LOCATION SALTINE NE+KS
Established Series
Rev. LGR/SAS/JGA
12/2011
SALTINE SERIES
The Saltine series consists of very deep somewhat poorly drained soils formed in loamy alluvium high in exchangeable sodium. The soils are on flood plains in river valleys in Loess Uplands in MLRA 102C Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent. Mean annual temperature is 11 degrees C. (51 degrees F.) and mean annual precipitation is 710 millimeters (28 inches) at the type location.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, calcareous, mesic Typic Halaquepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Saltine silty clay loam - slope is nearly level, in a cultivated field. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 18 centimeters (0 to 7 inches); gray (10YR 5/1) silty clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak very fine granular structure; hard, friable; many fine and medium roots; many fine and medium pores; sodium adsorption ratio >13; strongly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (10 to 18 centimeters (4 to 7 inches) thick)
Bw1--18 to 30 centimeters (7 to 12 inches); grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) silty clay loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; strong fine and medium blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky; common fine and medium roots; common fine and medium pores; sodium adsorption ratio > 13; slight effervescence; strongly alkaline; clear smooth boundary.
Bw2--30 to 76 centimeters (12 to 30 inches); grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) silty clay loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; strong medium and coarse blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky; common fine roots; common fine pores; sodium adsorption ratio <13; violent effervescence; strongly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bw horizon ranges from 0 to 86 centimeters (0 to 34 inches) thick)
C1--76 to 122 centimeters (30 to 48 inches); light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) silty clay loam, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; few fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist iron masses in the matrix; structureless massive; hard, firm, few fine roots and tubular pores; sodium adsorption ratio < 13; sticky; strong effervescence; very strongly alkaline; abrupt, smooth boundary.
C2--122 to 140 centimeters (48 to 55 inches); gray (10YR 5/1) silty clay loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) moist; few distinct faint yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist mottles; structureless massive; hard, firm, sticky; very strongly alkaline; clear smooth boundary.
C3--140 to 152 centimeters (55 to 60 inches); gray (10YR 6/1) sandy clay loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) moist; few fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist iron masses in the matrix; structureless massive; hard, firm, few fine roots; sodium adsorption ratio < 13; sticky; very strongly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Dodge County, Nebraska; about 1.6 kilometer (1 mile) north and 3.6 kilometers (2.25 miles) east of North Bend; 244 meters (800 feet) west and 30 meters (100 feet) south of northeast corner, sec. 4, T. 17 N., R. 6 E. USGS Malmo Northwest topographic quadrangle; latitude 41 degrees, 28 minutes, 51 seconds North and longitude 96 degrees, 44 minutes, 4 seconds West, NAD83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: wet in the control section from November to July and moist from August to October.
Mean annual soil temperature: 11 to 14 degrees C. (52 to 57 degrees F.).
Depth to calcium carbonate: 0 to 25 centimeters (0 to 10 inches).
Electrical conductivity: 4 to 8 millimhos per centimeter, but in some seasons, less than 4 millimhos per centimeter.
Sodium absorption ratio: greater than 13 above depths of 50 centimeters (20 inches) and decreases with depth.
Depth to redoximorphic concentrations: 10 to 112 centimeters (4 to 44 inches).
Depth to episaturation: 46 to 91 centimeters (18 to 36 inches) from November to June.
Thickness of the solum: 41 to 100 centimeters (16 to 39 inches).
A horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 4 to 6, 2 to 5 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2
Texture: silty clay loam, silt loam, or loam
Sodium Absorption Ratio: < 13
Electrical Conductivity: Typically 4 to 8, but ranges up to 20
Clay content: 15 to 40 percent
Sand content: 2 to 52 percent
Reaction: Slightly alkaline to very strongly alkaline
Bw horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 4 to 7, 3 to 6 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2
Texture: Typically silt loam or silty clay loam, but includes loam, clay loam, or silty clay
Sodium Absorption Ratio: > 13 in upper part, < 13 in lower part
Electrical Conductivity: 4 to 16
Clay content: 18 to 35 percent
Sand content: 2 to 10 percent
Reaction: Strongly alkaline or very strongly alkaline.
