LOCATION URANDA NDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Leptic Natrudolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Uranda loam - on a plane slope of less than 1 percent under native vegetation. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated)
E--0 to 1 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) loam, gray (10YR 5/1) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure parting to weak thin platy; soft, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few coarse and many fine roots; neutral; abrupt wavy boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)
Btn--1 to 13 inches; black (10YR 2/1) clay loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; strong coarse columnar structure; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; common fine and very fine roots; few fine and very fine pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds and in pores; gray (10YR 5/1) silt coatings on the top and sides of columns; few fine threads and masses of salt crystals in the lower part; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (3 to 19 inches thick).
Btnz--13 to 21 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) clay loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; strong coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; very hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; many very fine roots; few very fine pores; common distinct clay films on faces of peds; common fine and medium threads and masses of salt crystals; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick)
Bkyz1--21 to 32 inches; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) loam, light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) dry; common fine prominent yellowish brown(10YR 5/4) redoximorphic concentrations; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common very fine roots; few very fine pores; many fine and medium masses of salt crystals; common medium and fine masses of gypsum crystals; lime segregated in many medium and fine irregularly shaped masses; violent effervescence; strongly alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary.
Bkyz2--32 to 46 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) loam, light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) dry; common medium prominent dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) and common medium and fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) redoximorphic concentrations; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few very fine roots; few very fine pores; many medium and fine masses of salt crystals; common medium and fine masses of gypsum crystals; lime segregated in many medium and fine irregularly shaped masses; violent effervescence; strongly alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined Bkz horizons 6 to 30 inches thick)
C1--46 to 54 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) sandy loam, light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) dry; many fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) redoximorphic concentrations; massive; hard, very friable, nonsticky and nonplastic; about 5 percent rock fragments; slight effervescence; strongly alkaline, gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 12 inches)
C2--54 to 80; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) loam, light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) dry; common fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6)redoximorphic concentrations and many medium distinct light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) redoximorphic depletions; massive; hard, firm, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; about 2 percent rock fragments; slight effervescence; strongly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Sheridan County, North Dakota; about 6 miles east and 1 mile south of Kief; 1690 feet south and 750 feet east of the northwest quarter, Sec. 3, T. 150 N., R. 76 W. USGS Drake SW quadrangle, latitude 47 degrees 50 minutes 39.18 seconds N., longitude 100 degrees 23 minutes 18.78 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to carbonates ranges from 5 to 25 inches. Depth to horizons with gypsum or salt accumulations ranges from 5 to 16 inches. Some pedons have an A horizon up to 4 inches thick or an Ap horizon. The combined thickness of the A and E horizon is 5 inches or less. The soil contains 1 to 10 percent rock fragments throughout.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 3 to 5 and 2 or 3 moist, and chroma of 1. It is loam or silt loam. It is slightly acid or neutral.
The E horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 3 to 4 and 4 to 7 dry, and chroma of 1. It is loam or silt loam. It is slightly acid or neutral. The E horizon is absent in some pedons that have an Ap horizon.
The Btn horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 2 to 4 and 3 to 6 dry, and chroma of 1 to 4. It is clay loam, silty clay loam or loam averaging between 24 and 35 percent clay. It has moderate or strong, fine to coarse columnar structure in the upper part. Columns are often destroyed if cultivated, resulting in prismatic structure. Most pedons have accumulations of salts, especially in the lower part. It ranges from neutral to moderately alkaline.
The Bk horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 3 to 6 and 3 to 7 dry, and chroma of 2 to 4. It is loam, fine sandy loam or sandy loam. It has common or many accumulations of carbonates. It is moderately or strongly alkaline. In some pedons the Bk horizon does not have accumulations of gypsum or other salts.
The C horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 3 to 7 and 4 to 8 dry, and chroma of 1 to 4. It is loam, fine sandy loam or sandy loam. It is moderately or strongly alkaline. Some pedons have thin strata of gravelly sand below a depth of 40 inches.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no series in the same family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Uranda soils are level to strongly sloping on coarse-loamy till plains. Slope gradients typically are less than 2 percent but range from 0 to 15 percent. The Uranda soils formed in calcareous loam till. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 37 to 45 degrees F, and mean annual precipitation ranges from 15 to 20 inches. Frost-free period ranges from 110 to 140 days. Elevation above sea level ranges from 900 to 2300 feet.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Cathay, Emrick, Fram, Heimdal, Larson and Tonka soils. Cathay, Emrick, Heimdal and Larson soils are on higher parts of the landscapes. Cathay soils do not have columnar structure in the Btn horizon and have a glossic horizon. Emrick, Heimdal and Tonka soils do not have a natric horizon. In addition, Tonka soils have an aquic moisture regime and are in depressions. Fram soils do not have an natric horizon. Larson soils have combined A and E horizons thicker than 5 inches and do not have accumulations of salt within a depth of 16 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well or somewhat poorly drained. Runoff is negligible to very high depending on slope. Permeability is very slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used mainly for native hay and pasture. A few areas are cultivated when in complex with other soils. Native vegetation includes western wheatgrass, blue grama, buffalograss, prairie junegrass, inland saltgrass, prickly pear, sedges, and forbs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central North Dakota. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Eddy County, North Dakota, 2005
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: mollic epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 21 inches (E, Btn, Btnz horizons); natric horizon - the zone from 1 to 21 inches (Btn and Btnz horizons).
These soils were formerly included with the Miranda soils.