LOCATION TIMKEN KSEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Clayey, smectitic, nonacid, mesic, shallow Typic Ustorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Timken clay - native grassland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 10 centimeters (0 to 4 inches); gray (2.5Y 5/1) clay, dark gray (2.5Y 4/1) moist; moderate medium granular structure; very hard, firm; many fine and medium roots; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (5 to 15 centimeters (2 to 6 inches) thick)
AC--10 to 28 centimeters (4 to 11 inches); gray (2.5Y 5/1) clay, dark gray (2.5Y 4/1) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm; common fine and medium roots; lower few inches contain a few threads of fine white crystalline material (probably gypsum); neutral; gradual smooth boundary. (10 to 20 centimeters (4 to 8 inches) thick)
C--28 to 41 centimeters (11 to 16 inches); gray (2.5Y 5/1) clay, dark gray (2.5Y 4/1) moist; massive; (few partially weathered shale fragments); very hard, very firm; few fine and medium roots; few threads of fine white crystalline material (probably gypsum); moderately acid; gradual smooth boundary. (8 to 15 centimeters (3 to 6 inches) thick)
Cr--41 to 51 centimeters (16 to 20 inches); gray very strongly acid clay shale.
TYPE LOCATION: Osborne County, Kansas; 683 meters (2,240 feet) south and 46 meters (150 feet) east of the northwest corner of sec. 2, T. 10 S., R. 11 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Solum thickness: typically 20 to 30 centimeters (8 to 12 inches) but ranges from 15 to 36 centimeters (6 to 14 inches)
Depths to unweathered shale: typically 30 to 43 centimeters (12 to 17 inches) but range from 23 to 51 centimeters (9 to 20 inches)
Underlying shale reaction: moderately acid to very strongly acid
A horizon:
Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y, or 5Y
Value: 4 to 6, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2 (Where the color value is as dark as or darker than 5.5 dry and 3.5 moist, the A horizon is too thin for a mollic epipedon.)
Texture: silty clay or clay
Reaction: moderately acid to slightly alkaline,
C horizon:
Hue: 2.5Y or 5Y
Value: 5 or 6, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 0 to 2
Texture: silty clay or clay
Reaction: moderately acid to slightly alkaline,
In some pedons fracture joints occur within the lower C horizon. They have colors of light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4).
COMPETING SERIES: there are no competing Series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform: convex gently sloping to very steep erosional shale uplands
Slope: 3 to 45 percent
Parent material: acid fissle shale
Large hard calcareous concretions: may be present
Mean annual temperature: 10 to 14 degrees C. (50 to 57 degrees F.)
Mean annual precipitation: 46 to 61 centimeters (18 to 24 inches)
Thornthwaite Annual P-E Index is about 38
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Armo,
Brownell,
Corinth,
Heizer, and
New Cambria soils.
Armo soils are on adjacent uplands and foot slopes and have fine-loamy textures.
Brownell and Heizer soils are on elevations above the Timken soils and have formed in chalky limestones.
Corinth soils on adjacent uplands have formed in chalky shales that contain free carbonates throughout.
New Cambria soils are on adjacent flood plains and terraces.
Armo, Brownell, Corinth, and New Cambria soils lack bedrock within 51 centimeters (20 inches).
Heizer soils have lithic contact at depths of 25 to 51 centimeters (10 to 20 inches).
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage: moderately well drained
Runoff: rapid
Saturated hydraulic conductivity: low
USE AND VEGETATION: Used predominantly for native range.
Native vegetation is mostly mid and tall grasses such as big bluestem, little bluestem, sideoats grama, and in more favorable areas along drains, indiangrass and switchgrass.
Under grazing pressure western wheatgrass and sideoats grama predominate.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Predominantly in the dissected Eastern margin of the High Plains of central Kansas. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Osborne County, Kansas, 1971.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: 0 to 10 centimeters (0 to 4 inches) (A horizon)
Paralithic contact: about 41 centimeters (16 inches)
Modified format by LRM in 3/2006 to include metric conversion and change permeability to saturated hydraulic conductivity.