LOCATION LAKOTA NDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Leptic Natrustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Lakota fine sandy loam on a west facing slope of 1 percent in native grassland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated)
A--0 to 4 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) fine sandy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and common fine roots; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
E--4 to 8 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) loamy fine sand, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium platy structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; common very fine and fine roots; neutral; abrupt wavy boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
Btn--8 to 14 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) fine sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (2.5Y 3/2) moist; strong medium columnar structure parting to strong medium and fine angular blocky; extremely hard, extremely firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and few fine roots along faces of peds; column tops coated with light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) E material; common distinct clay bridges between mineral grains; slightly alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (3 to 10 inches thick)
Bkz--14 to 25 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; common fine nests and threads of salts; few medium irregularly shaped masses of carbonates; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 16 inches thick)
BCz--25 to 34 inches; light olive gray (5Y 6/2) loamy fine sand, olive gray (5Y 4/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; few fine threads of salts; slight effervescence; slightly alkaline; gradual wavy boundary.
C--34 to 50 inches; light olive gray (5Y 6/2) loamy fine sand, olive gray (5Y 5/2) moist; single grain; loose, nonsticky and nonplastic; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary.
Cr--50 to 60 inches; light olive gray (5Y 6/2) and pale olive (5Y 6/3) soft sandstone bedrock; olive gray (5Y 5/2) and olive (5Y 5/3) moist; massive; slightly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Sioux County, North Dakota; about 6 miles west and 2 1/2 miles south of Solen; 2500 feet north and 1000 feet east of the southwest corner of sec. 7, T. 133 N., R. 81 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to soft bedrock is more than 40 inches. Depth to accumulations of visible salt or gypsum ranges from 10 to 16 inches.
The A horizon has value of 3 to 5 and 2 or 3 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3. It is fine sandy loam or sandy loam. It is strongly acid to moderately alkaline.
The E horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6 and 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 1 to 3. It is loamy fine sand, fine sand, sandy loam, fine sandy loam or loamy sand. It is strongly acid to moderately alkaline.
The Btn horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 3 to 6 and 2 to 4 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3. It is fine sandy loam, loam or sandy loam. It has strong fine to coarse columnar structure. It is neutral to strongly alkaline.
The Bkz horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 5 to 7 and 4 or 5 moist, and chroma of 2 to 4. It is fine sandy loam, sandy loam, loamy fine sand or loamy sand. It is slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline. It has few to common salt and or gypsum crystals. Some pedons have By, Bkyz, Bky and Byz horizons. Combined thickness of these horizons ranges from 0 to 16 inches. Some pedons have a Bk or a BCy horizon.
The C horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 6 or 7 and 3 to 5 moist, and chroma of 2 to 4. It is loamy fine sand, loamy sand, fine sandy loam or fine sand. It is slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Whitebird series. Whitebird soils have soft bedrock at a depth of 20 to 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Lakota soils are on level to strongly sloping terraces and uplands. They are in swales and on flats and have slope gradients ranging from 0 to 15 percent. The soils formed in alkaline alluvium or residuum weathered from soft sandstone. Mean annual temperature ranges from 40 to 45 degrees F, and mean annual precipitation ranges from 13 to 17 inches. Most of the precipitation comes in the spring and summer.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Whitebird soils and the Daglum, Desart, Ekalaka, Evridge, Flasher, Parshall, Rhoades, Telfer and Vebar soils. Daglum, Desart, Ekalaka, Parshall, Rhoades and Telfer soils are on positions similar to Lakota soils. Evridge, Flasher, Vebar and Whitebird soils are on nearby ridges. Daglum and Rhoades soils are fine. Desart, Ekalaka and Evridge soils do not have visible gypsum or salt crystals within depths of 16 inches. Flasher, Parshall, Telfer and Vebar soils do not have natric horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Runoff is slow to medium depending upon slope. Permeability is slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are in native grass and used for range and pasture. Native vegetation is short-and mid-prairie grasses such as blue grama, inland saltgrass, western wheatgrass, sedges and prickly pear.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwestern North Dakota and possibly northwestern South Dakota. The soil is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Sioux County, North Dakota, 1992.
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 (A, E and Btn horizons); natric horizon - the zone from 8 to 14 inches (Btn horizon); leptic criteria - visible salts at 14 inches (Bkz horizon).
Lakota soils were correlated in Grant County, N.D. as Lemert. Some soils correlated as Ladner in Bowman County may be Lakota soils.