LOCATION VORHEES KS+OKEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Haplocalcidic Haplustepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Vorhees loamy fine sand--in improved pasture. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 9 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) loamy fine sand, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; soft, very friable; common fine roots; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (5 to 15 inches thick)
AB--9 to 20 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) fine sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable; many fine roots; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick)
Bw--20 to 29 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) fine sandy loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable; common fine roots; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 15 inches thick)
Bk1--29 to 40 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) sandy clay loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, firm, common fine roots; about 8 percent visible calcium carbonate in the form of films and threads; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (5 to 20 inches thick)
Bk2--40 to 80 inches; light brown (7.5YR 6/4) fine sandy loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable; few fine roots; about 6 percent visible calcium carbonate in the form of films and threads; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Stevens County, Kansas; from the intersection of U.S. Highway 54 and county road on the east side of Tyrone; 2 miles north on county road; 3 miles west on county road; 1 mile north on county road; 1,200 feet north on turn row; 100 feet east in cropland; 1,200 feet north and 100 feet east of the southwest corner, sec. 9, T. 6 S., R. 18 E.; Latitude: 36 degrees 59 minutes 51.6 seconds N; Longitude: 101 degrees 07 minutes 30.2 seconds W; Hooker NW, Oklahoma, USGS quad; NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: An ustic moisture regime bordering on aridic. The soil moisture control section is dry in some or all parts for more than 180 but less than 205 days, cumulative, in normal years. July through August and December through February are the driest months. These soils are intermittently moist in September through November and March through June.
Mean annual soil temperature: 57 to 59
Depth to secondary calcium carbonate: 5 to 20 inches
Depth to calcic horizon: 10 to 40 inches.
Solum thickness: more than 80 inches.
Particle-size control section:
Clay content: 18 to 25 percent silicate clay
Silt content: 12 to 25 percent
Sand content: 50 to 70 percent, with 75 to 85 percent being fine or coarser sand
A horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, and 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4
Texture: loamy fine sand, fine sandy loam, or loam
Effervescence: none
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline
AB horizon (where present):
Hue: 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, and 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4
Texture: fine sandy loam or loam
Effervescence: none or slight
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline
Bw horizon (where present):
Hue: 10YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, and 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4
Texture: fine sandy loam or loam
Effervescence: none to strong
Reaction: slightly or moderately alkaline
Bk horizons:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 4 to 7 dry, and 3 to 6 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6
Texture: dominantly fine sandy loam, sandy clay loam, or loam, but includes clay
loam
Visible secondary calcium carbonate: films, threads, masses, and concretions
range from few to many
Calcium carbonate equivalent: ranges from 8 to 20 percent
Effervescence: strong or violent
Reaction: moderately alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: This is the
Edgar series. Similar soils include
Atchison,
Canina,
Dalhart,
Eva,
Otero, and
Vona series.
Atchison soils formed in alluvial deposits and do not have a calcic horizon.
Canina soils have an argillic horizon and a fine-silty particle size class.
Dalhart soils have an argillic horizon and a calcic horizon deeper than 40 inches.
Edgar soils have C horizons with hue of 2.5Y or 5Y and solum ranges from 11 to 15 inches thick.
Eva and Vona soils have coarse-loamy particle size control section and an argillic horizon.
Otero soils have a coarse-loamy particle size control section and do not have a calcic horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: calcareous, loamy eolian sediments of late Pleistocene to Holocene age.
Landform: very gently to gently sloping ridges and low hills on plains.
Slopes: 1 to 5
Elevation: 2,900 to 3,700 feet.
Mean annual air temperature: 55 to 57 degrees F.
Mean annual precipitation: 16 to 21 inches.
Frost-free period: 162 to 203 days
Thornthwaite annual P-E Index Values: 25 to 34.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These include the
Belfon,
Bigbow,
Canina,
Dalhart,
Eva,
Forgan,
Hugoton, and
Zella soils.
Bigbow, Canina, and Forgan soils are on nearly level to very gently sloping plains.
Dalhart and Eva soils are on similar landscape positions.
Belfon, Hugoton, and Zella soils are on broad, nearly level landscape positions.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Moderately permeable. Surface runoff is very low on 1 to 3 percent slopes and low on 3 to 5 percent slopes.
USE AND VEGETATION: Soils are used mainly for rangeland and improved pasture. Some areas are used for crops. The main crops grown are wheat and grain sorghum. Climax vegetation is mainly mid and short grasses and includes blue grama, sideoats grama, and buffalograss, with lesser amounts of vine-mesquite, western wheatgrass, tobosa, silver bluestem, wild alfalfa, and prairie clover. This soil has been correlated to the Limy Upland (R077XY012KS) and (R077AY055OK) range site in MLRA-77A.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwest Kansas and the Oklahoma Panhandle (MLRA-77A in LRR H). The series is of minor extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES PROPOSED: MLRA-77 update of Stevens County, Kansas; 2003.
REMARKS: These soils were previously included with the Atchison and Otero series.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: 0 to 20 inches (A & AB horizons).
Cambic horizon: 20 to 29 inches (Bw horizon).
Calcic horizon: 29 to 40 inches (Bk1 horizon).
ADDITIONAL DATA: NSSL Pedon Number; 077A-P03KS189-002 (Stevens County, Kansas)
TAXONOMIC VERSION: Keys to Soil Taxonomy, Ninth Edition, 2003.