LOCATION LORETTO NEEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Udic Argiustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Loretto loam with a slope of less than 2 percent, in a cultivated field. (Colors are for dry unless otherwise stated. Reaction is with .01 M calcium chloride and glass electrode.)
Ap--0 to 6 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine and very fine granular structure; hard, friable; strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
A--6 to 10 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium and fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 12 inches thick)
Bt--10 to 28 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to weak medium subangular blocky; hard, friable; slightly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (12 to 24 inches thick)
BC--28 to 50 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to weak medium subangular blocky; hard, friable; slightly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (8 to 22 inches thick)
C--50 to 80 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist, massive; slightly hard, very friable; mildly alkaline; strong effervescence on lime concretions.
TYPE LOCATION: Antelope County, Nebraska; about 1 mile east of Brunswick; 2,000 feet north and 100 feet west of the southeast corner of sec. 1, T. 27 N., R. 6 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The thickness of the solum is typically 36 to 54 inches and ranges from 27 to 66 inches. Depth to carbonates ranges from 25 to 54 inches. The mollic epipedon ranges from 7 to 20 inches in thickness.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 3 through 5 and 2 or 3 moist, and chroma of 1 or 2. It is most commonly loam or fine sandy loam, ranging to include sandy loam, loamy sand, and loamy fine sand. It ranges from strongly acid to slightly acid.
The Bt horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 5 or 6 and 4 or 5 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3. It is typically loam or silt loam and less commonly clay loam and silty clay loam, averaging between 20 and 32 percent clay. Thin dark coatings are common on the faces of peds. Reaction ranges from medium acid to neutral.
The BC and C horizons have hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 through 7 and 4 through 6 moist, and chroma of 2 through 4. These horizons are typically loam or silt loam ranging to include clay loam and silty clay loam. Reaction ranges from slightly acid to moderately alkaline. Fine sandy loam, loamy fine sand, or fine sand is below a depth of 40 inches in some pedons.
COMPETING SERIES: The Lancaster, Leisy, and Wells series. Similar soils are the Bazile, Blendon, Geary, Keya, Moody, Nora, Ortello, Paka, Ree, and Trent soils. Lancaster soils formed in residuum weathered from sandstone and sandy shales. Leisy soils typically have more clay in the Bt horizon and are deeper to free carbonates. Wells soils formed in residuum from reddish sandstones and sandy shale. Bazile soils have a 2C horizon of sand at a depth of 20 to 40 inches. Blendon and Ortello soils are coarse-loamy. Geary soils are fine-silty and formed in material of the Loveland formation. Keya soils have a thicker mollic epipedon. Moody, Nora, and Trent soils are fine-silty and lack an argillic horizon. Paka soils formed from siltstone. Ree soils are in a moister climate.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Loretto soils are nearly level to strongly sloping. They are on uplands and stream terraces, generally in transition areas between loess deposits and sandhills. They occur mainly where loess has been covered with loamy eolian material of variable thickness. Slope ranges from 0 to 12 percent. The range of mean annual temperature is 47 to 51 degrees F, and the range of mean annual precipitation is 22 to 28 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Bazile, Geary, Moody, Nora, Ortello, Paka, and Trent soils and the Thurman and Boelus soils. Thurman soils formed in sandy eolian material. Boelus soils have contrasting textures and are in the sandy over loamy family.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Runoff is low to moderately high depending on slope. Permeability is moderate.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most of the acreage is in cultivated crops. Many areas are irrigated. The most common crops are corn, alfalfa, soybeans, and small grain. A few areas are in native grass, with big bluestem, little bluestem, Indiangrass, and switchgrass being the dominant species.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North-central and northeast Nebraska and possibly in southeastern South Dakota. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Wayne County, Nebraska, 1970.
REMARKS: In some early surveys, Loretto soils were correlated as Marshall fine sandy loam and Moody fine sandy loam.
Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in this pedon are: mollic epipedeon--the zone from 0 to 10 inches (Ap and A horizon); argillic horizon--the zone from 10 to 28 inches (Bt horizon) and udic moisture regime.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Laboratory data is available for the typical pedon as NSSL sample numbers 71L1376-71L11378.