LOCATION PEJI SDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Mixed, mesic Typic Ustipsamments
TYPICAL PEDON: Peji sand on a convex south-facing slope of 64 percent in native grass. When described, the soil was moist to 9 inches. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated)
A--0 to 5 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) sand, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak very fine granular structure; soft, very friable; many fine and medium roots; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (2 to 7 inches thick)
C--5 to 36 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) fine sand, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) moist; single grain; loose; common fine and medium roots to 23 inches, few fine roots to 30 inches; about 7 percent soft sandstone fragments; slightly alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (13 to 38 inches thick)
Cr1--36 to 50 inches; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) weakly cemented sandstone, light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) moist; massive; can be dug by spade with difficulty; slightly alkaline; clear wavy boundary.
Cr2--50 to 80 inches; white (10YR 8/1) weakly cemented sandstone, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) moist; massive; can be dug with spade; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Todd County, South Dakota; about 3 1/2 miles west and 3 miles north of St. Francis; 1,480 feet west and 2,150 feet south of the northeast corner of section 16, T. 37 N., R. 31 W. USGS St. Francis topographic quadrangle; lat. 43 degrees 10 minutes 46 seconds N. and long. 100 degrees 59 minutes 6 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Carbonates are typically leached below a depth of 40 inches. Depth to soft sandstone ranges from 20 to 40 inches. The C horizon contains 2 to 15 percent by volume of soft to hard sandstone fragments that range in size from 1/8 to 3 inches in size. The fragments typically are calcareous.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 or 6 and 4 or 5 moist, and chroma of 1 or 2. It is dominantly sand but may be loamy sand, fine sand or loamy fine sand. It is neutral or slightly alkaline. Some pedons have an AC horizon.
The C horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 6 to 8 and 5 or 6 moist, and chroma of 1 to 3. It is fine sand, loamy fine sand or sand. It ranges from neutral to moderately alkaline.
The Cr horizon has a hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 6 to 8 and 5 or 6 moist, and chroma of 1 to 3. It is weakly cemented sandstone that can be dug by spade with difficulty. The sandstone is not always continuous in respect to depth and loose sand underlies the sandstone in some pedons. It ranges from slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Duda, McKelvie, Royosa, Simeon, Tonalea and Valentine series. Duda soils formed in eolian material and contain few or no sandstone fragments in the control section. McKelvie, Royosa, Simeon and Valentine soils are very deep. In addition, Royosa soils have a drier soil moisture control section during the 120 days following the summer solstice. Simeon soils average more than 35 percent medium and coarse sand in the control section and do not have sandstone fragments in the control section. Valentine soils formed in eolian materials and have few or no sandstone fragments in the pedon. Tonalea soils have a lithic contact at 20 to 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Peji soils are generally on the drier south and west facing slopes of deeply dissected sandstone plains. Slopes range from 15 to 85 percent. The soils formed in materials weathered from soft sandstone with additions of colluvium and eolian sands. The mean annual air temperature ranges from 46 to 52 degrees F.; and the mean annual precipitation ranges from 17 to 23 inches. Growing season ranges from 130 to 160 days; growing season precipitation is about 14 to 15 inches; and growing degree days ranges from 3000 to 3200.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bigwinder, Blula, Inavale, McKelvie and Yockey soils. The poorly drained Bigwinder soils, the excessively drained Inavale soils, and the somewhat poorly drained Yockey soils are on flood plains. The Blula and McKelvie soils are very deep over soft sandstone and are on lower back slopes and footslopes below the Peji soil. The Blula soil has a mollic epipedon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Excessively drained. Runoff is rapid. Permeability is rapid.
USE AND VEGETATION: Use is mainly for native range and wildlife habitat. Native grasses are mainly stonyhills muhly, yucca, prairie sandreed, sand bluestem, little bluestem, sideoats grama and sun sedge. Native tree is mainly ponderosa pine.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South central South Dakota and possibly north central Nebraska. The soils of this series are not extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Todd County, South Dakota, 1995.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 5 inches (A horizon); paralithic contact - The boundary at 36 inches (Cr horizon).