LOCATION HEMINGFORD         NE
Established Series
CFM-DAY-CJH
06/2005

HEMINGFORD SERIES


The Hemingford series consists of deep, well drained soils formed in a layer of loess deposited on the underlying loamy residuum weathered from clayey siltstone and fine grained sandstone. They are on uplands. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately slow. Slopes range from 0 to 6 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 16 inches, and mean annual air temperature is about 47 degrees F at the type location.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Aridic Argiustolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Hemingford loam with a slope of less than 1 percent in a cultivated field. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated)

Ap--0 to 6 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary.

A--6 to 10 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine granular; hard, friable; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (Combined A horizons 6 to 10 inches thick)

Bt--10 to 18 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; strong medium prismatic structure parting to strong medium subangular blocky; very hard, firm; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)

BC--18 to 25 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) sandy clay loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; hard, firm; slight effervescence; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick)

C--25 to 42 inches; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) sandy clay loam, light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) moist; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, firm; few hard fine and medium caliche fragments; violent effervescence; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (5 to 35 inches thick)

Cr--42 to 60 inches; pale yellow (2.5Y 8/2) soft sandstone, light gray (2.5Y 7/2) moist; strong effervescence.

TYPE LOCATION: Box Butte County, Nebraska; about 15 miles north and 3 1/2 miles east of Alliance; 2,350 feet east and 150 feet north of the southwest corner, sec. 15, T. 27 N., R. 47 W.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Thickness of the solum: 12 to 34 inches
Thickness of the mollic epipedon: 7 to 20 inches
Depth to carbonates: 12 to 24 inches
Depth to the Cr horizon: 40 to 60 inches

A horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 4 or 5, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma 1 or 2
Texture: typically loam and less commonly very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam, and sandy loam.
Reaction: neutral or slightly alkaline.

Bt horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 4 to 6, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma of 2 or 3
Texture: clay loam and less commonly sandy clay loam or loam averaging between 25 and 35 percent clay
Reaction: neutral or slightly alkaline

BC horizon: where present
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 5 to 7, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma of 2 or 3
Texture: sandy clay loam or loam
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline

C horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 6 to 8, 5 to 7 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: sandy clay loam and loam but also includes very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam, and sandy loam.
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.

The Cr horizon
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value of 7 or 8 and 6 or 7 moist
Chroma of 2 or 3
Texture: soft sandstone and siltstone

COMPETING SERIES:
Ascalon, Asparas, Belfon, Datil, Loarc, Moskee, Noden, Recluse, Satanta, Shalona, Sugardee, Wages and Wolf soils do not have a paralithic contact above a depth of 60 inches. In addition, Sugardee soils have hue of 5YR or 2.5YR in the Bt horizon and hue of 7.5YR or redder throughout the control section and lack a Cr horizon.

Bresser soils have loamy coarse sand or gravelly loamy sand at a depth of 20 to 48 inches.
Cedak, Hargreave and Kirtley soils have a paralithic contact at less than 40 inches.
Critchell soils are gravelly throughout.
Dagflat, and Rosebud soils have a lithic contact at a depth of 20 to 40 inches
Featherlegs soils have gravelly or cobbly material at a depth of 30 to 40 inches.
Harlan soils have hue redder than 7.5YR.
Hiarc soils formed in volcanic sandstone at depths of less than 40 inches.
Lavate soils are leached of carbonates to below a depth of 50 inches.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landscape: uplands
Landform: ridgetops and side slopes
Slope: 0 to 6 percent
Parent material: thin layer of loess over loamy, calcareous residuum of clayey siltstone and fine grained sandstone
Mean annual air temperature: 47 to 52 degrees F
Mean annual precipitation: 14 to 20 inches

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Alliance and Richfield soils are on similar landscapes.
Busher and Manter soils are coarse-loamy and on higher ridges and knolls.
Creighton soils are coarse-loamy and on foot slopes.
Duroc soils have a mollic epipedon thicker than 20 inches and are in slightly lower concave positions.
Keith soils are fine-silty and on similar landscapes.
Rosebud soils have fine grained sandstone or limestone at a depth of 20 to 40 inches and are on similar landscapes.
Satanta soils are on slightly higher knolls and ridges of the landscape.
Tassel soils are shallow over sandstone and on ridges and side slopes.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage: well drained
Saturated hydraulic conductivity: moderately slow
Runoff: slow or medium depending on slope

USE AND VEGETATION: Hemingford soils are mostly cultivated, and some areas are irrigated.
Winter wheat is the principal dryland crop.
Corn, field beans, sugar beets, and alfalfa are the principal irrigated crops.
Where in rangeland, the native vegetation is mid and short grasses.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Hemingford soils are of moderate extensive.
They occur in western Nebraska and possibly in adjacent parts of Colorado.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Box Butte County, Nebraska, 1980.

REMARKS: Hemingford soils were previously mapped as Alliance soils, which are classified in the fine-silty family.


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.