LOCATION MUIR KS+NE

Established Series
Rev. JMA/JGA
07/2020

MUIR SERIES

The Muir series consists of very deep, well drained, moderately permeable soils that formed in alluvium. These soils are on risers and treads of stream terraces in river valleys in the Central Kansas Sandstone Hills, MLRA 74. Slopes range from 0 to 7 percent. Mean annual temperature is about 13 degrees C (55 degrees F), and mean annual precipitation is about 760 mm (30 inches).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Cumulic Haplustolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Muir silt loam - in a cultivated field. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.) As described on December 1, 1983.

Ap-- 0 to 18 centimeters (0 to 7 inches); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silt loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine roots; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary.

A-- 18 to 56 centimeters (7 to 22 inches); very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) silt loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate medium granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine roots; slightly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizon is 18 to 74 cm (7 to 29 inches))

Bw1--56 to 91 centimeters (22 to 36 inches); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silty clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate very fine blocky structure; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine roots; slightly acid; gradual smooth boundary.

Bw2-- 91 to 127 centimeters (36 to 50 inches); grayish brown (10YR 5/2) silt loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; moderate very fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; neutral; gradual smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bw horizon is 10 to 76 cm (14 to 30 inches))

BC--127 to 200 centimeters (50 to 80 inches); light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) silt loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, firm; slightly acid.

TYPE LOCATION: Clay County, Kansas; about 5 kilometers (3 miles) south and 1.6 kilometers (1 mile) west of Clifton; 366 meters (1200 feet) south and 46 meters (150 feet) west of the northeast corner of Sec. 22, T. 6 S., R. 1 E. USGS Clay Center, Kansas quadrangle latitude 39 degrees, 30 minutes, 15.17 seconds N. longitude 97 degrees, 17 minutes, 39.47 seconds W. NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture regime: An ustic moisture regime bordering on udic.
Soil temperature regime: mesic
Mean annual soil temperature: 10 to 14 degrees C (50 degrees to 57 degrees F)
Thickness of mollic epipedon: 50 to greater than 100 centimeters (20 to greater than 40 inches)
Particle size control section (weighted average) clay: 18 to 30 percent
Particle size control section (weighted average) fine sands or coarser: 0 to 14 percent
Depth to free carbonates: is more than 100 centimeters (39 inches)

Ap or A horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 3 to 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2 dry or moist
Texture: silt loam or silty clay loam
Clay content: 15 to 30 percent
Sand content: 1 to 20 percent
Reaction: moderately acid to neutral.

Bw horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 2 to 4 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry or moist
Texture: silt loam, silty clay loam, or loam
Clay content: 18 to 30 percent
Sand content: 1 to 35 percent
Reaction: moderately acid to neutral.

BC or C horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 7 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4 dry or moist
Texture: silt loam, silty clay loam, or loam
Clay content: 15 to 30 percent
Sand content: 1 to 35 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 2 percent
Reaction: slightly acid to moderately alkaline
Stratification with varying colors and textures are in the BC horizon of some pedons. Fine sand or sand is below a depth of 100 centimeters (39 inches) in some pedons.

Some pedons have a Bk horizon with 1 to 3 percent visible calcium carbonate and properties similar to the Bw horizon.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Ackmen, Alcester, Coleridge, Gabaldon, Hord, Irak, Roxbury, Shell, Tobin, Trementina, Vega, and Waka series.
The Ackmen, Alcester, Gabaldon, Hord, Irak, Trementina, Vega, and Waka soils are drier in the soil moisture control section during the months of June through August.
Roxbury soils have free carbonates above a depth of 38 centimeters (15 inches).
Colridge soils are somewhat poorly drained and have a water table at 45 centimeters (18 inches) during wet years.
Shell and Tobin soils are more stratified in the control section and do not have a cambic horizon.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent Material: alluvium
Landform: treads and risers on stream terraces in river valleys
Elevation: 315 to 535 meters (1030 to 1750 feet)
Slopes: range from 0 to 7 percent
Mean annual air temperature: 10 to 13 degrees C (50 to 55 degrees F)
Mean annual precipitation: 710 to 840 millimeters (28 to 33 inches)
Frost-free period: 160 to 200 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Detroit, Hobbs, Sherdahl and Sutphen soils.
Detroit soils are on similar landforms and have greater than 35 percent clay in the particle size control section.
Hobbs soils have an ochric epipedon (thin dark surface) and are on lower landforms.
Sutphen soils are at slightly lower landforms and have greater than 35 percent clay in the particle size control section.
Sherdahl soils are on similar landforms positions and have less than 18 percent clay in the particle size control section.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage: well
Runoff: low or medium
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity: moderately high
Flooding: rare to none

USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of Muir soils are cultivated and some of the acreage is irrigated. Corn, sorghum, wheat, and alfalfa are the principal crops. Native vegetation is tall prairie grasses and a few deciduous trees.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North central Kansas and adjacent parts of Nebraska. LRR H Great Plains Winter Wheat and Range, MLRA 74 Central Kansas Sandstone Hills and MLRA 75 Central Loess Plains. The Muir series is extensive.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Saline County, Kansas, 1952.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon: the zone from 0 to 91 centimeters (0 to 36 inches) (Ap, A, and Bw1 horizons)
Cambic horizon: the zone from 91 to 127 centimeters (36 inches to 50 inches) (Bw2 horizon).

Keys to soil Taxonomy: Twelfth edition, 2014

In the remapping of Saline County, Kansas, Muir series was not correlated. Type location changed to Clay County, Kansas.

07/2003 WAW Format changed to semi-tabular, update terminology for reaction and runoff classes.
Future updates should consider reclassifying this series to Pachic from Cumulic, most pedons sampled have a regular decrease in organic carbon.

08/2011 JLG
Added metric conversions. Added quadrangle, latitude, and longitude. Added soil moisture regime, soil temperature regime, mean annual soil temperature, and particle size clay and sand content in the RIC. Added clay and sand content to horizon data in the RIC. Changed depth to free carbonates from 120 centimeters to 100 centimeters. Updated competing series. Updated geographic setting to tabular format. Changed parent material to just alluvium from alluvium and colluvium. Lowered the mean annual air temperature to 13 degrees C from 14. Updated geographically associated soils. Changed permeability to saturated hydraulic conductivity and added flooding frequency. Changed precipitation values from centimeters to millimeters.

ADDITIONAL DATA: Kellogg Soil Survey Laboratory data is available for pedon ID numbers: S2009KS157003, S2001KS029004, S2001KS027015, S1953KS157002,S1953KS157004, S2002NE095001, 79NE023132, 88KS061114, and 01KS201038.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.