LOCATION OJATA NDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, frigid Typic Calciaquolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Ojata silty clay loam - on a level slope of less than 1 percent under cropland. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated. Where described the soil was moist to 50 inches and wet below 50 inches.)
Apz--0 to 8 inches; black (N 2/0) silty clay loam, dark gray (N 4/0) dry; weak very fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, sticky, and plastic; common very fine roots; few fine salt crystals; strong effervescence; mildly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 16 inches thick)
Bkz--8 to 20 inches; gray (5Y 6/1) silt loam, light gray (5Y 7/1) dry; many fine and medium distinct dark gray (5Y 4/1) mottles; weak fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky, and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; cracks filled with A material extend to 18 inches; few fine salt crystals; disseminated carbonates throughout; violent effervescence; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (6 to 26 inches thick)
C1--20 to 32 inches; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) very finely stratified silt loam, light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) dry; common fine distinct gray (5Y 5/1) and yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) mottles; weak fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky, and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; slight effervescence; strongly alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 30 inches thick)
C2--32 to 47 inches; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) very finely stratified silt loam, pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) dry; common fine and medium distinct gray (2.5Y 6/1) and few fine distinct dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) mottles; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky, and slightly plastic; slight effervescence; strongly alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 30 inches thick)
C3--47 to 60 inches; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) and olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) silt loam, pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) and light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) dry; common fine and medium distinct gray (5Y 5/1) mottles; weak fine subangular blocky structure; soft, friable, slightly sticky, and slightly plastic; common medium dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) (iron- manganese) concretions; common large masses of gypsum crystals; slight effervescence; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Grand Forks County, North Dakota; about 2 miles west and 2 miles north of Grand Forks; 1,000 feet east and 200 feet north of the southwest corner, sec. 24, T. 152 N., R. 51 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mollic epipedon has a conductivity of more than 16 mmhos/cm. It ranges from 7 to 16 inches in thickness.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y, 5Y, or neutral; value of 2 or less and 3 or 4 dry; and chroma of 1 or less. It typically is silt loam or silty clay loam, but included is loam and clay loam. Some pedons have an ABk or ABkz horizon.
The Bk horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 3 to 6 and 4 to 7 dry, and chroma of less than 3. It is silt loam or silty clay loam. Salt accumulations are apparent in this horizon. Some pedons have a Bky horizon.
The C horizon commonly has hue of 2.5Y, 5Y, or 5GY; and is variegated in some pedons. It is laminated silt loam or silty clay loam. Stratified coarser or finer lake sediments or loam or clay loam glacial till are in some pedons below 40 inches. Visible salt accumulations are present in some pedons.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bear Lake, Colvin, Regan, and Winger series in the same family and the Bearden, Borup, Hegne, McIntosh, Perella, and Vallers series. All of these soils have electrical conductivity of less than 16 mmhos/cm. In addition, Bearden and McIntosh soils commonly have chroma of 3 or more within 30 inches of the surface. Borup soils are coarse-silty. Hegne soils are clayey. Perella soils do not have calcic horizons within 16 inches of the surface. Vallers soils are fine-loamy. Winger soils have glacial till within depths of 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Ojata soils are in level, slightly depressed flats, swales, and channels in glacial lake and outwash plains. Slope gradients are less than 1 percent. The soils formed in calcareous, silty lake sediments. The mean annual temperature ranges from 38 to 45 degrees F, and mean annual precipitation ranges from 17 to 22 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Bearden, Borup, Colvin, and Hegne soils and the Fargo, Glyndon, and Grano soils. Bearden and Glyndon soils are on slightly higher, better drained positions. Borup and Colvin soils are in nearby swales and depressions. Hegne, Fargo, and Grano soils are on nearby lake plains where the lacustrine sediments contain 35 to 60 percent clay.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained. Runoff is very slow. Permeability is moderately slow or slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: Soils are used for pasture and hay. Native vegetation is nuttall alkaligrass, western wheatgrass, slender wheatgrass, and inland saltgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern North Dakota. The soil is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Walsh County, North Dakota, 1972.
REMARKS: Revised 3/89.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: mollic epipedon - zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 8 inches (Ap horizon); calcic horizon - zone from 8 to 20 inches (Bkz horizon); characteristics associated with wetness - calcic horizon (Bkz horizon).