LOCATION RUSCO NEEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Oxyaquic Argiustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Rusco silt loam, with a slope of less than 1 percent, in a cultivated field. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 13 centimeters (0 to 5 inches); grayish brown (10YR 5/2) silt loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; hard, friable; neutral; clear smooth boundary.
A--13 to 30 centimeters (5 to 12 inches); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silt loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; moderate fine and medium granular structure; hard, friable; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (Combined A horizon is 18 to 51 centimeters (7 to 20 inches) thick.)
Bt1--30 to 41 centimeters (12 to 16 inches); light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) silty clay loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm; neutral; clear smooth boundary.
Bt2--41 to 61 centimeters (16 to 24 inches); light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) silty clay loam, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; few fine distinct brown (7.5YR 5/6 moist) iron masses in the matrix; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (Combined Bt horizon is 30 to 56 centimeters (12 to 22 inches) thick.)
BC--61 to 91 centimeters (24 to 36 inches); light gray (2.5Y 7/2) silt loam, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; common medium distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6 moist) iron masses in the matrix; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable; slight effervescence; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (15 to 76 centimeters (6 to 30 inches) thick)
C--91 to 152 centimeters (36 to 60 inches); light gray (2.5Y 7/2) silt loam, light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) moist; common medium distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6 moist) iron masses in the matrix; massive; few small masses of carbonates, slightly hard, very friable; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Merrick County, Nebraska; 5 kilometers (3 miles) east and 1.2 kilometers (0.75 miles) south of Palmer; 183 meters (600 feet) north and 30 meters (100 feet) east of southwest corner, sec. 1, T. 14 N., R. 8 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Thickness of the solum: 48 to 102 centimeters (19 to 40 inches)
Mollic epipedon: 18 to 51 centimeters (7 to 20 inches) and includes the upper part of the argillic horizon in some pedons
Free carbonates: typically 38 to 76 centimeters (15 to 30 inches) but is below 152 centimeters (60 inches) in some pedons
Ponded phase: recognized
A horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 3 to 5, 1 to 3 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2
Texture: silt loam, light silty clay loam, or loam
Reaction: slightly acid to slightly alkaline
Bt horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 4 to 6, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 1 to 3 with the darker colors in the upper part
Texture: silty clay loam averaging between 28 and 35 percent clay
Thin subhorizons with more than 35 percent clay are present in some pedons. Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline
Redox features: typically in the lower part of the B horizon
BC and C horizons:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 5 to 7, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 1 to 3
C horizon texture: typically silt loam or loam, but in some pedons the lower part of the C horizon is very fine sandy loam or fine sandy loam
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline
C horizon redox feature: typically few or common, faint or distinct
C horizon: commonly stratified
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform: depressions on uplands or stream terraces
Parent Material: loess or old alluvium
Slopes: 0 to 2 percent
Mean annual temperature: 10 to 12 degrees C. (49 to 53 degrees F.)
Mean annual precipitation: 51 to 66 centimeters (20 to 26 inches)
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Anselmo,
Cozad,
Gosper,
Hersh,
Kenesaw,
Loretto,
Ortello,
Thurman, and
Wood River soils.
Anselmo, Hersh, Kenesaw, Loretto, Ortello, and Thurman soils are on higher parts of the landscape and have less clay in the B horizon.
Cozad soils do not have features associated with wetness and are higher on the landscape.
Gosper soils are on lower elevations and are in the fine-loamy family.
Wood River soils have a finer-textured Bt horizon and are at about the same elevation.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage: moderately well drained
Runoff: low or very low
Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity: moderately high.
Ponding: brief duration by a perched seasonal high water table at +15 to 61 centimeters (+0.5 to 2.0 feet)
Ponding: rare or occasional
USE AND VEGETATION: Most of the acreage is in cultivated crops, and many areas are irrigated.
The main crops are corn, sorghum, alfalfa, and winter wheat.
A small acreage is in native vegetation where the principal species are tall and mid grasses.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Rusco series is in central Nebraska and is moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Howard County, Nebraska, 1970.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon: 0 to 24 inches (A and Bt horizons)
Aquic conditions, redox features: 41 to 102 centimeters (16 and 40 inches)
Modified format by LRM in 6/2006 to include metric conversion and change permeability to saturated hydraulic conductivity.