LOCATION SCROGGIN SDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, calcareous, frigid Aridic Ustorthents
TYPIFYING PEDON: Scroggin loam - in an area of Cabbart-Scroggin loams, 6 to 25 percent slopes in grassland (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise noted)
A--0 to 4 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine roots; strong effervescence; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
Bk--4 to 16 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to weak medium and coarse subangular blocky; very hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine siltstone fragments in the lower part; common fine roots; many fine and medium accumulations of carbonates; violent effervescence; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary.
BCk--16 to 23 inches; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure; very hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and very fine roots, common coarse accumulations of carbonates; violent effervescence; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (Combined Bk, BCk and C horizons 18 to 35 inches thick)
Cr1--23 to 27 inches; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) siltstone, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) moist; fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) mottles; bedded; very hard, friable; may fine accumulations of salt and carbonates on fracture faces; violent effervescence; moderately alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary.
Cr2--27 to 40 inches; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) and light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3) fine grained sandstone, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) and light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) moist; bedded; very hard, friable; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Butte County, South Dakota; 1,900 feet east and 2,000 feet north of the southwest corner of sec. 36, T. 12 N., R. 8 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to paralithic contact generally is between 24 and 30 inches but ranges between 20 and 40 inches. Carbonates typically are at the surface but may be leached from the A horizon in some pedons. The CaCO3 equivalent ranges from 10 to 20 percent throughout the pedon.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 5 or 6 and 4 moist. It is loam, silt loam or clay loam. It is neutral or slightly alkaline.
The Bk, BCk and C horizons have hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 6 or 7 and 4 or 5 moist, and chroma of 3 or 4. They typically are loam, but is silt loam or clay loam in some pedons. They are slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline. The Bk and BCk horizons are not calcic. Some pedons do not have Bk or BCk horizons.
The Cr horizon typically is siltstone or sandstone, but is silty or sandy shale in some pedons.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Lambeth series. The Lambeth soil do not have a paralithic contact within 60 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Scroggin soils occur on undulating to hilly sedimentary uplands. Slopes range from 6 to 25 percent. The solum consists of silt loam or poorly graded loam materials weathered from the underlying weakly consolidated siltstones or sandstones of Cretaceous or Tertiary Age. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 13 to 15 inches with more than 70 percent falling in months of May through September. The mean annual air temperature ranges from 39 to 45 degrees F. The frost-free period is about 120 to 130 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Blackhall, Cabbart, Ralph and Twilight soils. The Blackhall and Twilight soils are loamy and coarse-loamy, respectively. The Cabbart soils have the paralithic contact at depths shallower than 20 inches. Ralph soils have an argillic horizon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Surface runoff is medium to very high depending on slope. Permeability is moderately slow or slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used for both nonirrigated cropland and for rangeland. The principal vegetation is western wheatgrass, prairie junegrass, needleandthread, and blue grama.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Scroggin series occurs throughout the sedimentary plains of northwestern South Dakota. It is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado
SERIES ESTABLISHED: McCone County, Montana. 1970
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon: Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 4 inches (A horizon).