LOCATION LOUP NE+SD

Established Series
Rev. LGR, RRZ, RRH
12/2021

LOUP SERIES

The Loup series consists of very deep, poorly drained and very poorly drained, rapidly peremable soils formed in sandy eolian deposits on swales on interdunes on sandhills. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent. Mean annual temperature is about 10 degrees C (49 degrees F), and mean annual precipitation is about 53 centimeters (21 inches).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy, mixed, mesic Typic Endoaquolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Loup fine sandy loam on a less than 1 percent slope in a native meadow. When described, the soil was moist throughout. (Colors are for moist soils, unless otherwise stated.)

A--0 to 25 centimeters (0 to 10 inches); black (10YR 2/1) fine sandy loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1), dry; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable; many fine and very fine roots; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. [18 to 48 centimeters (7 to 19 inches) thick]. A layer of decomposed plant material [3 centimeters (1 inch)] is on the surface.

ACg--25 to 38 centimeters (10 to 15 inches); dark gray (10YR 4/1) fine sand, gray (10YR 5/1) dry; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable; few fine distinct grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist, iron depletions; common fine and very fine roots; neutral; clear smooth boundary. [0 to 23 centimeters (0 to 9 inches) thick]

Cg1--38 to 64 centimeters (15 to 25 inches); gray (10YR 5/1) fine sand, gray (10YR 6/1) dry; single grain; loose; few fine distinct grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist, iron depletions; few very fine roots; neutral; clear smooth boundary.

Cg2--64 to 122 centimeters (25 to 48 inches); light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) sand, light gray (10YR 7/2) dry; single grain; loose; few fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist, oxidized iron masses; few very fine roots; neutral; clear smooth boundary.

Ab--122 to 200 centimeters (48 to 79 inches); very dark gray (10YR 3/1) and grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loamy fine sand, dark gray (10YR 4/1) and light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) dry; massive; soft, very friable; few very fine roots; slightly acid.

TYPE LOCATION: Brown County, Nebraska; about 3.2 kilometers (2 miles) south and 3.2 (2 miles) west of Ainsworth; 305 meters (1000 feet) south and 91 meters (300 feet) west of the northeast corner, sec. 8, T. 29 N., R. 22 W. USGS Ainsworth SW topographic quadrangle; latitude 42 degrees, 30 minutes, 12 seconds North and longitude 99 degrees, 54 minutes, 41 seconds West.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Moisture regime: aquic
Depth to redoximorphic features: 0 to 46 centimeters (0 to 18 inches)
Endosaturation depth: 0 to 46 centimeters (0 to 18 inches)
Depth to carbonates: can be at depths 0 to 48 centimeters (0 to 19 inches)
Thickness of the mollic epipedon: 18 to 48 centimeters (7 to 19 inches)
Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Sand content, 78 to 99 percent
Clay content: 0 to 10 percent

A horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 3 to 5, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2
Texture: fine sandy loam, loamy fine sand, loamy sand, sandy loam, loam, clay loam, sandy clay loam, mucky loam, mucky fine sandy loam
Some pedons have organic horizons [3 to 15 centimeters (1 to 6 inches) thick] on the surface.
Reaction: moderately acid to slightly alkaline. When the surface layer is calcareous, the reaction is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.

ACg horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 4 or 5, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma 2 or 3
Texture: loamy fine sand, fine sandy loam, loamy sand, sandy loam, fine sand, clay loam, sandy clay loam
Reaction: moderately acid to slightly alkaline

Cg horizon:
Hue: 10YR to 5Y
Value: 5 to 8, 4 to 7 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2
Texture: loamy sand, loamy fine sand, fine sand, sand
Reaction: moderately acid to neutral

