LOCATION TREY SD+MTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Mixed, frigid Aridic Ustipsamments
TYPICAL PEDON: Trey loamy fine sand - on a 2 percent convex slope in native grass. When described the soil was dry throughout. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated)
A--0 to 4 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loamy fine sand; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure parting to single grain; soft, loose; common medium and fine roots; neutral; clear wavy boundary. (2 to 4 inches thick)
AC--4 to 10 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) fine sand, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to single grain; soft, loose; few medium and common fine roots; neutral; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
C1--10 to 19 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) fine sand, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; single grain; soft, loose; few fine and medium roots; neutral; clear wavy boundary.
C2--19 to 30 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) fine sand, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; single grain; loose; few fine and medium roots; neutral; clear wavy boundary.
Cr1--30 to 38 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) soft sandstone; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; breaks easily to sandy loam; few fine roots penetrating bedrock; neutral; clear wavy boundary.
Cr2--38 to 47 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) soft sandstone; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; breaks easily to sandy clay loam; very few fine roots penetrate the bedrock; slightly alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary.
Cr3--47 to 60 inches; light gray (5Y 7/2) soft sandstone; olive gray (5Y 5/2) moist; very few fine roots penetrate into the bedrock; few fine accumulations of carbonate; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Harding County, South Dakota, about 2 miles south and 1 3/4 miles west of Buffalo; 1320 feet south and 1850 feet east of the northwest corner of sec. 1, T. 18 N., R. 4 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The soil does not have carbonates, but the bedrock material has free carbonates in some layers of most pedons. Reaction ranges from slightly acid to slightly alkaline above the bedrock and from neutral to very strongly alkaline in the bedrock. The depth to bedrock ranges from 20 to 40 inches, but typically is between depths of 27 to 38 inches.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6 and 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 1 or 2. It is typically loamy fine sand, but is fine sandy loam, sandy loam, loamy sand or fine sand in some pedons.
The AC horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 to 7 and 4 to 6 moist, and chroma of 1 to 4. It typically is loamy fine sand, or fine sand. Some pedons do not have an AC horizon.
The C horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y hue, value of 5 to 7 and 4 to 6 moist, and chroma of 1 to 4. It typically is fine sand, or loamy fine sand but is loamy sand or sand in some pedons. A thin horizon resting above the bedrock is mottled in some pedons. Some pedons have dark colored buried horizons below depths of 25 inches.
The Cr horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 3 to 8 and 2 to 7 moist; and chroma of 1 to 4. It typically is weakly cemented sandstone or siltstone, but some pedons have thin layers of clay shale. It crushes to fine sandy loam, sandy loam, clay loam, sandy clay loam or loam.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Dearjosh, Marthaspeak, Tusler, Yetull and Zeona series. Dearjosh soils are very deep. Marthaspeak soils have a lithic contact at depths of 20 to 40 inches. Tusler and Yetull series are calcareous. Zeona series have bedrock at a depth greater than 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Trey soils are on hummocky to steeply sloping side slopes of ridges on uplands. Slopes range from 0 to 50 percent. The soils formed in sandy sediments underlain by soft sandstone and shale. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 39 to 45 degrees F, and mean annual precipitation ranges from 14 to 15 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Zeona soils and the Blackhall, Bullock, Fleak, Ladner, Parchin, Rhame and Twilight soils. Zeona soils are on more hummocky landscapes above the Trey series. Blackhall and Fleak soils are on crests of narrow ridges and are shallow to bedrock. Bullock, Ladner, and Parchin soils are on flats in the landscape and have a natric horizon. Rhame and Twilight soils are on similar landscapes and have a coarse-loamy control section.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Surface runoff is very low to medium. Permeability is rapid.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most soils are in range and used for grazing. Native vegetation is mainly prairie sandreed, needleandthread, little bluestem, sand bluestem, blue grama and sedges.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern South Dakota and southeastern Montana. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Harding County, South Dakota, 1984.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in the pedon are: ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface to about 4 inches (A horizon).
ADDITIONAL DATA: NSSL Lab Data No. 83P-25 is for the typical pedon.