly concave uplands. Slopes gradients range from 0 to 9 percent, and most landscapes have slight microrelief. Hurley soils formed in fine clay, either residuum transported locally or weathered in place from clay shales. Mean annual temperature ranges from 45 to 50 degrees F, and mean annual precipitation ranges from 15 to 24 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Carter, Opal, Promise, and Sansarc soils. Carter, Opal, and Promise soils do not have a natric horizon and all are on similar nearby landscapes. Sansarc soils do not have a natric horizon and have bedded shale within depths of 20 inches and are on steeper landscapes.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well or well drained. Runoff is medium to very high. Permeability is very slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: Mostly in native range. Native grasses include sparse stands of western wheatgrass, blue grama, needleandthread, buffalograss, and cactus.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central and western South Dakota. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Potter County, South Dakota, 1955.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: mollic epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of about 16 inches (E, Btn, and Btnkz horizons); argillic (Natric) horizon - the zone from about 3 to 16 inches (Btn and Btnkz horizons).