LOCATION PENDEN KSEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Calciustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Penden clay loam - in native grass range. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A1--0 to 23 centimeters (0 to 9 inches); grayish brown (10YR 5/2) clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium granular structure; hard, friable; many fine roots; many worm casts; slight effervescence; slightly alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (18 to 30 centimeters (7 to 12 inches) thick)
A2--23 to 38 centimeters (9 to 15 inches); grayish brown (10YR 5/2) clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate medium granular structure; hard, friable; common fine roots; few small lime concretions; many worm casts; few coarse sand grains; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 25 centimeters (0 to 10 inches) thick)
Bk--38 to 86 centimeters (15 to 34 inches); pale brown (10YR 6/3) clay loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm; few fine roots; threads, films, and many soft accumulations of carbonates and lime concretions, common fine pores; violent effervescence; moderately alkaline; diffuse smooth boundary. (30 to 76 centimeters (12 to 30 inches) thick)
C--86 to 152 centimeters (34 to 60 inches); pale brown (10YR 6/3) clay loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; hard, friable; few small lime concretions; many fine pores; violent effervescence; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Lane County, Kansas; about 8 kilometers (5 miles) south and 1.6 kilometers (1 mile) east of Pendennis; 238 meters (780 feet) east and 24 meters (80 feet) north of the southwest corner of sec. 16, T. 17 S., R. 27 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture regime: ustic moisture regime
Soil temperature regime: mesic
Mean annual soil temperature: 11 to 14 degrees C. (53 to 58 degrees F.)
Particle size control section: 24 to 34 percent clay
Depth to bedrock: between 152 and 203 centimeters (60 and 80 inches)
Depth to the calcic horizon: less than 76 centimeters (30 inches)
Thickness of mollic epipedon: 18 to 51 centimeters (7 to 20 inches)
A horizon
Hue: 10YR
Value: 4 or 5, 2 or 3 (moist)
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: clay loam, loam and silty clay loam
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline
Bk horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 4 to 8, 3 to 7 (moist)
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: clay loam, loam and silty clay loam
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline
C horizon
Hue: 7.5YR to 2.5Y
Value: 5 to 8, 4 to 7 (moist)
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: clay loam or loam
Reaction: moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: This is the
Ethan series.
Ethan soils have soil temperatures of less than 11 degrees C. (53 degrees F.) and are formed in glacial till.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: eolian silty material over calcareous alluvium (Pleistocene Age)
Landform: upland
Slopes: 0 to 15 percent
Mean annual air temperature: 10 to 14 degrees C. (50 to 57 degrees F.)
Mean annual precipitation: 46 to 63 centimeters (18 to 25 inches)
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Campus,
Canlon,
Harney,
Kim,
Spearville, and
Uly series.
The more clayey Harney and Spearville soils are on the nearby nearly level to gently sloping loess mantled uplands.
Campus and Canlon soils are in areas where the caliche beds are near the surface.
Kim and Uly soils are on similar topography.
Kim soils lack mollic epipedons.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage: well drained
Runoff: medium or high
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity: Moderate.
USE AND VEGETATION: Mostly used for rangeland with gentler slopes cropped to wheat and sorghum.
Native vegetation is dominantly big bluestem and little bluestem with lesser amounts of western wheatgrass, switchgrass, sideoats, grama, indiangrass, and forbs with blue grama and broom snakeweed dominate heavily grazed areas.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Kansas and in adjacent parts of Colorado and Nebraska. The series is of large extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lane County, Kansas, 1970.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon: 0 to 38 centimeters (0 to 15 inches) (A horizon)
Calciustolls feature: calic horizon 38 centimeters (15 inches)
ADDITIONAL DATA: Laboratory data is available at the NSSL Lincoln, NE. Pedon numbers 81KS065001 and 99KS195002. This data supports the revised classification.
Modified format by LRM in 7/2006 to include metric conversion and change permeability to saturated hydraulic conductivity.