LOCATION KALONA IA
Established Series
Rev. JAL-JWH-RJB
06/2015
KALONA SERIES
The Kalona series consists of deep, poorly drained soils formed in loess on broad upland divides. These soils have moderately slow permeability. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 34 inches, and mean annual temperature is about 51 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, mesic Vertic Endoaquolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Kalona silty clay loam - on a 1 percent slope in a cultivated field. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 10 inches; black (N 2/0) silty clay loam, very dark gray (N 3/0) dry; moderate very fine and fine angular blocky structure; firm; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary.
A1--10 to 14 inches; black (N 2/0) silty clay loam, very dark gray (N 3/0) dry; moderate very fine granular structure; firm; few very fine dark reddish brown (5YR 2/2) concretions (oxides); neutral; clear smooth boundary.
A2--14 to 18 inches; black (N 2/0) silty clay loam, very dark gray (N 3/0) dry; moderate very fine granular structure; firm; few very fine dark reddish brown (5YR 2/2) concretions (oxides); slightly acid; clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of A horizons is 12 to 20 inches.)
BA--18 to 22 inches; black (10YR 2/1) silty clay loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; moderate fine and very fine subangular blocky structure; firm; few very fine dark reddish brown (5YR 2/2) and a few fine brown (7.5YR 4/4) concretions (oxides); slightly acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 4 inches thick)
Bg1--22 to 27 inches; dark gray (5Y 4/1) silty clay loam; black (10YR 2/1) coats on faces of some peds; weak fine prismatic structure parting to moderate very fine and fine subangular blocky; firm; common very fine dark reddish brown (5YR 2/2) and common fine brown (7.5YR 4/4) concretions (oxides); slightly acid; clear smooth boundary.
Bg2--27 to 33 inches; dark gray (5Y 4/1) silty clay loam; black (10YR 2/1) coats on faces of some peds; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate fine subangular blocky; firm; many very fine dark reddish brown (5YR 2/2) and a few fine brown (7.5YR 4/4) concretions (oxides); slightly acid; clear smooth boundary.
Bg3--33 to 41 inches; olive gray (5Y 5/2) silty clay loam; many fine and medium distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) mottles; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate fine subangular blocky; friable; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of Bg horizons is 16 to 34 inches.)
BCg--41 to 56 inches; mottled olive gray (5Y 5/2) and strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) silty clay loam; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; friable; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (10 to 18 inches thick)
Cg--56 to 60 inches; olive gray (5Y 5/2) silty clay loam; common fine prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) mottles; massive; friable; a few secondary carbonates with slight effervescence; neutral.
TYPE LOCATION: Des Moines County, Iowa; about 3 miles northwest of Yarmouth; 54 feet south and 36 feet west of the northeast corner of sec. 18, T. 72 N., R. 4 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The solum ranges from 40 to 72 inches in thickness. The 10- to 40-inch control section averages 35 to 40 percent clay and less than 5 percent sand. The maximum clay content for any subhorizon is 44 percent. The mollic epipedon ranges from 12 to 24 inches thick.
The A horizon ranges from 12 to 20 inches thick and is black (N 2/0 or 10YR 2/1). It is silty clay loam or silty clay and ranges from medium acid to neutral.
The BA horizon has value of 2 or 3 and chroma of 1. Higher values or higher chromas occur as mottles.
The Bg horizon ranges in hue from 10YR to 5Y, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 1 or 2. The upper part of the Bg horizon is silty clay loam or silty clay, and the lower part is silty clay loam. Reaction is medium acid to neutral.
The C horizon has hue of 5Y, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 1 or 2. Mottles are common or many and have hues as red as 7.5YR, values of 4 or 5, and chromas of 4 to 8. Texture is silt loam or silty clay loam. Reaction ranges from slightly acid to mildly alkaline. Secondary carbonates are in some pedons.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Chequest,
Lanyon,
Marna,
Streator, and
Waldorf series in the same family and the
Taintor series. Chequest soils have more acid sola and contain more sand. Lanyon soils have thinner sola and typically have free carbonates at depths of 12 to 20 inches. Marna soils have more sand throughout. Streator soils contain more clay in the lower part of the B horizon and the C horizon. Waldorf soils average 40 to 50 percent clay in the control section. Taintor soils have an argillic horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Kalona soils are on broad upland divides. Slopes are less than 2 percent. Kalona soils formed in loess of Wisconsin Age. The loess ranges from 6 to 15 feet in thickness and contains less than 5 percent sand. The mean annual precipitation is about 30 to 35 inches, and mean annual temperature is about 49 to 52 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing
Taintor soils and the
Mahaska,
Nira,
Otley, and
Sperry soils. The somewhat poorly drained Mahaska soils are on convex sideslopes at a lower elevation or on slight rises on the broad upland flats. The moderately well drained Nira and Otley soils are at slightly lower elevations on convex summits of interfluves and side slopes. The Sperry soils are in depressions within the broad areas of Kalona soils. The Taintor soils are on similar landscape positions. Where Kalona and Taintor soils are next to each other on the landscape, the Kalona soils are in the middle part of the divide, and Taintor soils are along the edges.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained. Runoff is slow. Permeability is moderately slow. Depth to an intermittent apparent water table is 0 to 1 foot at some time from November through July in most years.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are under cultivation and cropped intensively to corn and soybeans. The native vegetative cover is a herbaceous wetland community commonly inhabited with Bluejoint Grasses, Fowl Bluegrasses, Green Muhlies, Fox Sedges, Field Sedges, Dudleys Rushes, Torreys Rushes, Swamp Milkweeds, False Sneezeweeds, False Asters, New England Asters, White Panicled Asters, and Wild Mints.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeastern Iowa. They are moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Indianapolis, Indiana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Wapello County, Iowa, 1978.
REMARKS: These soils have previously been included in the Taintor series.
The term drained is not included in the soil name, but unless otherwise specified, most areas requiring artificial drainage, needed for agricultural production, have been drained.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.