LOCATION MODALE             IA+MO NE SD
Established Series
Rev. JRN-RAL-TWN
06/2003

MODALE SERIES


The Modale series consists of very deep, somewhat poorly drained soils on flood plains. These soils formed in 18 to 30 inches of silty alluvium and the underlying clayey alluvium. Permeability is moderate in the silty alluvium and slow or very slow in the underlying clayey alluvium. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent. Mean annual air temperature is about 51 degrees F. Mean annual precipitation is about 28 inches.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-silty over clayey, mixed, superactive, calcareous, mesic Aquic Udifluvents

TYPICAL PEDON: Modale silt loam, on a slope of about 1 percent, in a cultivated field, at an elevation of 995 feet above sea level. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)

Ap--0 to 7 inches, very dark grayish brown (2.5Y 3/2) silt loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry; weak fine granular structure; very friable; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (6 to 9 inches thick)

C1--7 to 24 inches; stratified dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) and grayish brown (10YR 5/2) silt loam; massive with weak thin alluvial stratification; very friable; few fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) and few fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) redoximorphic concentrations; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (12 to 21 inches thick)

2C2--24 to 60 inches; very dark grayish brown (2.5Y 3/2) and dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) silty clay; massive with weak thin alluvial stratification; very firm; dark gray (N 4/0) coatings on faces of some peds; few fine distinct dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) redoximorphic concentrations; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Pottawattamie County, Iowa; about 1 mile south and 3.5 miles west of Loveland; about 1,340 feet east and 700 feet north of the southwest corner of sec. 12, T. 77 N., R. 45 W.; USGS Loveland quadrangle; lat. 41 degrees 28 minutes 43 seconds N. and long. 95 degrees 58 minutes 13 seconds W., NAD 27

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to carbonates--less than 10 inches
Depth to clayey alluvium--18 to 30 inches
Content of clay in the upper third to upper half of the particle-size control section (weighted average)--10 to 18 percent
Content of clay in the lower half to lower two thirds of the particle-size control section (weighted average)--40 to 60 percent
Content of sand in the particle-size control section (weighted average)--less than 15 percent fine sand and sand coarser than fine sand

Ap or A horizon:
Hue--10YR or 2.5Y
Value--3
Chroma--1 to 3
Texture--silt loam, loam, very fine sandy loam, or silty clay loam
Clay content--10 to 30 percent
Sand content--15 to 70 percent, mostly very fine sand
Reaction--slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline
Calcium carbonate equivalent--0 to 15 percent

C or Cg horizon:
Hue--10YR or 2.5Y
Value--4 or 5
Chroma--2 to 4
Texture--silt loam, loam, very fine sandy loam, or is stratified with these textures
Clay content--10 to 18 percent
Sand content--15 to 70 percent, mostly very fine sand, less than 15 percent fine sand and sand coarser than fine sand
Calcium carbonate equivalent--5 to 20 percent
Reaction--slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline

Some pedons have thin strata of very fine sand or silty clay

2C or 2Cg horizon:
Hue--10YR, 2.5Y, 5Y, or is neutral
Value--3 to 5
Chroma--0 to 3
Texture--silty clay or clay
Clay content--50 to 75 percent
Sand content--1 to 20 percent, mostly very fine sand
Calcium carbonate equivalent--1 to 15 percent
Reaction--slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline

Some pedons have strata of darker colored silt loam, 2 to 4 inches thick

3Bgb horizon (if it occurs):
Hue--2.5Y, 5Y, or is neutral
Value--4 or 5
Chroma--0 to 2
Texture--silty clay or clay
Clay content--50 to 75 percent
Sand content--1 to 15 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent--1 to 20 percent
Reaction--slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline

3Cg horizon (if it occurs):
Hue--2.5Y, 5Y, or is neutral
Value--4 or 5
Chroma--0 to 2
Texture--silty clay or clay
Clay content--50 to 75 percent
Sand content--1 to 15 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent--0 to 20 percent
Reaction--slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Moville series.
Moville--have buried horizons with a matrix color value of 3 or less and chroma of 1 or less within a depth of 18 to 32 inches

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material--18 to 30 inches of silty alluvium and the underlying clayey alluvium
Landform--flood plains
Slopes--0 to 2 percent
Elevation--950 to 1,150 feet above sea level
Mean annual air temperature--47 to 56 degrees F.
Mean annual precipitation--20 to 36 inches
Frost-free period--150 to 175 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Albaton, Grable, Haynie, Percival, and Sarpy soils.
Albaton--are at the slightly lower elevations and have a clay content of 60 to 70 percent throughout the particle-size control section
Grable--are at the slightly higher elevations and have a sand content of 65 to 95 percent in the lower two thirds of the series control section
Haynie--are at the slightly higher elevations and have a clay content of 15 to 18 percent throughout the particle-size control section
Percival--are in similar landscape positions to those of the Modale soils and have a clay content of 2 to 12 percent in the lower two thirds of the particle-size control section
Sarpy--are at the higher elevations and have a clay content of 2 to 5 percent throughout the particle-size control section

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY:
Drainage class--somewhat poorly drained--a saturated zone occurs within a depth of 1 to 3 feet during April to June in most years and is considered apparent
Permeability--moderate in the silty alluvium and slow or very slow in the underlying clayey alluvium
Surface runoff potential--low
Flooding--rarely flooded or occasionally flooded for very brief or brief periods during the months of February to November

USE AND VEGETATION:
Most areas are cultivated. The principal crops are corn and soybeans, oats and hay. A few areas are irrigated. The native vegetation is big bluestem, little bluestem, indiangrass, switchgrass, and other grasses of the tall grass prairie.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
LRR M, MLRA107; western Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Missouri. This series is of moderate extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Indianapolis, Indiana

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Monona County, Iowa, 1957.

REMARKS:
Particle-size control section--the zone from a depth of 10 to 40 inches (C1 and 2C2 horizons);
Series control section--the zone from the surface to a depth of 60 inches (Ap, C1, and 2C2 horizons).

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon:
ochric epipedon--the zone from surface to a depth of 7 inches (Ap horizon);
udic moisture regime.

Cation-exchange class is inferred from lab data for similar soils in the surrounding area.
Taxonomy version--second edition, 1999.

This series is not considered to meet the saturation requirements of the Aquents suborder.

ADDITIONAL DATA:
Laboratory data--Iowa State University Experiment Station, Ames, IA, file numbers 17328 to 17329 and 17352.


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.