LOCATION SAKAKAWEA NDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-silty, mixed, superactive, frigid Typic Calciustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Sakakawea loam on a slope of 3 percent in a cultivated field. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 6 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; strong effervescence; mildly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 7 inches thick)
Bk1--6 to 14 inches; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak medium prismatic structure parting to weak medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and plastic; few very fine roots; many fine irregular soft masses of carbonates; violent effervescence; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary.
Bk2--14 to 21 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) silt loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; hard, friable, slightly sticky and plastic; few very fine roots; few fine irregular soft masses of carbonates; violent effervescence; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bk horizon is 10 to 23 inches.)
C1--21 to 29 inches; stratified light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) and light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) silt loam, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) and olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; few fine prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) moist relict mottles; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and plastic; few very fine roots; few fine filaments of carbonates; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary.
C2--29 to 41 inches; stratified light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) and pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) loam, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) and light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) moist; few fine prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) moist relict mottles; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; disseminated carbonates throughout; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary.
C3--41 to 60 inches; stratified light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) silty clay loam and pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) loamy sand, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) and light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) moist; few fine prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) moist relict mottles; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; disseminated carbonates throughout; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Mountrail County, North Dakota; about 7 miles south of Powers Lake; 2,425 feet west and 1,500 feet south of the northeast corner, sec. 23, T. 158 N., R. 93 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mollic epipedon is 7 to 10 inches thick. The soil typically contains carbonates to the surface. Some uncultivated pedons do not effervesce in the upper 7 inches before mixing. The 10-40 inch control section has a noncarbonate clay content of about 10 to 18 percent. It has a carbonate clay content of about 2 to 8 percent.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 3 to 5 and 2 or 3 moist, and chroma of 1 to 3. It is loam, clay loam, silt loam, or silty clay loam. Some pedons have a thin ABk horizon.
The Bk horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 to 8 and 4 to 6 moist, and chroma of 2 to 4. It is silt loam. The CaCO3 equivalent ranges from 20 to 30 percent. Some pedons have a BCk horizon.
The C horizon has hue of 2.5Y, value of 5 to 8 and 4 to 6 moist, and chroma of 2 to 4. It has massive structure and is stratified. It is loam or silt loam in the upper part and silty clay, silty clay loam, silt loam, loam, very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loamy sand, or loamy fine sand in distinct layers in the lower part. Mottles are relict and vary widely in amount and distinctness between pedons. Few to common, fine or medium nests of gypsum are in some pedons.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Huffton (T) series in the same family and the Kiev, Maschetah, Rondell, Zahl, and Zell series. Huffton soils have salts in the Bk horizon. Kiev soils are fine-loamy. Maschetah and Rondell soils are fine-silty. In addition, Rondell soils are moderately well drained and have a water table at 4 to 6 feet. Zahl soils have a loam or clay loam Bk horizon, do not have a stratified C horizon, and contain coarse fragments throughout the profile. Zell soils do not have a calcic horizon and are moist for longer periods of time in the soil moisture control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Sakakawea soils are on level to hilly glacial lake plains with convex surfaces. Slopes range from 0 to 25 percent. The soils formed in calcareous glaciolacustrine sediments of mixed mineralogy. The climate is cool semi-arid. Mean annual temperature ranges from 38 to 45 degrees F, and mean annual precipitation ranges from 13 to 17 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Zahl soils and the Farnuf, Lihen, Livona, Nutley, Parshall, Schaller, Tally, and Tansem soils. Farnuf, Nutley and Tansem soils are on nearby nearly level lake plains. Nutley soils are fine. Tansem soils have a cambic horizon. Lihen, Parshall, Schaller, and Tally soils are on nearby lake or outwash plains. Lihen and Schaller soils are sandy. Parshall and Tally soils are coarse loamy. Livona soils are on nearby glacial till plains. Livona and Farnuf soils have an argillic horizon. Zahl soils are on nearby glacial till plains.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Surface runoff is medium or rapid. Permeability is moderate.
USE AND VEGETATION: When cultivated, the principal crops are small grains, flax, sunflowers, hay and pasture. Native vegetation is needleandthread, western wheatgrass, blue grama, sedges, and a variety of forbs. (Thin Upland range site)
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern, west-central, and south-central North Dakota. The soil is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Mountrail County, North Dakota, 1988.
REMARKS: Revised 2/89.
The particle size control section (10-40 inches) of this soil is close to the limits of the fine-silty, fine-loamy, and coarse-loamy families. Inclusions of these families are expected in mapping.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: mollic epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 7 inches (after mixing); calcic horizon - the zone from 6 to 21 inches (Bk1 and Bk2 horizons).
ADDITIONAL DATA: Laboratory sample S86ND061-301