LOCATION PARSHALL ND+CO MT SDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Pachic Haplustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Parshall fine sandy loam - cultivated. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated)
Ap--0 to 7 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) fine sandy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; common very fine and few fine pores; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary.
A--7 to 12 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) fine sandy loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine and very fine and few medium roots; many fine and very fine and few medium pores; neutral; clear wavy boundary. (Combined A horizons 6 to 22 inches thick)
Bw1--12 to 20 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) fine sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine and few medium roots; many very fine and fine and few medium pores; slightly alkaline; clear wavy boundary.
Bw2--20 to 29 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) fine sandy loam, dark olive brown (2.5Y 3/3) moist; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; many very fine and few fine pores; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. (Combined Bw horizons 9 to 40 inches thick)
Bk1--29 to 42 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to weak medium subangular blocky; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; many very fine and few fine pores; few fine filaments of carbonates; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary.
Bk2--42 to 48 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to weak medium subangular blocky; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine and very fine roots; common very fine pores; common fine filaments of carbonates; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined Bk horizons 0 to 30 inches thick)
BCk--48 to 60 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3) loamy fine sand, olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine and very fine roots; few very fine pores; few fine irregularly shaped masses and common fine filaments of carbonates; violent effervescence; moderately alkaline. (0 to 15 inches thick)
TYPE LOCATION: Morton County, North Dakota; Northern Great Plains ARS Station at Mandan; 1,550 feet north and 950 feet east of southwest corner, sec. 33, T. 139 N., R. 81 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The thickness of the mollic epipedon ranges from 16 to 45 inches. Depth to carbonates ranges from 20 to 60 inches. A few small pebbles are throughout some pedons with as much as 10 percent below the A horizon. Some pedons are saline.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 2 to 5 and 2 or 3 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3. It is fine sandy loam, loam or sandy loam. It is moderately acid to moderately alkaline. It is moderately alkaline in the dryer part of the range.
The Bw horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 3 to 6 and 2 to 5 moist, and chroma of 2 to 4. It is fine sandy loam, loamy fine sand, sandy loam or loam. It is slightly acid to moderately alkaline.
The Bk and BCk horizons have hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 or 6 and 4 or 5 moist, and chroma of 2 to 4. They are fine sandy loam, sandy loam, loamy fine sand or loamy sand. They are slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline. These horizons are too thin or the accumulation of carbonates too low to qualify as a calcic horizon. Some pedons have a BC horizon.
Some pedons have a C horizon. It has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 4 to 7 and 3 to 6 moist, and chroma of 2 to 6. It is fine sandy loam, sandy loam, loamy fine sand, loamy sand or very fine sandy loam. It is neutral to moderately alkaline. Some pedons have gravelly to clayey 2C horizon below 40 inches.
Some pedons have one or more Ab horizons. These are most commonly in areas where the soil formed in glacial outwash or wind modified material.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bikeyah, Breece, Chrishall, Dotsero, Hedoes, Jarmillo, Klizhin, Ruso and Tuntsa soils. Bikeyah, Chrishall, Klizhin and Tuntsa soils occur in areas that have elevations of more than 6400 feet. In addition, Bikeyah and Chrishall soils occur where annual precipitation is more than 20 inches. Breece soils have a coarse sandy loam particle-size control section and occur at higher elevations. Dotsero soils have more than 15 percent rock fragments in the particle-size control section. Hedoes soils have a lithological discontinuity above a depth of 40 inches that has 30 to 60 percent rock fragments. Jarmillo soils are noncalcareous throughout. Ruso soils have stratified sand and gravel above depths of 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Parshall soils are on level to moderately steep high terraces along river valleys, on outwash plains, and in swales on uplands. Slope gradients are commonly less than 4 percent but range from 0 to 25 percent. The soils formed in alluvium. Mean annual air temperature is 35 to 45 degrees F, and mean annual precipitation is 12 to 18 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Cabba, Farland, Flasher, Lehr, Lihen, Manning, Morton, Straw, Tally, Vebar and Williams soils. Lihen, Manning and Tally soils occur on slightly higher positions on the landscape. Lihen soils are sandy and Manning soils are coarse-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal. Tally soils have mollic epipedons less than 16 inches thick. Cabba, Flasher, Morton and Vebar soils occur on nearby residual uplands. Cabba and Flasher are shallow and Morton and Vebar soils are moderately deep to a paralithic contact. Farland and Lehr soils are on nearby terraces. Farland soils are fine-silty and Lehr soils are fine-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal. Straw soils are on lower terraces and are fine-loamy. Williams soils are on nearby till plains. They have a mollic epipedon that is less than 16 inches thick and are fine-loamy.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well or moderately well drained. Runoff is negligible to medium depending on slope and surface texture. Permeability is moderately rapid. Depth to a seasonal high water table is from 3 to 6 feet at some time during the period October through June in the moderately well drained phase.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are cropped to small grains, flax, tame grass, and alfalfa. Native vegetation was medium and short prairie grasses as needleandthread and some legumes.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western North Dakota, northwestern South Dakota and eastern Montana. The soil is extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Northern Great Plains ARS Station, Mandan, Morton County, North Dakota, 1960.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: mollic epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 29 inches (Ap, A, Bw1 and Bw2 horizons).
ADDITIONAL DATA: S90ND059-186 - engineering highway test data on Bw1 and BCk horizons.