LOCATION LEWELLEN NEEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy, mixed, mesic Typic Halaquepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Lewellen loam, on a 0.5 percent slope in native grass. When described the soil was dry in the upper 8 inches, then moist to 80 inches. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ak1--0 to 4 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loam; very dark gray (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable; sodium adsorption ratio 17; 18 percent calcium carbonates; violent effervescence; strongly alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary.
Ak2--4 to 8 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable; sodium adsorption ratio 39; 19 percent calcium carbonates; electrical conductivity= 9; violent effervescence; strongly alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizon is 3 to 10 inches thick.)
ACk--8 to 12 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) very fine sandy loam; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable; sodium adsorption ratio 35; 4 percent calcium carbonates; electrical conductivity= 6;violent effervescence; strongly alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
2C--12 to 29 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) and very pale brown (10YR 7/3) fine sand; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) and pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; few fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) iron masses in the soil matrix; single grain; soft, loose; sodium adsorption ratio = 9; moderately alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary.
2Cg--29 to 80 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) coarse sand; pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; common medium prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) iron masses is the soil matrix; single grain; loose;13 percent gravel by volume; slightly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Garden County, Nebraska, about 3/4 mile south and 1/2 mile west of Oshkosh; 800 feet south and 550 feet west of the northeast corner of Sec. 4, T. 16 N., R. 44 W. Oshkosh topographic quadrangle; latitude 41 degrees, 23 minutes, 33 seconds North and longitude 102 degrees, 22 minutes, 4 seconds West.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to the 2Cg horizon is 20 to 40 inches.
The Ak horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 7, 3 to 5 moist, and chroma of 1 to 3. It is loam, sandy clay loam, very fine sandy loam or fine sandy loam. It is moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline. Sodium absorption ratio ranges from 14 to 54. Electrical conductivity ranges from 2 to 10 mmhos/cm. Calcium carbonate equivalent ranges from 15 to 20 percent.
The ACk horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 to 7, 4 or 5 moist, and chroma of 1 to 3. It is very fine sandy loam, loam or fine sandy loam. It is moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline. Sodium adsorption ratio ranges from 14 to 54. Electrical conductivity ranges from 2 to 15 mmhos/cm. Calcium carbonate equivalent ranges from 1 to 10 percent.
The 2C horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 6 to 8, 4 to 6 moist, and chroma of 2 to 4. It is typically fine sand or loamy fine sand and may contain finer or coarser textured strata. It is moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline. Sodium adsorption ratio ranges from 5 to 22. Electrical conductivity ranges from 2 to 10 mmhos/cm. Calcium carbonate equivalent ranges from 0 to 5 percent.
The 2Cg horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y,value of 5 to 7, 4 to 6 moist and chroma of 2 to 4. It is gravelly coarse sand, coarse sand or gravelly sand. Reaction ranges from slightly acid to neutral. Gravel content ranges from 5 to 35 percent by volume.
COMPETING SERIES: The only series in the same family is Wildhorse. Wildhorse soils are in sandhill valleys and on stream terraces and are sand or fine sand throughout the series control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Lewellen soils are nearly level and are on flood plains. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent. Lewellen soils are formed in 20 to 40 inches of loamy over sandy alluvium that is underlain by coarse sand, gravelly sand or gravelly coarse sand. The range of mean annual temperature is 47 to 53 degrees F. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 15 to 18 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the McCuligan, Gothenburg and Janise soils. McCuligan and Gothenburg soils are slightly lower on the landscape and have a higher seasonal water table. Janise soils are coarse-silty and are on similar landscapes.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained. Runoff is slow. Permeability is moderate in the solum and rapid or very rapid in the substratum. The seasonal high water table ranges from 1.5 feet to 3.0 feet. Flooding is rare.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most of the acreage is in native grass, used for hay or grazing. The dominant species are alkali sacaton, inland saltgrass, western wheatgrass, and plains bluegrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Nebraska, possibly eastern Wyoming and eastern Colorado. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Garden County, Nebraska, 1994.
REMARKS: This soil was previously mapped as an alkali phase of the McGrew series.
Diagnostic features recognized in this pedon are: sodium adsorption ratio of 13 or more in half or more of the soil to a depth of 50 cm and ground water within 100 cm of the surface at some time of the year; calcic horizon-- the zone from 0 to 8 inches (Ak1 and Ak2 horizons) and aquic soil conditions--the zone from 29 to 80 inches (2Cg horizon).
ADDITIONAL DATA: Pedon S90NE-069-034 sampled for NSSLat teh following site:
http://ssldata.sc.egov.usda.gov/rptExecute.asp?p=17692&r=1&submit1=Get+Report