LOCATION LOSSING IA+SDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, calcareous, mesic Aquic Udifluvents
TYPICAL PEDON: Lossing silty clay - on a less than 1 percent slope in a cultivated field. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 6 inches; very dark grayish brown (2.5Y 3/2) silty clay; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) dry; moderate fine granular structure parting to moderate fine subangular blocky; firm; few fine roots; slightly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 9 inches thick)
Bg--6 to 10 inches; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) silty clay; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; firm; few fine roots; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 5 inches thick)
Cg1--10 to 14 inches; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) silty clay loam; massive, with evidence of horizontal cleavage; friable; few fine roots; very few faint dark brown (10YR 3/3) patchy coats on horizontal faces of cleavage planes; few fine faint grayish brown (10YR 5/2) and prominent brown to dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) redox concentrations; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 5 inches thick.)
2Cg2--14 to 47 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2), and light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) silt loam; massive, with evidence of horizontal cleavage; friable; few fine roots; very few faint dark brown (10YR 3/3) patchy coats on horizontal faces of cleavage planes; few fine faint grayish brown (10YR 5/2), and prominent brown (7.5YR 4/4) redox concentrations; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary.
2Cg3--47 to 65 inches; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) silt loam; massive, with evidence of horizontal cleavage; friable; few fine roots; very few faint dark brown (10YR 3/3) patchy coats on horizontal faces of cleavage planes; few fine prominent grayish brown (10YR 5/2), and brown (7.5YR 4/4) redox concentrations; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary.
3Cg4--65 to 80 inches; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) fine sandy loam; massive; very friable; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Monona County, Iowa; about 6 miles southwest of Whiting; 1120 feet east and 90 feet south of the northwest corner of sec. 18, T. 84 N., R. 46 W. at elevation of 1066 feet above mean sea level. U.S.G.S. Onawa SW, Iowa Topographic Quadrangle; latitude 42 degrees, 5 minutes, and 54 seconds N., longitude 96 degrees, 14 minutes, and 54 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness is 10 inches or less and corresponds to the thickness of the silty clay material. Lossing soils are calcareous throughout or within a depth of 10 inches. The silty clay material extends to a depth of 6 to 10 inches. Reaction is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline below the A horizon.
The Ap or A horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 2 or 3 and chroma of 1 or 2. It is silty clay with a clay content of 40 to 60 percent and 1 to 7 percent sand.
The Bg horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 10YR, value of 3 or 4 and chroma of 2. The Bg horizon is silty clay with 40 to 55 percent clay and 1 to 7 percent sand. In some pedons part or all of this horizon has been incorporated into the Ap horizon.
The Cg horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 2 to 4. It is silty clay loam with 27 to 35 percent clay and 0 to 20 percent sand.
The 2Cg horizon has hue of 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6 and chroma of 2. Pedons having a thin layer with a value of 3 or less are not excluded from the series. Texture centers on silt loam and very fine sandy loam but individual strata within the 2Cg of fine sandy loam, sandy loam, loam, and silty clay loam are within the range of the series. It contains 15 to 24 percent clay and 15 to 50 percent sand. Pedons with silty clay layers below 40 inches are not excluded.
The 3Cg horizon has hue value and chroma that are the same as in 2Cg horizon. Texture is fine sandy loam or very fine sandy loam with 02 to 10 percent clay and 45 to 60 percent sand. Strata where present are similar as in the 2Cg horizon.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Blake and Hunting series. Blake soils are silty clay loam in the solum and the upper part of the series control section. Hunting soils have less than 40 perent clay in the upper 2/3 of the series control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Lossing soils are on slight rises on nearly level flood plains. Slope gradient is 0 to 2 percent. Lossing soils formed in about 6 to 10 inches of recently deposited clayey alluvium underlain by silty and loamy alluvium. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 47 to 55 degrees F, and mean annual precipitation ranges from about 20 to 36 inches. Annual frost free days range from 135 to 165 days. Elevation ranges from 700 to 1260 feet above means sea level.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Albaton, Blake, Modale, Onawa, Owego, and Rodney soils. Albaton soils are in lower landscape positions, are silty clay throughout and are poorly drained. Blake, Modale and Onawa are in similar landscape positions. Blake soils are silty clay loam to a depth of 18 to 35 inches. Modale soils have silty clay substrata at a depth of 18 to 30 inches. Onawa soils have silty clay textures 18 to 30 inches deep. Owego and Rodney soils are at slightly lower elevations, have silty clay textures in the lower part of the family control section and are poorly drained.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained. It is believed that the seasonal high water table was at a depth of 0 to 1 foot when these soils formed. Due to down-cutting of nearby streams, the current depth to seasonal high water table is 2 to 4 feet. In dry areas, the seasonal high water table is at a depth of 2 to 5 feet. Permeability is slow in the upper part and moderate in the lower part. Runoff is slow. These soils are subject to rare or occasional flooding for brief periods. Flooding is limited where these soils are protected by dams and levees.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most Lossing soils are cultivated. Some Lossing soils are also irrigated. Corn and soybean are the principal crops. Native vegetation was tall prairie grasses.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Flood plains of the Missouri River in Iowa and possibly in Nebraska, Missouri and South Dakota. Lossing soils are of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Indianapolis, Indiana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Monona County, Iowa, 1995. Source of name, pioneer settlement in Monona County.
REMARKS: This soil was formerly included with the Onawa series. This soil is considered to be partially drained by down-cutting of streams.
Diagnostic horizon and features recognized in pedon are: Ochric epipedon - zone from the surface to a depth of 6 inches (Ap horizon); Cambic horizon - zone from 6 to 10 inches (Bg horizon); Udic moisture regime.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Refer to Iowa State University Agriculture Experiment Station file 54329-54336 and National Soil Survey Laboratory file S92IA-133-003.