LOCATION RUSKLYN            SD+ND
Established Series
Rev. WJB-JMS
03/2009

RUSKLYN SERIES


The Rusklyn series consists of very deep, well drained soils formed in silty material over glacial till on uplands. Permeability is moderate in the upper part and moderately slow in the underlying glacial till. Slopes range from 0 to 15 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 21 inches, and mean annual temperature is about 45 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, frigid Typic Calciudolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Rusklyn silty clay loam - on a southeast facing, convex, slope of 2 percent in a cultivated field. When described the soil was moist throughout. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)

Ap--0 to 9 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) silty clay loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry; moderate medium granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and plastic; common fine roots; slight effervescence; slightly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (7 to 10 inches thick)

Bk1--9 to 19 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) silty clay loam, light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) dry; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and plastic; few fine roots; common fine accumulations of calcium carbonate; violent effervescence (about 29 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary.

Bk2--19 to 28 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) silty clay loam, light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) dry; few fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) mottles; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to weak medium subangular blocky; hard, friable, slightly sticky and plastic; few fine roots; few medium accumulations of calcium carbonate; violent effervescence (about 26 percent calcium carbonate equivalent); moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined Bk horizon thickness is 8 to 30 inches.)

C1--28 to 53 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) and light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) silty clay loam, light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) and light gray (2.5Y 7/2) dry; common fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) mottles; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and plastic; strong effervescence; strongly alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 25 inches thick)

2C2--53 to 60 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) and light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) clay loam, light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) and pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) dry; common medium prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) mottles; massive; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; about 5 percent pebbles; strong effervescence; strongly alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Day County, South Dakota; about 1 mile north and 2 1/2 miles west of Roslyn; 390 feet north and 1,950 feet west of the southeast corner of sec. 27, T. 124 N., R. 56 W.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mollic epipedon ranges from 7 to 10 inches in thickness. The soil typically is calcareous throughout, but some pedons do not have carbonates to a depth of 5 inches. The 10 to 40 inch particle size control section averages 18 to 35 percent clay and less than 15 percent fine sand or coarser. Some pedons have a few granitic cobbles and pebbles on the surface and throughout the profile. Mottles inherent to the parent material are in the lower Bk, C, and 2C horizons. The depth to loamy glacial till ranges from 40 to more than 60 inches. A gravel layer 1 to 5 inches in thickness is at the contact of the glacial till substratum in some pedons.

The A horizon has value of 2 or 3 (3 to 5 dry) and chroma of 1 or 2. It typically is silty clay loam, but is silt loam in some pedons. It is neutral or slightly alkaline.

The Bk horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 3 to 6 (4 to 7 dry) and chroma of 2 to 4. It typically is silty clay loam, but is silt loam in some pedons. It is slightly to strongly alkaline. The calcium carbonate equivalent ranges from 15 to 40 percent. It has few to many accumulations of carbonate.

The C horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 10YR, value of 4 to 6 (5 to 7 dry) and chroma of 2 to 4. It typically is silty clay loam or silt loam. It is slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline. Some pedons have few to common accumulations of carbonate.

The 2C horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 10YR, value of 4 to 6 (5 to 7 dry) and chroma of 2 to 4. It is clay loam or loam. It is moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline. Some pedons do not have 2C horizons.

COMPETING SERIES: These are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Rusklyn soils are on nearly level to rolling uplands with convex surfaces. Slope gradients range from 0 to 15 percent. Rusklyn soils formed in 40 to more than 60 inches of silty material overlying glacial till. Mean annual temperature ranges from 43 to 48 degrees F, and mean annual precipitation ranges from 20 to 24 inches. Growing season is about 120 to 140 days; average growing season precipitation ranges from 13 to 18 inches; and growing degree days are about 2500 to 2800.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Barnes, Brookings, Buse, Forman, Kranzburg, Oldham, Parnell, Poinsett, Vienna, and Waubay soils. The Barnes, Buse, and Forman soils are on adjacent glacial till plains and have a fine-loamy control section. The moderately well drained Brookings and Waubay soils are in swales. They have a mollic epipedon more than 16 inches thick. Kranzburg, Poinsett, and Vienna soils do not have carbonates above a depth of 14 inches. Kranzburg, Poinsett, and Vienna soils are on lower landscape positions with plane surfaces. The poorly drained Oldham and Parnell soils have a fine textured series control section and are in depressions.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Runoff is medium or high. Permeability is moderate in the silty material and moderately slow in the underlying glacial till.

USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are used for cropland. Main crops are small grain, corn, soybeans, and alfalfa. Native vegetation is little bluestem, big bluestem, needleandthread, blue grama, sideoats grama, sedges and forbs.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern South Dakota and potentially west central Minnesota. The series is of moderate extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Day County, South Dakota, 1990.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: mollic epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 9 inches (Ap horizon); calcic horizon - the zone from about 9 to 28 inches (Bk1 and Bk2 horizons).


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.