LOCATION KENSAL NDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid Oxyaquic Hapludolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Kensal loam - on a plane slope of less than 1 percent in a cultivated field. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated. Where described the soil was moist throughout)
Ap--0 to 8 inches; black (10YR 2/1) loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; moderate medium granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine roots; few pebbles 2 to 15 mm in diameter; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 12 inches thick)
Bw1--8 to 14 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium angular blocky; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine roots; common fine pores; few thin organic stains on vertical faces of prisms; few pebbles 2 to 15 mm in diameter; neutral; clear wavy boundary.
Bw2--14 to 18 inches; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) loam, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) dry; common fine and medium distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) redoximorphic concentrations; moderate fine and medium prismatic structure parting to moderate fine and medium angular blocky; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine roots; common fine pores; few faint very dark grayish brown (2.5Y 3/2) moist clay films on faces of prisms; about 3 percent gravel 2 to 10 mm in diameter; neutral; clear wavy boundary.
Bw3--18 to 24 inches; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) sandy loam, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) dry; common fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) redoximorphic concentrations; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to fine and medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine roots; few fine pores; about 5 percent light olive gray (5Y 6/2) and pale olive (5Y 6/3) gravel 2 to 25 mm in diameter; about 85 percent shale in the 0.1 to 76 mm fraction; neutral; clear wavy boundary. (Combined Bw horizons 6 to 26 inches thick)
2C1--24 to 32 inches; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) loamy sand, light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) dry; single grain; loose, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few shale pebbles 2 to 10 mm in diameter; about 90 percent shale in the 0.1 to 76 mm fraction; slight effervescence; slightly alkaline; clear wavy boundary.
2C2--32 to 60 inches; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) gravelly sand, light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) dry; single grain; nonsticky and nonplastic; some crossbedding; about 40 percent gravel; about 70 percent shale in the 0.1 to 76 mm fraction; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Eddy County, North Dakota; about 6 1/2 miles north and 7 miles east of New Rockford; 280 feet west and 50 feet north of the southeast corner, sec. 28, T. 150 N., R. 65 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to sandy and gravelly material typically is 20 to 30 inches but ranges from 14 to 38 inches thick.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 3 to 5 and 2 or 3 moist, and chroma of 1. It is loam and neutral.
The Bw horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6 and 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3. It is loam averaging 18 to 25 percent clay. It is neutral. It does not have thin layers of sandy loam in the lower part of some pedons. The entire Bw horizon has redoximorphic features in some pedons. Some pedons have a 2Bw horizon less than 5 inches thick.
The 2C horizon has hue of 2.5Y, value of 6 and 4 or 5 moist, and chroma of 2. It has more than 20 percent shale in the 0.1 to 76 mm fraction. It is stratified and commonly has more than 35 percent rock fragments but the content ranges from 2 to 70 percent. It is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Warsing series. Warsing soils have sand and gravel 2C horizons that have less than 20 percent shale in the 0.1 to 76 mm fraction.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Kensal soils are on level and nearly level outwash plains. Slope gradients are 0 to 3 percent. The soils formed in loam materials over sand and gravel sediments that contain an appreciable amount of shale. The climate is cool, subhumid, with a mean air annual temperature of about 38 to 44 degrees F, and mean annual precipitation of about 16 to 20 inches. Two-thirds of the moisture falls in the spring and summer.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: This is the competing Warsing soils and the Brantford, Coe, Divide, Tolna and Walum soils on nearby outwash plains. Brantford soils do not have redoximorphic features. Coe soils are sandy-skeletal. They are on steeper slopes and hills. Divide soils have a calcic horizon within depths of 16 inches. Tolna soils are more acid and are coarse-loamy. Walum soils are sandy.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained. Surface runoff is slow. Permeability is moderate in the solum, rapid or very rapid in the substratum. A seasonal high water table is at depths of 2.5 to 5 feet at some time during the period of April through June.
USE AND VEGETATION: Mainly used for growing small grains, but some is used for hay and pasture. Native vegetation was green needlegrass, needleandthread, western wheatgrass and a variety of forbs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: East-central North Dakota. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Eddy County, North Dakota, 1971.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: mollic epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 14 inches (Ap and Bw1 horizons); cambic horizon - the zone from 14 to 24 inches (Bw2 and Bw3 horizons).
The classification was changed to the Oxyaquic subgroup even though the morphology of this pedon may meet the Aquic subgroup criteria because it was felt Oxyaquic better fit the water state of the series. A different pedon may need to be selected to represent the series. 01/2000.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Refer to SU64ND-14-2 and ND52-P-3.