LOCATION MIRANDA SD+NDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, frigid Leptic Natrustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Miranda loam - on convex, southeast-facing slope of 2 percent under native vegetation. When described the soil was dry to 10 inches and moist below. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated)
E--0 to 4 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure parting to weak thin platy; hard, friable; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 5 inches thick)
Btn1--4 to 7 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) clay loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; strong fine and medium columnar structure; extremely hard, very firm, sticky and plastic; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) coatings on tops of columns; slightly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
Btn2--7 to 10 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate fine and medium blocky; very hard, very firm, sticky and plastic; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 13 inches thick)
Btnz--10 to 16 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) clay loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to weak medium subangular; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common fine accumulations of salts; strongly alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick)
Bkz--16 to 30 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) clay loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; few fine distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) moist redox concentrations; weak coarse blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common fine accumulations of salts; common fine accumulations of carbonate; strong effervescence; strongly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (6 to 30 inches thick)
C1--30 to 38 inches; pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) clay loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) moist; few fine distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) moist redox concentrations and common medium distinct light gray (10YR 7/1) moist redox depletions; massive; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common fine streaks of salt and gypsum; common medium accumulations of carbonate; strong effervescence; strongly alkaline; clear smooth boundary.
C2--38 to 60 inches; pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) clay loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) moist; few fine distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) moist redox concentrations and many fine distinct light gray (10YR 7/1) moist redox depletions; massive; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few fine streaks of gypsum; common medium accumulations of carbonate; strong effervescence; strongly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Edmunds County, South Dakota; about 9 miles east and 3 miles north of Ipswich; 264 feet south and 90 feet west of the northeast corner of sec. 22, T. 124 N., R. 66 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to carbonates ranges from 5 to 25 inches. Depth to horizons with gypsum and salt accumulations ranges from 5 to 16 inches. The combined thickness of the A and E horizon is 5 inches or less. The soil has an Ustic moisture regime. The soil contains 1 to 10 percent rock fragments throughout.
Some pedons have A horizons 1 to 4 inches thick with hue of 10YR, value of 3 to 5 and 2 or 3 moist, and chroma of 2.
The E horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 7 and 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 1 or 2. It is loam or silt loam and is slightly acid or neutral. The E horizon is absent in some pedons that have an Ap horizon.
The Btn horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 3 to 6 and 2 to 4 moist, and chroma of 1 to 4. It is clay loam, silty clay or clay averaging more than 15 percent fine sand or coarser. It has moderate or strong, fine to coarse columnar structure in the upper part. Most pedons have accumulations of salts, especially in the lower part. It ranges from neutral to moderately alkaline.
The Bk horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 3 to 7 and 3 to 6 moist, and chroma of 2 to 4. It has common or many accumulations of carbonates. It is moderately or strongly alkaline. In some pedons the Bk horizon does not have accumulations of gypsum or other salts.
The C horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y, or 5Y; value of 4 to 8 and 3 to 7 moist; and chroma of 1 to 4. It is clay loam or loam but is fine sandy loam in some pedons. It is moderately or strongly alkaline. Some pedons have shale bedrock below a depth of 40 inches. Some pedons have thin strata of sandy loam and gravelly sand below a depth of 40 inches.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Adger, Dogtooth, Exline, Ferney and Mekinock soils. Adger soils have an Ustic moisture regime that borders on Aridic. Dogtooth and Mekinock soils are moderately deep to residual beds. Exline, Ferney and Mekinock soils have a Udic moisture regime. In addition, Exline soils have less than 15 percent fine sand and coarser sand in the particle-size control section and formed in lacustrine sediments.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Miranda soils are level to gently sloping on fine-loamy till plains. Slope gradients typically are less than 2 percent but range from 0 to 9 percent. The Miranda soils formed in calcareous loam or clay loam till. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 34 to 45 degrees F, and mean annual precipitation ranges from 12 to 17 inches. The soils have an Ustic moisture regime. Growing season is about 110 to 130 days; average growing season precipitation from 13 to 16 inches; and growing degree days are about 2500 to 3000. Elevation ranges from 1600 to 2700 feet above sea level.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Heil, Niobell, Noonan and Williams soils. Heil soils have an aquic moisture regime and are in depressions. Niobell and Noonan soils are on higher parts of the landscapes with microrelief. Niobell soils do not have columnar structure in the Btn horizon and have tonguing or interfingering of E materials for more than 1 inch into the Btn horizon. Noonan soils have combined A and E horizons thicker than 5 inches and do not have accumulations of salt within a depth of 16 inches. Williams soils do not have a natric horizon and are on landscapes above the Miranda soils.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well or somewhat poorly drained. Runoff is negligible to very high depending on slope. Permeability is very slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for native hay and pasture. A few areas are cultivated when in complex with other soils. Native vegetation includes western wheatgrass, blue grama, buffalograss, prairie junegrass, inland saltgrass, prickly pear, sedges, and forbs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North-central South Dakota and central North Dakota. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Hand County, South Dakota, 1958.
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 10 inches (E, Btn1, Btn2 horizons); natric horizon - the zone from about 4 to 16 inches (Btn1, Btn2, Btnz horizons).