Some pedons lack a Bw horizon
C horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 5 to 7, 2 to 6 moist
Chroma: 1 to 3
Texture: Silt loam or silty clay loam, some pedons have thin layers of loam, clay loam and silty clay above 100 centimeters (40 inches)
Below a depth of 100 centimeters (40 inches) the soil material is typically silty clay loam, but some pedons are finer or coarser textured.
Sodium Absorption Ratio: < 13
Electrical Conductivity: 0 to 20
Seams and nests of soluble salts are in the upper part in some pedons.
Clay content: 18 to 40 percent
Sand content: 2 to 10 percent
Reaction: Slightly alkaline through strongly alkaline.
Buried soils or dark layers of alluvium and stratification are common in the C horizon.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Brinnum and
Saltillo series in the same family.
Brinnum series are dry in the soil moisture control section for longer periods.
Saltillo soils are poorly drained with a seasonal high water table at a depth of 0 to 1.5 feet.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: Loam alluvium high in exchangeable sodium
Landform: Floodplains on river valleys
Slopes: 0 to 2 percent
Mean annual temperature: 10 to 13 degrees C. (49 to 56 degrees F.)
Mean annual precipitation: 460 to 760 millimeters (18 to 30 inches)
Frost-free period: 140 to 170 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Calco,
Colo,
Gibbon,
Leshara,
Lamo,
Luton, Wood River, and
Zook.
All these soils contain less sodium and soluble salts throughout the solum and have mollic epipedons.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage: Somewhat poorly drained.
Surface runoff: Low or very low.
Saturated hydraulic conductivity: Moderately high
Flooding: Occasionally and frequently flooded.
Ponding: Brief duration on small areas during wet periods.
Depth to water table: 46 centimeters to 91 centimeters (1.5 to 3 feet).
USE AND VEGETATION: About half the area is in native grass and the remainder is mainly cropped.
Major crops are corn and wheat.
The common grasses are inland saltgrass, western wheatgrass and blue grama, with sparse amounts of switchgrass.
Alkali sacaton is in the western part of its occurrence.
A few acres are irrigated.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South-central and eastern Nebraska (LRR H Great Plains Winter Wheat and Range Region and M Central Feed Grains and Livestock Region, MLRA 71 Central Nebraska Loess Hills, 73 Rolling Plains and Breaks, 75 Central Loess Plains, 102C Loess Uplands and 106 Nebraska and Kansas Loess-Drift Hills and north-central Kansas (LRR H Great Plains Winter Wheat and Range Region, MLRA 73 Rolling Plains and Breaks and 74 Central Kansas Sandstone Hills). Series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Dodge County, Nebraska, 1975.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: 0 to 18 centimeters (0 to 7 inches)
Cambic horizon: 18 to 76 centimeters (7 to 30 inches)
Sodium adsorption ratio: greater than 13 in upper 51 centimeters (20 inches) and decreases below 51 centimeters (20 inches)
Aquic conditions: saturation at depths below 76 centimeters (30 inches)
Redox features: at depths below 76 centimeters (30 inches)
Areas of similar soils were commonly correlated as Slickspots in former surveys, or as a saline-alkali phase of an established series.
Modified format by LRM in 10/2005 to include metric conversion and change permeability to saturated hydraulic conductivity.
JGA 12/11 Modified opening paragraph to include MLRA 102, changes precipitation to millimeters. Changes some terms in profile and range of characteristics to appropriate terminology and well as adding metric measurements. Updated mean annual soil temp to fit with mean annual air temp. Updated electrical conductivity ranges to fit NSSH ranges. Deleted statements pertaining to closely related families in Competing Series section. Added frequently flooded. Added LLRs and MLRAs to Distribution and Extent.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.