LOCATION STRAYHOSS SDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid Calcic Hapludolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Strayhoss silt loam - on north-facing, convex slope of 3 percent in a cultivated field. When described the soil was moist throughout. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 7 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loam, black (10YR 2/1) moist; weak fine and medium granular structure;slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common very fine and few fine roots; few fine pores; slightly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (7 to 10 inches thick)
Bw1--7 to 13 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) loam, very dark gray loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to weak medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and common very fine roots; few fine pores; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bw2--13 to 21 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) silt loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; weak medium and coarse prismatic structure parting to weak medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and very fine roots; common fine and very fine pores; neutral; gradual wavy boundary.
Bw3--21 to 30 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) silt loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; weak medium and coarse prismatic structure parting to weak medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and very fine roots; common fine and very fine pores; neutral; abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of Bw horizon is 16 to 30 inches)
Bk--30 to 36 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) loam, olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine and common very fine pores; common medium accumulations of calcium carbonate; violent effervescence; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (6 to 20 inches thick)
2C1--36 to 42 inches; pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) loamy sand stratified with thin lenses of sandy loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) moist; massive; soft, very friable; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary.
2C2--42 to 60 inches; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) loamy sand stratified with thin lenses of sandy loam, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) moist; single grain; loose; moderately alkaline; strong effervescence.
TYPE LOCATION: Hamlin County, South Dakota; located about 2385 feet east and 108 feet north of the southwest corner of sec. 34, T. 113 N., R. 51 W; ESTELLINE, S. DAK. topographic quadrangle; lat. 44 degrees 32 minutes 38 seconds N and long. 96 degrees 56 minutes 12 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The depth to calcium carbonates is 22 to 36 inches. Depth to sandy material is 20 to 40 inches. Thickness of mollic epipedon ranges from 8 to 16 inches and extends into the Bw horizon. The upper part of the series control section averages between 18 and 30 percent clay and more than 15 percent fine sand or coarser. The lower part of the series control section contains more than 70 percent sand and less than 15 percent clay. Some pedons have loamy glacial till below a depth of 40 inches.
The Ap horizon has value of 3 or 4 (2 or 3 moist), and chroma of 1 or 2. It is loam, silt loam, or silty clay loam. It is moderately acid to neutral.
The Bw horizon has 10YR or 2.5Y hue, value of 4 to 6 (3 or 4 moist), and chroma of 2 to 4. It is loam, silty clay loam, clay loam, or silt loam. It is slightly acid or neutral.
The Bk horizon has 10YR or 2.5Y hue, value of 4 to 6 (3 to 5 moist) and chroma of 2 to 4. It is loam, clay loam, silt loam, or silty clay loam. It is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline. Some pedons have a 2Bk horizon.
The 2C horizon has 10YR or 2.5Y hue, value of 5 to 7 (4 to 6 moist), and chroma of 2 to 4. It is loamy sand, loamy fine sand or fine sand. Fine strata of silt loam, loam and sandy loam are in some pedons. It is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline. Some pedons have a 3C horizon.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Brantford, Renshaw, and Renwash soils. These soils are less than 20 inches to sand and gravelly material.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Strayhoss soils are on nearly level to sloping uplands. Surfaces are plane to convex. Slope gradients range from 0 to 9 percent. Strayhoss soils formed in loamy eolian materials over sandy eolian material. Growing season is about 120 to 140 days; average growing season precipitation is 15 to 18 inches; and growing degree days are about 2500 to 2900.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are Egeland, Estelline, Kranzburg, Maddock and Poinsett series. Egeland soils have a coarse-loamy particle size control section. Maddock soils have a sandy particle size control section. They are on shoulders above the Strayhoss soils. Estelline soils have thicker mollic epipedons and contain coarse more than 15 percent coarse fragments in the 2C horizon. They are on adjacent outwash plains. Kranzburg and Poinsett soils do not have sandy material within a depth of 40 inches and are on similar landscapes.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Surface runoff is low or medium. Permeability is moderate in the upper part and rapid in the underlying material.
USE AND VEGETATION: Mostly used for growing corn, soybeans, small grains, and alfalfa. Native vegetation is big bluestem, little bluestem, western wheatgrass, green needlegrass, needleandthread, blue grama, sideoats grama, sedges, and forbs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern South Dakota, and possibly southwestern Minnesota. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Hamlin County, South Dakota, 1991.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: mollic epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of about 13 inches (Ap and Bw1 horizons); cambic horizon - the zone from about 13 inches to a depth of about 30 inches (Bw2 and Bw3 horizons). In some counties this soil has been correlated as the Flandreau series.