LOCATION LOWRY SDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Haplustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Lowry silt loam - on a plane south-facing slope of 3 percent in native grass. When described the soil was dry throughout. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A1--0 to 4 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silt loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak thin to medium platy structure parting to weak fine granular; slightly hard, very friable; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary.
A2--4 to 8 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silt loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure; slightly hard, very friable; slightly alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizon is 4 to 10 inches.)
Bw1--8 to 14 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silt loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium and coarse prismatic structure; slightly hard, very friable; slightly alkaline; clear wavy boundary.
Bw2--14 to 21 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) silt loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to weak medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, very friable; few fine accumulations of carbonate; slight effervescence; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (Combined Bw horizon is 6 to 20 inches thick.)
Bk1--21 to 34 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to weak medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, very friable; common fine and few coarse accumulations of carbonate; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary.
Bk2--34 to 51 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) silt loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable; many medium and coarse accumulations of carbonate; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (Combined Bk horizon is 14 to 30 inches thick.)
C--51 to 60 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable; a few fine striations of carbonate; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Hughes County, South Dakota; about 7 miles north and 8 miles west of Pierre; 2,390 feet east and 30 feet north of road ditch from SW corner of sec. 24, T. 112 N., R. 81 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The depth to carbonates ranges from 8 to 20 inches; The control section is silt loam averaging less than 18 percent clay, less than 15 percent fine sand or coarser, and more than 68 percent silt and very fine sand. Thickness of the mollic epipedon ranges from 7 to 20 inches. Buried horizons are below a depth of 30 inches in some pedons.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 4 or 5 and 2 or 3 moist, and chroma of 1 to 3. It is neutral or slightly alkaline.
The Bw horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 or 5 and 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3 moist. It ranges from neutral to moderately alkaline. Some pedons do not have accumulations of carbonate in the lower Bw horizon.
Some pedons have a BC horizon.
The Bk horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 or 6 and 4 or 5 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3. It has common to many, fine to coarse, accumulations and striations of carbonate. It is slightly or moderately alkaline.
The C horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y, or 5Y; value of 5 to 7, 4 to 6 moist; and chroma of 2 or 4. It is silt loam, very fine sandy loam, or loam and has a gradual increase in fine sand with depth. It is slightly or moderately alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are Graybert and Kenesaw soils in the same family. The Graybert and Kenesaw soils do not have distinct Bk horizons and typically are deeper to carbonates. In addition Graybert soils have buried horizons within depths of 20 and 34 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Lowry soils are on nearly level to strongly sloping uplands and terraces. Surfaces are plane or convex. Slope gradients range from 0 to 15 percent, but typically are less than 6 percent. Lowry soils formed in calcareous silty sediments of recent eolian origin. The thickness of these sediments ranges from 3 to about 20 feet. The mean annual air temperature ranges from 45 to 50 degrees F, and precipitation ranges from about 15 to 24 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Agar, Eakin, Glenham, Highmore, Raber and Sully soils. Agar, Eakin, Glenham, Highmore, and Raber soils have argillic horizons. Sully soils do not have a mollic epipedon are on similar to steeper landscapes. Agar, Eakin, and Highmore soils are on similar landscapes. Glenham and Raber soils are on slightly higher landscapes. In addition, Agar, Eakin, and Highmore soils have fine-silty control sections; Glenham soils have fine-loamy control sections; and Raber soils have clayey control sections.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Surface runoff is low to high. Permeability is moderate.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used about equally as cropland and rangeland. Winter wheat, oats, grain sorghum, corn, and alfalfa are the principal crops. Principal native grasses are green needlegrass, big bluestem, little bluestem, western wheatgrass, sideoats grama, needleandthread, and blue grama.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central South Dakota. Series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Hughes County, South Dakota, 1970.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: mollic epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of about 14 inches (A and Bw1 horizons); cambic horizon - the zone from about 14 to 21 inches (Bw2 horizon).