LOCATION WAMDUSKA ND+MNEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy, mixed, frigid Typic Udorthents
TYPICAL PEDON: Wamduska loamy coarse sand on a beach on a southeast- facing convex slope of 5 percent. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated. Where described the soil was moist to 7 inches and dry below 7 inches.)
Oe--2 inches to 0; black (10YR 2/1) and very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) partially decomposed leaves, roots, and twigs; many very fine and few medium and coarse roots; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 3 inches thick)
A--0 to 3 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) loamy coarse sand, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry; single grain; loose, very friable, nonsticky, and nonplastic; many very fine and few fine and medium roots; slight effervescence; mildly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 7 inches thick)
C1--3 to 7 inches; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) gravelly loamy coarse sand, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) dry; single grain; loose, nonsticky, and nonplastic; many very fine and few fine and medium roots; about 35 percent by volume gravel; slight effervescence; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary.
C2--7 to 18 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) very gravelly coarse sand, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) dry; single grain; loose, nonsticky, and nonplastic; common very fine and few medium roots; about 40 percent by volume gravel; slight effervescence; mildly alkaline; clear smooth boundary.
C3--18 to 25 inches; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) very gravelly coarse sand, light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) dry; single grain; loose, nonsticky, and nonplastic; common very fine and few fine roots; about 55 percent by volume gravel; slight effervescence; mildly alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary.
C4--25 to 32 inches; very dark grayish brown (2.5Y 3/2) gravelly coarse sand, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) dry; single grain; loose, nonsticky, and nonplastic; common very fine and few fine, medium and coarse roots; about 20 percent by volume gravel; slight effervescence; mildly alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary.
C5--32 to 57 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 4/4), dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) and dark brown (10YR 4/3) gravelly coarse sand, brown (7.5YR 5/4), grayish brown (10YR 5/2) and brown (10YR 5/3) dry; single grain; loose, nonsticky, and nonplastic; few very fine, fine and medium roots; about 15 percent by volume gravel; slight effervescence; moderately alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary.
Ab--57 to 60 inches; black (10YR 2/1) gravelly loamy coarse sand, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; massive; loose, very friable, nonsticky, and nonplastic; few very fine roots; about 30 percent by volume gravel; slight effervescence; moderately alkaline. (0 to 12 inches thick)
TYPE LOCATION: Nelson County, North Dakota; about 11 miles south of Lakota on the shore of Stump Lake; 1730 feet south and 875 feet east of the northwest corner, sec. 28, T. 151 N., R. 60 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The 10- to 40-inch control section averages 15 to 35 percent by volume coarser than 2 mm. At least one subhorizon has more than 35 percent by volume coarser than 2 mm. Typically, carbonates are at the surface, but in some pedons the depth ranges from 4 to 48 inches. Some pedons have a very stony surface. The amount of shale in the soil profile typically ranges from 2 to 80 percent by volume, but some pedons do not contain any shale.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 2 or 3 (3 to 5 dry), and chroma of 1 to 3. It is loamy coarse sand, loamy sand, sandy loam, gravelly loamy coarse sand, coarse sandy loam, or loam. Where the A horizon is sandy loam, coarse sandy loam, or loam, it is 5 inches or less in thickness. The A horizon is neutral or mildly alkaline.
The C horizon has hue of 7.5YR, 10YR, or 2.5Y, and rarely 5Y; value of 3 to 6 (4 to 7 dry); and chroma of 1 to 4. The C horizon is gravelly coarse sand, gravelly very coarse sand, gravelly sand, or gravelly loamy coarse sand, but has at least one layer of very gravelly coarse sand, very gravelly sand, very gravelly very coarse sand, very gravelly loamy coarse sand, or very gravelly loamy sand. In some pedons it has layers of sand, coarse sand, very coarse sand, or loamy sand. Some pedons have thin strata of finer material. Some pedons have loam or clay loam 2C horizons of till or lacustrine sediments at depths of 40 to 60 inches. The C horizon ranges from neutral to moderately alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in the same family. Claire, Coe, Emmert, and Sioux are similar soils. The Claire soils have less than 15 percent by volume coarser than 2 mm in the 10- to 40-inch control section. The Coe, Emmert, and Sioux soils are sandy-skeletal. In addition, Coe and Sioux soils have mollic epipedons.
GEOGRAPHICAL SETTING: Wamduska soils are on level to very steep beaches of current and former lakes. Slopes are plane or convex and gradients range from 0 to 45 percent. The soils formed in water sorted sand and gravel. Mean annual temperature ranges from 38 to 45 degrees, and mean annual precipitation ranges from 15 to 20 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Lallie, Mauvais, and Minnewaukan soils on lake shores and lake plains. Lallie soils formed in lower lying fine textured lacustrine sediments. Mauvais soils formed in till and are poorly and somewhat poorly drained. Minnewaukan soils are poorly drained and have fewer coarse fragments.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Excessively drained. Permeability is rapid. Surface runoff is very slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are used for rangeland or wildlife. Some gently sloping and nonstony areas are cultivated or used for hay. The dominant vegetation is needleandthread, western wheatgrass, and blue grama and some cottonwood and American elm.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central and northern North Dakota. The series is moderately extensive. (About 15,000 acres in Nelson, Benson, Ramsey, and Eddy Counties.)
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Ramsey County, North Dakota, 1984.
REMARKS: The soils mapped Claire in Benson County Area Soil Survey and the soils mapped Minnewaukan loamy fine sand, 6 to 9 percent slopes in Eddy County and parts of Benson and Nelson Counties contain many pedons of the Wamduska series.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: ochric epipedon - zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 3 inches (A horizon).
ADDITIONAL DATA: Refer to NDSU File Code No. S82ND063-119 (1-8) for laboratory analysis of type location pedon of the series.