LOCATION MULLEN NEEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Arenic Haplustalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Mullen loamy fine sand, on a southwest facing, slightly convex, 1 percent slope in rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.) When described on August 30, 2005 the soil was dry from 0 to 5 inches (0 to 13 centimeters), moist from 5 to 44 inches (13 to 113 centimeters) and dry from 44 to 80 inches (113 to 203 centimeters).
Ap--0 to 13 centimeters (0 to 5 inches); brown (10YR 4/3) loamy fine sand, dark brown (10YR 3/3) crushed, moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable; many fine and very fine roots throughout; 1 to 5 percent krotovinas (lateral area percent); strongly acid; 0.70 percent organic carbon; abrupt smooth boundary.
A--13 to 48 centimeters (5 to 19 inches); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loamy fine sand, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) crushed, moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable; common fine and very fine roots throughout; 10 to 30 percent krotovinas (lateral area percent); moderately acid; 0.44 percent organic carbon; clear wavy boundary. [Combined thickness of the A horizons is 13 to 48 centimeters (5 to 19 inches) thick]
Bw--48 to 94 centimeters (19 to 37 inches); brown (10YR 5/3) loamy fine sand, brown (10YR 4/3) crushed, moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable; common fine and very fine roots throughout; 7 percent continuous distinct dark brown (10YR 3/3), moist, organic stains on vertical faces of peds; neutral; clear wavy boundary. [0 to 74 centimeters (0 to 29 inches) thick]
2Bt1--94 to 113 centimeters (37 to 44 inches); light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) crushed, moist; moderate medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable; common fine and very fine roots throughout; 5 percent continuous distinct very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2), moist, organic stains on vertical faces of peds and 20 percent continuous prominent dark brown (10YR 3/3), moist, clay films on vertical faces of peds; slightly alkaline; clear wavy boundary.
2Bt2--113 to 147 centimeters (44 to 58 inches); light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3) very fine sandy loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) crushed, moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; hard, very friable; few very fine roots throughout; 5 percent discontinuous distinct dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2), moist, organic stains on vertical faces of peds and 10 percent discontinuous distinct dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2), moist, clay films on vertical faces of peds; slightly alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. [Combined thickness of the 2Bt horizons is 13 to 86 centimeters (5 to 34 inches) thick]
2BC--147to 203 centimeters (58 to 80 inches); pale yellow (2.5Y 7/3) very fine sandy loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) crushed, moist; 5 percent fine distinct irregular yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) mottles; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate coarse subangular blocky; very hard, very friable; slightly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: McPherson County, Nebraska; 19.3 kilometers (12 miles) west and 16.1 kilometers (10 miles) south of Tryon; 64 meters (210 feet) north and 305 meters (1000 feet) west of southeast corner, sec. 30, T. 17 N, R. 33 W. Tin Camp Ranch USGS quad; lat. 41 degrees 24 minutes 54.16 seconds N. and long. 101 degrees 9 minutes 40.67 seconds W., NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Secondary carbonates: can have carbonates below depths of 102 centimeters (40 inches).
Mollic colors: range from none to depths greater than 25 centimeters (10 inches) but the organic carbon content averages less than 0.6 percent at depths of 0 to 25 centimeters (10 inches)
Mottles: (relict redoximorhic concentrations)can be below 102 centimeters (40 inches)
Particle size control section: clay content, 18 to 30 percent in 2Bt horizons
A horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 3 to 5, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1 to 3
Texture: loamy fine sand, fine sand, loamy sand or fine sandy loam
Reaction: strongly acid to neutral
Bw horizon (when present):
Hue: 10YR
Value: 4 to 6, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: loamy fine sand, sand, fine sand, loamy sand or fine sandy loam
Reaction: slightly acid or neutral
2Bt horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 4 to 7, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: very fine sandy loam, loam, fine sandy loam (clay percent 18 percent or greater), sandy clay loam, or clay loam
Reaction: neutral or slightly alkaline
2BC or 2C (when present) horizons:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 6 or 7 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: very fine sandy loam, loam, fine sandy loam, or loamy very fine sand; some pedons have textures of fine sand, loamy fine sand, loamy sand, loamy coarse sand, sand, or coarse sand below depths of 102 centimeters (40 inches); some pedons have 1 to 20 percent by volume quartzite fragments below depths of 102 centimeters (40 inches)
Reaction: neutral or slightly alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform/Landscape: swales on interdunes of sandhills
Parent material: eolian sands over loamy eolian deposits
Slope: 0 to 3 percent
Mean annual temperature: 8 to 11 degrees C (46 to 52 degrees F)
Mean annual precipitation: 43 to 56 centimeters (17 to 22 inches)
Soil Moisture Regime: moist in some part from October through April; intermittently moist from May through June; driest in July through September
Moisture Regime: ustic
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Anselmo,
Dunday, and
Valentine soils.
Anselmo: are coarse-loamy in the particle size control section and are on similar swales
Dunday: are sandy throughout the profile and are on similar swales
Valentine: do not have mollic epipedons, are sandy throughout the profile and are on higher hummocks and dunes
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage: well drained
Runoff: very low
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity: high
USE AND VEGETATION: The major use is livestock grazing. The native plant community is sand bluestem, little bluestem, switchgrass, prairie sandreed, blue grama, sand dropseed, and needle and thread. The rangeland ecological site is Sandy, 18- 22 P.Z. (R065XY032NE). Minor use is cropping. Irrigated corn, alfalfa and forage are the principal crops.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Primarily central Nebraska. LRR G, MLRA 65. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado
SERIES PROPOSED: McPherson County, Nebraska, October, 2006.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in the pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: 0 to 13 centimeters (5 inches) (Ap horizon)
Argillic horizon: 94 to 147 centimeters (37 to 58 inches) (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons)
ADDITIONAL DATA: Data is available from the Soil Survey Laboratory of the National Soil Survey Center for Site ID 05NE117008 (Pedon No. 05N0824) and 05NE117009 (Pedon No. 05N0825).
SiteID 05NE117008 and 05NE117009 were sampled in McPherson County, Nebraska as Sandose: sandy over loamy, mixed mesic Typic Argiustolls; the Soil Survey Laboratory of the National Survey Center revised the classification to loamy, mixed, mesic Arenic Haplustalfs.