LOCATION KIRLEY SDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, mesic Vertic Argiustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Kirley loam - on a plane slope of less than 1 percent in tame pasture. When described the soil was dry throughout. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise indicated.)
Ap--0 to 5 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to moderate medium granular; slightly hard, friable; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary.
A--5 to 8 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to moderate medium granular; slightly hard, friable; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (Combined A horizons is 4 to 8 inches thick.)
Bt1--8 to 14 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) clay, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; very hard, firm, sticky and plastic; shiny film on faces of peds; neutral; clear smooth boundary.
Bt2--14 to 17 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) clay, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; very hard, very firm, sticky and plastic; shiny film on faces of peds; slight effervescence; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (Combined Bt horizons is 8 to 16 inches thick.)
Btk--17 to 31 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) clay, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; very hard, firm, sticky and plastic; shiny film on faces of peds; common fine soft accumulations of carbonate; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 16 inches thick)
Bk--31 to 52 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) clay loam, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine accumulations of carbonate; violent effervescence; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (8 to 30 inches thick)
C--52 to 60 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) loam, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; massive; soft, friable; few fine accumulations of carbonate; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Stanley County, South Dakota; about 5 1/2 miles west and 24 miles north of Hayes; 25 feet east and 175 feet north of the southwest corner, sec. 19, T. 9 N., R. 25 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to free carbonate ranges from 12 to 24 inches. The mollic epipedon ranges from 7 to 18 inches in thickness and extends into the Bt horizon.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 4 or 5 and 2 or 3 moist, and chroma of 1 or 2. It commonly is loam but is clay loam in some pedons. It is slightly acid or neutral.
The Bt horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6 and 3 to 5 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3. It is clay, clay loam, or sandy clay averaging between 35 and 50 percent clay and more than 15 percent fine or coarser sand. Free carbonate is not in the Bt horizon of some pedons. The Bt horizon ranges from slightly acid to mildly alkaline and the Btk horizon is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
The Bk horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 to 7 and 4 to 6 moist, and chroma of 2 to 4. It is clay or clay loam. It has few to many, fine or medium accumulations of carbonate. It is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
The C horizon has colors like that of the Bk horizon. The C horizon typically is clay loam or loam but is clay in some pedons. It has few to many, fine or medium accumulations of carbonates. Thin strata of coarser textured material are between depths of 40 and 60 inches in some pedons. It is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Beadle, Carlson, Harney, McClure, Mento, Peno, Raber, Reliance, and Spearville soils in the same family. Beadle, Peno, and Raber soils formed in glacial till. Carlson, Harney, Mento, and Spearville soils have mean annual temperatures higher than 52 degrees F. In addition, Carlson soils typically are shallower to carbonates, Harney soils have thicker sola, and Mento soils have 5 to 15 percent exchangeable sodium in the B and C horizons. McClure, Reliance, and Richfield soils contain less sand in the series control section and formed in loess.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Kirley soils formed in alluvium on terraces. Surfaces are plane or convex. Slope gradients typically are less than 6 percent but range from 0 to 15 percent. The mean annual temperature ranges from 45 to 48 degrees F, and mean annual precipitation ranges from 15 to 19 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Onita and Ree soils and the Canning, Mosher, and Sansarc soils. Onita soils are in swales. Ree soils are in adjacent nearby landscapes. Canning soils have sand and gravel within depths of 40 inches and are in nearby landscapes. Mosher soils have natric horizons and are in the same landscapes. Sansarc soils are shallow to shale and are on nearby steep landscapes.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Runoff is slow on nearly level areas and medium to rapid on the more sloping areas. Permeability is moderately slow or slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are cropped to winter wheat, sorghum, and alfalfa, or are in tame grass. Native vegetation includes western wheatgrass, green needlegrass, sideoats grama, blue grama, sedges, and forbs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: West-central South Dakota. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Stanley County, South Dakota, 1977.
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 14 inches (Ap, A, Bt1 horizons); argillic horizon - the zone from about 8 to 31 inches (Bt1, Bt2, Btk horizons). Vertic properties - linear extensibility of 6.0 cm or greater at a depth of 0 to 40 inches.