LOCATION RINGGOLD                NE

Established Series
RRH
10/2014

RINGGOLD SERIES

The Ringgold series consists of very deep well drained soils that formed in loamy eolian deposits. These soils are on interdunes of sandhills and have slopes ranging from 0 to 3 percent. Mean annual precipitation is 51 centimeters (20 inches), and mean annual temperature is 9.5 degrees C. (49 degrees F.) at the type location.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Haplustepts

TYPICAL PEDON: Ringgold fine sandy loam on a135 degree aspect, linear, less than 1 percent slopes in rangeland at an elevation of 920 meters (3018 feet). (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.) When described on August 29 2005, the soil was moist throughout.

A--0 to 13 centimeters (0 to 5 inches); grayish brown (10YR 5/2) fine sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium granular; soft, very friable; nonsticky, nonplastic; many fine and very fine roots throughout; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary. 8 to 23 centimeters, (3 to 9 inches thick).

Bw1--13 to 31 centimeters (5 to 12 inches); brown (10YR 5/3) very fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; very hard, friable; nonsticky, nonplastic; common fine and very fine roots throughout; 10 percent discontinuous dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist, organic stains on vertical faces of peds; neutral; clear wavy boundary.

Bw2--31 to 70 centimeters (12 to 28 inches); brown (10YR 5/3) very fine sandy loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate coarse subangular blocky; very hard, friable; nonsticky, nonplastic; common fine and very fine roots throughout; 10 percent discontinuous dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist, organic stains on vertical faces of peds; neutral; gradual smooth boundary.

Bw3--70 to 92 centimeters (28 to 36 inches ); light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3) loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) moist; moderate extremely coarse prismatic structure; hard, very friable; nonsticky, nonplastic; common fine and very fine roots throughout; 10 percent discontinuous dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist, organic stains on vertical faces of peds; neutral; gradual smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bw horizons is 38 to 173 centimeters (15 to 68 inches).

BC--92 to 106 centimeters (36 to 42 inches); light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3) fine sandy loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) moist; weak medium prismatic structure; slightly hard, very friable; nonsticky, nonplastic; common fine and very fine roots throughout; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. 0 to 41 centimeters, (0 to 16 inches thick).

C--106 to 140 centimeters (42 to 55 inches); light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3) fine sand, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) moist; single grain; loose; nonsticky, nonplastic; few very fine roots throughout; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. 106 to 200cm (42 to 80 inches thick).

2C--140 to 203 centimeters (55 to 80 inches); pale yellow (2.5Y 7/3) fine sand, light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3) moist; with thin strata of light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3) sand, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) moist; single grain; loose; nonsticky, nonplastic; few very fine roots throughout; slightly alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: McPherson County, Nebraska; about 4.4 kilometers (3 miles) east of Ringgold; 732 meters (2100 feet) west and 134 meters (1910 feet) north of the southeast corner of sec. 26, T. 18 N., R. 30 W.; Stapleton NW USGS quad; lat. 41 degrees 25 minutes 59.22 seconds N. and long. 100 degrees 44 minutes 27.46 seconds W., NAD 83

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
The mean annual soil temperature is 8 C (46 F) or higher but lower than 15 C (59 F), and the difference between mean summer and mean winter soil temperature is 6 C (43 F) or more at a depth of 50cm (20 inches) below the soil surface.

Particle-size control section: 10 to 15 percent clay and 25 to 40 percent very fine sand.
Depth to secondary carbonates can occur below 61 centimeters (24 inches).
Redoximorphic concentrations when present are considered relic and are below 70 cm (28 inches).
The moisture regime is Ustic.
All horizons are slightly acid to slightly alkaline.

A horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 3 dry or moist
Texture: fine sandy loam
Reaction: moderately acid to slightly acid

Bw horizon:
Hue: 10YR to 2.5Y
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 3 dry or moist
Texture: very fine sandy loam or loam
Reaction: slightly acid to neutral
Bk horizons with colors and textures similar to the Bw horizon are present in some pedons. Reaction is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.

BC horizon:
Hue: 10YR to 2.5Y
Value: 6 to 7 dry, 5 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 3 dry or moist
Texture: loamy fine sand, fine sandy loam, very fine sandy loam, or loam
Reaction: neutral to slightly alkaline
BCk horizons with colors and textures similar to the BC horizon are present in some pedons. Reaction is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline

C horizon:
Hue: 2.5Y to 5Y
Value: 6 to 8 dry, 5 to 7 moist
Chroma: 2 to 3 dry or moist
Texture: fine sand, loamy fine sand, fine sandy loam, very fine sandy loam, or loam; thin layers of sandy clay loam or clay loam are in some pedons
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline

2C horizon:
Hue: 2.5Y to 5Y
Value: 6 to 8, 5 to 7 moist
Chroma: 2 to 3 dry or moist
Texture: sand, fine sand, or loamy fine sand
Reaction: slightly acid to slightly alkaline
Comment: Not all pedons have 2C horizons.

COMPETING SERIES:
This is the Birdwood series.
Birdwood soils average 40 to 55 percent very fine sand in the control section.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: loamy eolian deposits
Landscape: Nebraska Sand Hills
Landform: mostly on swales on interdunes, a few on hummocks on interdunes
Slope: 0 to 3 percent
Elevation: 920m (3,018 feet)
Mean annual air temperature: 7 to 10 degrees C. (45 to 50 degrees F.)
Mean annual precipitation: 43 centimeters to 56 centimeters (17 to 22 inches)
Precipitation pattern: in some part from October through April; intermittently from May through June; driest in July through September.
Frost-free period: 135 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
These are the Dunday, Libory and Valentine soils.
Dunday soils have a sandy control section, a mollic epipedon and are on similar swales.
Valentine soils have a sandy control section and are on higher hummocks and dunes.
Libory soils are sandy over loamy, moderately well drained, and are in lower positions on the interdune.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage: well drained
Runoff: low
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity: high

USE AND VEGETATION: The major use is livestock grazing. The native plant community is mainly little bluestem, prairie sandreed, switchgrass, blue grama, and needleandthread. Some areas are cropped to irrigated corn, soybeans and alfalfa.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Nebraska; LRR G, Western Great Plains range and irrigated region Major Land Resource Area 65; Nebraska Sand Hills. This series is of small extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado

SERIES ESTABLISHED: McPherson County, Nebraska, MLRA 65, 2009. The name is from a small nearby town.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: 0 to 13 centimeters (0 to 5 inches) (A horizon)
Cambic horizon: 13 to 106 centimeters (5 to 42 inches) (Bw1, Bw2, Bw3, and BC horizons)
Moisture regime: ustic
Taxonomic Version: Twelfth edition, 2014.

The Ringgold soils were formerly mapped as Hersh; Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, nonacid, mesic Typic Ustorthents and Anselmo; Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Haplustolls soils.

MJK 10/2014 Updated the horizon nomenclature, adjusted the range in characteristics to include measured laboratory data.

ADDITIONAL DATA: Site ID 05NE117007 (Lab Pedon No. 05N0823) data is available from the Soil Survey Laboratory at the National Soil Survey Center.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.