LOCATION RALTON NEEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Fluventic Haplustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Ralton loam with a slope of less than 1 percent in a cultivated field. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated)
Ap1--0 to 15 centimeters (0 to 6 inches); grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; soft, very friable; violent effervescence; slightly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary.
Ap2--15 to 36 centimeters (6 to 14 inches); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable; violent effervescence; slightly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary.
C1--36 to 61 centimeters (14 to 24 inches); grayish brown (10YR 5/2) and light brownish gray (10YR 6/2); stratified very fine sandy loam and loam, brown (10YR 4/3), brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable; violent effervescence; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary.
C2--61 to 86 centimeters (24 to 34 inches); light brownish gray (10YR6/2), light gray (10YR 7/2) very fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 5/3), pale brown (10YR 6/3) moist; massive; soft, very friable; violent effervescence; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary.
C3--86 to 130 centimeters (34 to 51 inches); Stratified, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2), grayish brown (10YR 5/2), light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) and light gray (10YR 7/2) loam, black (10YR 2/1), very dark brown (10YR 2/2), very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2), dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; moderately course prismatic structure parting to weak fine granular; soft, very friable; violent effervescence; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary.
C4--130 to 180 centimeters (51 to 71 inches); Stratified, light gray (2.5Y 7/1) and light gray (10YR 7/2) very fine sandy loam, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) and light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) moist; massive; soft, very friable; violent effervescence; slightly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary.
C5--180 to 203 centimeters (71 to 80 inches); light gray (2.5Y 7/2) gravelly loamy coarse sand, gray (2.5Y 5/1) moist; single grained; loose; slightly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Deuel County, Nebraska; 2.4 kilometers (1.5 miles) south and .8 kilometers (.5 miles) east of Chappell, Nebraska; 762 meters (2500 feet) south and 549 meters (1800 feet) east of the northwest corner of section 26, T. 13 N., R. 45 W. USGS Topographic Quadrangle; Chappell NE; 41 degrees, 4 minutes, 13 seconds north Latitude; 102 degree 27 minutes, 00 seconds west longitude.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mean annual soil temperature: 10 to 13 degrees C. (49 to 55 degrees F.)
Depth to secondary calcium carbonate: 0 to 25 centimeters (0 to 10 inches)
Depth to endosaturation: 91 to 183 centimeters (3 to 6 feet)
Thickness of the solum: 25 to 61 centimeters (10 to 24 inches)
Thickness of the mollic epipedon: 25 to 51 centimeters (10 and 20 inches)
A horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 4 or 5, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2
Texture: loam, or very fine sandy loam
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 10 percent
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline
AC horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 4 to 7, 3 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: loam or very fine sandy loam
Calcium carbonate equivalent: to percent
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline
C horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 4 to 7, 3 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: loam or very fine sandy loam, sandy loam and coarser textures are below a depth of 152 centimeters (60 inches) in some areas
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline
Buried soils or thin strata of slightly coarser or finer textured material are in the C horizon in most pedons.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Bardwell series.
Barwell soils have rock fragments from 0 to 35 percent in the BC and C horizons.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: stratified, calcareous alluvium
Landform: flood plains
Slopes: 0 to 3 percent
Elevation: 914 to 1219 meters (3000 to 4000 feet)
Mean annual temperature: 8 to 12 degrees C. (47 to 53 degrees F.)
Mean annual precipitation: 36 to 46 centimeters (14 to 18 inches)
Frost-free period: 135 to 145 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Bayard,
Chappell,
Duroc,
Las Animas and
Munjor soils.
Duroc soils are well drained, fine-silty and above Ralton soils on the landscape.
Chappell soils are well drained, coarse-loamy and above Ralton soils on the landscape.
Bayard soils are well drained and above Ralton soils on the landscape.
Munjor soils are coarse-loamy and slightly higher on the landscape.
Las Animas soils are somewhat poorly drained and lower on the landscape.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage: moderately well drained
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity: moderately high
Flooding: rarely flooded for brief durations
Depth to the seasonal high water table: 91 to 183 centimeters (3 to 6 feet)
Runoff: low
USE AND VEGETATION: Most of the area is cultivated and many acres are irrigated.
Corn, alfalfa, and winter wheat are the crops mostly grown.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Nebraska. This series is of small extent. MLRA 72
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Deuel County, Nebraska.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon: 25 to 51 centimeters (10 to 20 inches (Ap and A horizon)
Irregular decrease in organic carbon: from 36 to 203 centimeters (14 to 80 inches)
Moisture regime: ustic
This series was formerly classified as a wet phase of the McCook series.
Modified format by LRM in 3/2006 to include metric conversion and change permeability to saturated hydraulic conductivity.