LOCATION MATFIELD                KS

Established Series
Rev. RWF, ELF, JGA
07/2020

MATFIELD SERIES

The Matfield series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in residuum from cherty limestone. Matfield soils are on interfluves on uplands in Bluestem Hills, MLRA 76. Slopes range from 0 to 5 percent. Mean annual temperature is 13 degrees C (56 degrees F), and mean annual precipitation is 810 millimeters (32 inches).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Pachic Paleustolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Matfield gravelly silt loam - native grassland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

A1--0 to 8 centimeters (0 to 3 inches); grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly silt loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; strong fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable; angular chert from 1/4 inch to 2 1/2 inches in longest dimension comprises 15 percent of soil mass; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary. (5 to 12 centimeters (2 to 5 inches) thick)

A2--8 to 25 centimeters (3 to 10 inches); grayish brown (10YR 5/2) extremely gravelly silt loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; strong fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable; angular chert averaging about 2 1/2 inches in longest dimension comprises about 75 percent of soil mass; many clusters of fine worm casts; slightly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (12 to 30 centimeters (5 to 12 inches) thick)

A3--25 to 56 centimeters (10 to 22 inches); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) extremely gravelly silt loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; strong fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable; angular chert averaging about 2 1/2 inches in longest dimension comprises about 75 percent of soil mass; many fine worm casts; neutral; gradual smooth boundary. (20 to 36 centimeters (8 to 14 inches) thick)

E1--56 to 84 centimeters (22 to 33 inches); brown (7.5YR 5/3) extremely gravelly silt loam, brown (7.5YR 4/3) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, very friable; angular chert averaging about 2 1/2 inches in longest dimension comprises about 75 percent of soil mass; few voids up to 1/2 inch diameter; many open pores, many fine worm casts; neutral; gradual smooth boundary. (12 to 50 centimeters (5 to 20 inches) thick)

E2--84 to 107 centimeters (33 to 42 inches); light brown (7.5YR 6/4) extremely gravelly silt loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable; angular chert fragments comprise about 80 percent of soil mass; very porous; neutral; abrupt wavy boundary. (12 to 50 centimeters (5 to 20 inches) thick)

Bt--107 to 157 centimeters (42 to 62 inches); dark red (2.5YR 3/6) dry or moist, extremely gravelly clay; moderate fine blocky structure; extremely hard, very firm; angular chert fragments averaging about 5 inches in longest dimension comprise about 85 percent of soil mass; neutral; clear wavy boundary. (40 to 150 centimeters (16 to 60 inches) thick)

R--157 to 200 centimeters (62 to 80 inches); cherty limestone with common vertical fractures containing clay like that of Bt.

TYPE LOCATION: Chase County, Kansas; about 4 kilometers (2 1/2 miles) west of Matfield Green; 1280 meters (4,200 feet) east and 260 meters (850 feet) north of the southwest corner of sec. 6, T. 22 S., R. 8 E. Matfield Green, Kansas USGS quad; latitude 38 degrees, 11 minutes, 23.51 seconds north; longitude 96 degrees, 35 minutes, 18.03 seconds west, NAD 83

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: intermittently moist in some part from March through October; driest in November through February; ustic moisture regime bordering on udic
Mean annual soil temperature: 13 to 14 degrees C (55 to 58 degrees F)
Mollic epipedon: 50 to 76 centimeters (20 to 30 inches)
Depth to limestone: greater than 150 centimeters (60 inches)
Depth to argillic horizon: greater than 100 centimeters (40 inches)

Particle size control section (weighted average) clay: 13 to 26 percent
Particle size control section (weighted average) sand: 5 to 18 percent

A horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry and 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2 dry or moist
Texture: gravelly to extremely gravelly silt loam
Clay content: 18 to 26 percent
Sand content: 5 to 14 percent
Rock Fragments: 15 to 89 percent chert gravel
Reaction: moderately acid to neutral

E horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 to 7 dry and 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4 dry or moist
Texture: very gravelly to extremely gravelly silt loam
Clay content: 13 to 26 percent
Sand content: 5 to 18 percent
Rock Fragments: 35 to 89 percent chert gravel
Reaction: moderately acid to neutral

Bt horizon:
Hue: 2.5YR to 7.5YR
Value: 3 to 5 dry and 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4 dry or moist
Texture: very gravelly to extremely gravelly silt loam
Clay content: 50 to 80 percent
Sand content: 5 to 18 percent
Rock Fragments: 35 to 89 percent chert gravel and cobbles
Reaction: slightly acid or neutral

In some pedons the R horizon of cherty limestone is lacking and the solum is underlain by brown clayey shales.

COMPETING SERIES: The Matfield series is the only series of the family.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent Material: residuum from cherty limestone
Landform: nearly level to gently sloping summits on interfluves on uplands
Slopes: 0 to 5 percent
Elevation: 300 to 505 meters (980 to 1650 feet)
Mean annual air temperature: 12 to 14 degrees C (53 to 58 degrees F)
Mean annual precipitation: 790 to 960 millimeters (31 to 38 inches)
Precipitation pattern: Precipitation is usually evenly distributed throughout the year with the exception of November through February being the driest months and May and June being the wettest months. Summer precipitation occurs during intense summer thunderstorms.
Frost-free period: 175 to 200 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
These are Florence, Konza, Labette, and Tully soils.
Florence soils occur on side slopes on hillslopes just below Matfield soils. Their dark surface (mollic epipedon) is less than 50 centimeters (20 inches) thick.
Konza soils occur on similar landforms as Matfield soils. They have higher sodium adsorption (SAR) levels and do not have the chert fragments.
Labette soils occur on similar landforms as Matfield soils. They have less than 35 percent limestone fragments in the soil profile.
Tully soils occur on base slopes on hillslopes below Matfield soils. They have less than 35 percent limestone fragments in the soil profile.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY:
Drainage: Well drained
Runoff: low
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity: Moderately Low

USE AND VEGETATION: Used for native range. Tall grasses predominate.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: East central Kansas; Land Resource Region H, Central Great Plains Winter Wheat and Range Region; MLRA 76 Bluestem Hills. The series is of moderate extent.

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Salina, Kansas

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Chase County, Kansas, 1971.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon: 0 to 56 centimeters (0 to 22 inches) (A1, A2, A3 horizons)
Argillic horizon: 107 to 157 centimeters (42 to 62 inches) (Bt horizon)
Lithic contact: 157 centimeters (62 inches) (R horizon)

Keys to Taxonomy: Twelfth Edition, 2014. The previous classification was Clayey-skeletal, smectitic, mesic Pachic Paleustolls.

Alternate location is in a road cut about 2 miles west of Matfield Green; 1,850 feet southwest of the southeast corner of lot 27, sec. 6, T. 22 S., R. 8 E.

2/2014 JGA After reviewing the type location tud's, pedons, and lab data, the Bt horizons are described as starting below 100 centimeters for Matfield. This makes the particle size control section 25 to 100 centimeters instead of the upper 50 centimeters of the argillic horizon. In the 25-100 cm zone, the texture is an extremely gravelly silt low with around 20% clay. This would make Matfield loamy-skeletal and not clayey-skeletal.

2/2014 JGA updated to meet SSRO5 standards; converted from English to metric; added longitude and latitude; changed to semi-tab format, added particle-size control section sand and clay ranges, mean annual soil temperature and soil moisture in characteristics, elevation, precipitation patterns, frost-free days, saturated hydraulic conductivity, Land Resource Region, Taxonomic Version, and soil moisture. Updated competing series and geographically associated soils. Updated range of mean annual precipitation; Removed Thornthwaites Annual PE Index

ADDITIONAL DATA: Analyses are available for two profiles 63KS017001 (40A1852) and 63KS017003 (40A1853) from Chase County, Kansas.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.