LOCATION TUSLER ND+MTEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Mixed, frigid Aridic Ustipsamments
TYPICAL PEDON: Tusler loamy fine sand -- in native grassland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated)
A--0 to 3 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loamy fine sand, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; loose; many roots; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 12 inches thick)
C1--3 to 10 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loamy fine sand, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; loose; many roots; slight effervescence; slightly alkaline; clear wavy boundary.
C2--10 to 19 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) loamy fine sand, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; loose; few roots; slight effervescence; slightly alkaline; gradual wavy boundary.
C3--19 to 27 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) loamy fine sand, light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to single grain; loose; few roots; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (Combined C horizons 12 to 30 inches thick)
Cr--27 to 60 inches; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) soft sandstone that crushes to loamy fine sand, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) moist; hard and brittle when dry; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Bowman County, North Dakota; 3 miles east and 1 1/2 miles north of the southwest corner of North Dakota; 1,820 feet east and 1,630 feet south of the northwest corner, sec. 30, T. 129 N., R. 106 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to the paralithic contact is 20 to 40 inches. The control section is loamy fine sand, fine sand, or loamy sand. Depth to carbonates is 0 to 12 inches.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 or 6 and 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3. It is loamy fine sand, fine sandy loam, or sandy loam. It is slightly acid to slightly alkaline.
The C horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 or 6 and 4 or 5 moist, and chroma of 2 to 4. It is loamy fine sand, loamy sand or fine sand. It is calcareous with carbonates diffuse or segregated in seams or masses. It is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
The Cr horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 6 or 7 and 5 or 6 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3. It is calcareous, weakly consolidated soft sandstone that crushes to loamy fine sand or fine sand. It typically is massive or platy, and hard and brittle when dry. Some pedons have soft layers and a few have layers of very hard sandstone.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Beisigl, Blanchard, Kenray, Seroco, Yecross, Yetull and Zeona series as previously classified. Beisigl, Blanchard, Kenray, Seroco and Yecross soils are more moist in the moisture control section. In addition, Blanchard, Kenray, Seroco, Yecross, Yetull and Zeona soils do not have a paralithic contact within 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Tusler soils are on gently sloping to very steep sedimentary uplands. Slope gradients range from 3 to 40 percent. The soils formed in calcareous soft sandstone. The mean annual air temperature is 40 to 45 degrees F, and the mean annual precipitation is 10 to 14 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Zeona soils and the Absher, Cabbart, Fleak, Ladner and Rhame soils. Absher, Ladner and Zeona soils are very deep to paralithic beds and are on more gentle slopes than the Tusler soils. In addition, Absher and Ladner soils have natric horizons. Cabbart and Fleak soils are shallow to paralithic beds. In addition, Cabbart soils are loamy. Cabbart soils are on nearby uplands. Fleak soils are on convex slopes above the Tusler soils. Rhame soils are coarse-loamy. They are on nearby uplands.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained. Slow to rapid runoff. Permeability is rapid.
USE AND VEGETATION: The Tusler soils are used mainly for rangeland, but small areas are used for nonirrigated cropland. The native vegetation is needleandthread, prairie sandreed, threadleaf sedge, sand reedgrass, and Indian ricegrass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwestern North Dakota and possibly eastern Montana, western South Dakota, and Wyoming. It is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Bowman County, North Dakota, 1969.
REMARKS: Revised 5/94.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 3 inches (A horizon); loamy fine sand texture between a depth of 10 inches and the paralithic contact (C2 and C3 horizons).