Ab horizons are not present in all pedons. Some pedons have thin buried eolian layers of darker colored and/or finer textured material at depths of 38 to 200 centimeters (15 to 79 inches).
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Granby, Gumz, Kentland, Maumee and Spieden series.
Granby, Gumz, Kentland, and Maumee soils receive 76 centimeters (30 inches) or more of annual precipitation.
Gumz soils have loamy glacial till at a depth of 102 to 152 centimeters (40 to 60 inches).
Kentland soils have an organic layer in the second part of the series control section.
Spieden soils have an albic horizon.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: sandy eolian deposits
Landscape: sandhills
Landform: swale on interdune
Slope: 0 to 2 percent
Elevation: 610 to 1066 meters (2000 to 3500 feet)
Mean annual precipitation: 41 to 64 centimeters (16 to 25 inches)
Mean annual air temperature: 8 to 10 degrees C. (46 to 50 degrees F.)
Frost Free Days: 120 to 150

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Elsmere, Ipage, Marlake, Nenzel, and Valentine soils.
Elsmere soils are slightly higher on swales on interdunes and are somewhat poorly drained having a seasonal zone of saturation or aquic conditions beginning at 46 centimeters (18 inches).
Ipage soils are higher on flats and hummocks on interdunes, lack mollic epipedons, and are moderately well drained having a seasonal zone of saturation or aquic conditions beginning at 91 centimeters (36 inches).
Nenzel soils are higher on flats and hummocks on interdunes and are moderately well drained having a seasonal zone of saturation or aquic conditions beginning at 91 centimeters (36 inches).
Marlake soils are in depressions on interdunes and are very poorly drained having a seasonal zone of saturation or aquic conditions beginning at the surface and having ponding up to 61 centimeters (24 inches).
Valentine soils are on higher hummocks and dunes and are excessively drained having no seasonal zone of saturation or aquic conditions.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage: poorly and very poorly
Runoff: negligible
Saturated hydraulic conductivity: very high
Ponding frequency: frequent on the very poorly drained soil
Ponding duration: long on the very poorly drained soil with a depth of up to15 centimeters (6 inches)

USE AND VEGETATION: The major uses are livestock grazing and haying. The rangeland native plant community for the wet subirrigated ecological site (RO65XY023NE) is mostly big bluestem, prairie cordgrass, switchgrass, and yellow indiangrass; for the wetland ecological site (R065XY022NE) is mostly prairie cordgrass, northern reedgrass, sedge, rush, bluejoint, and slender wheatgrass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Nearly all in and near the Nebraska Sandhills of Nebraska and South Dakota (LRR G, MLRA 65) with minor distribution in Colorado. The series is of large extent.

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Salina, Kansas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Cherry County, Nebraska, 1947.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon: 0 to 25 centimeters (0 to 10 inches) (A horizon)
Aquic soil conditions: 25 to 200 centimeters (10 to 79 inches) (ACg, Cg1, Cg2 and Ab horizons)
LRM, 10/2005: metric conversion and changed permeability to saturated hydraulic conductivity
RRH, 5/2007: Loup soils that were mapped on floodplains have been correlated to Blackloup in Antelope, Holt, and Keya Paha Counties in Nebraska and work plans will need to be developed for the change in other counties.
RRH, 5/2007: Introductory paragraph: revised parent material, landform, landscape; Typical Pedon: revised introductory paragraph and reversed moist and dry colors in each horizon, revised slightly to match original pedon description; Range in Characteristics: A horizon: texture deleted fine sand and silt loam and added mucky loam and mucky fine sandy loam, ACg horizon deleted silt loam; Competing Series: revised; Geographic Setting: revised; Geographically Associated Soils: deleted Els, Gannett, Tryon and Valent and added Marlake. Drainage and Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity through Distribution and Extent: revised; Additional Data: revised

ADDITIONAL DATA: Data is available from the National Soil Survey Center, Soil Survey Laboratory for Pedon IDs 77NE89003, 80NE149001, 87NE031103 and 91NE075002. Pedon ID 83NE017101 represents the Typical Pedon and is in NASIS.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.