LOCATION SCORIO NDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey over loamy, smectitic over mixed, superactive, calcareous, frigid Vertic Ustifluvents
TYPICAL PEDON: Scorio silty clay on a 1 percent slope in a cultivated field. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated)
Ap--0 to 8 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) silty clay, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; strong coarse subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; many very fine and few fine and medium roots; strong effervescence; slightly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick)
C1--8 to 32 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) silty clay, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; massive; 0 to 2 mm stratifications of silt throughout; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; common very fine roots; strong effervescence; slightly alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (13 to 28 inches thick)
2C2--32 to 60 inches; stratified light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) moist and pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) very fine sandy loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) moist; many fine distinct dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) moist redox concentrations; massive; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Williams County, North Dakota; about 7 miles southwest of Trenton; 940 feet east and 695 feet north of the southwest corner of sec. 18, T. 152 N., R. 103 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to the loamy underlying material ranges from 20 to 40 inches. The 10- to 40- inch particle-size control section averages 35 to 60 percent clay in the upper part and 7 to 18 percent clay in the underlying material. It is stratified. Organic matter varies widely and decreases irregularly with depth. Some pedons contain thin Ab horizons. Saline phases are recognized.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6 and 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3. Surface horizons having value as dark as 5 dry and 3 moist do not exceed 4 inches in thickness. The A horizon is silty clay or silty clay loam. It is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
The C horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 to 7 and 4 to 6 moist, and chroma of 2 to 4. It is silty clay or silty clay loam having 35 to 60 percent clay. It is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline. It has thin strata of coarser textured materials in some pedons. Some pedons have a BCy horizon.
The 2C horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 to 7 and 4 to 6 moist, and chroma of 2 to 4. It is loamy very fine sand, very fine sand, very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam or silt loam. It is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline. Thin strata of fine sand or loamy fine sand are common. Redox features vary widely in amount and distinctness between pedons.
COMPETING SERIES; There are no other series in the same family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Scorio soils are on level and nearly level floodplains and low terraces of major rivers and tributaries. The soils formed in calcareous, clayey alluvium deposited over loamy alluvium. Slope ranges from 0 to 3 percent. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 40 to 45 degrees F, and mean annual precipitation ranges from 14 to 17 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Banks, Havrelon, Lohler and Trembles soils. Havrelon soils are on slightly higher and Lohler soils are on slightly lower positions on floodplains than Scorio soils. Havrelon soils are fine-loamy. Lohler soils are fine. Banks and Trembles are on levees. Banks soils are sandy. Trembles soils are coarse-loamy.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained. Surface runoff is slow. Permeability is slow over moderately rapid. The soil floods on rare occasions. A seasonal high water table is at depths of 3 to 5 feet at some time during the period April through June.
USE AND VEGETATION: Cultivated areas are cropped to small grains, flax, corn and alfalfa. Some areas are irrigated with sugar beets, corn and alfalfa the principal crops. Native vegetation includes green ash, cottonwood, boxelder, chokecherry, wild rose, big bluestem and western wheatgrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern North Dakota. The soil is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Williams County, North Dakota, 1993.
REMARKS: Revised 5/94.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: ochric epipedon - zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 8 inches (Ap horizon); irregular decrease in organic carbon with depth - stratifications of color and texture in the zone from 8 to 60 inches (C and 2C horizons); vertic criteria - LE of more than 6 cm in the upper meter.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Laboratory samples S90ND105-262 and S90ND105-263 (NSSL) and S90ND105-229 (NDSHD).