LOCATION WELLS                   KS

Established Series
Rev. CEW WAW DJK
07/2020

WELLS SERIES

The Wells series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in residuum from noncalcareous sandstones and sandy shales modified by thin deposits of colluvium from sandstone and loess. Wells soils are on hillslopes on uplands in the Central Kansas Sandstone Hills, MLRA 74. Slopes range from 0 to 8 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 760 millimeters (30 inches) and the mean annual temperature is about 13 degrees C (56 degrees F).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, active, mesic Udic Argiustolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Wells loam in rangeland at an elevation of 412 meters (1350 feet). (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

A--0 to 25 centimeters (0 to 10 inches); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly plastic and slightly sticky; many fine roots, insect holes, worm casts, and many fine tubular pores; moderately acid; gradual smooth boundary. (20 to 30 centimeters (8 to 12 inches) thick)

BA--25 to 41 centimeters (10 to 16 inches); brown (7.5YR 4/2) clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly plastic and slightly sticky; many fine roots, many insect holes; many worm casts; and many fine tubular pores; moderately acid; gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 20 centimeters (0 to 8 inches) thick)

Bt1--41 to 56 centimeters (16 to 22 inches); mixed yellowish red (5YR 5/6) and reddish brown (5YR 4/4) clay loam, mixed yellowish red (5YR 4/6) and dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, plastic and sticky; clay films on vertical and horizontal faces of peds; many fine roots; many fine tubular pores; few worm casts; slightly acid; gradual smooth boundary.

Bt2--56 to 102 centimeters (22 to 40 inches); reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) clay loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; moderate fine and medium blocky structure; hard, firm, plastic and sticky; common clay films on vertical faces of peds; few fine roots; few worm casts; many fine tubular pores; slightly acid; gradual smooth boundary.

Bt3--102 to 127 centimeters (40 to 50 inches); reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/8) clay loam, strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) moist; moderate fine blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly plastic and slightly sticky; few clay films on vertical faces of peds; few fine roots; few worm casts; many fine tubular pores; slightly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of Bt horizons 36 to 102 centimeters (14 to 40 inches) thick)

C--127 to 152 centimeters (50 to 60 inches); reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) loam, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly plastic and slightly sticky; many fine and medium tubular pores; few fine iron concretions; neutral.

TYPE LOCATION: Ottawa County, Kansas; 1.6 kilometers (1 mile) south and 10 kilometers (6 miles) west of Minneapolis; 91 meters (300 feet) west and 30 meters (100 feet) south of the northeast corner of section 13, T. 11 S., R. 5 W. Tescott SE USGS quadrangle ; Latitude 39 degrees, 6 minutes, 11 seconds North; Longitude 97 degrees, 49 minutes, 7 seconds West, NAD83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture control section: The soil moisture control section is intermittently moist in some part from March through October; driest in November through February; ustic moisture regime bordering on udic
Mean annual soil temperature: 13 to 14 degrees C (55 to 58 degrees F)

Mollic epipedon thickness: 25 to 48 centimeters (10 to 19 inches)
Depth to the argillic horizon: 25 to 48 centimeters (10 to 19 inches)
Depth to secondary carbonates: Greater than 150 cm (60 inches).

Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: 27 to 34 percent
Sand content: 25 to 60 percent
Rock fragments:
Quantity: 0 to 5 percent by volume
Size: 2 to 76 millimeters (fine, medium, and coarse gravel)
Kind: Sandstone

A horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1 to 3 dry or moist
Texture: loam and less commonly fine sandy loam, sandy loam, or clay loam
Clay content: 16 to 30 percent
Sand content: 25 to 60 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent sandstone gravel
Reaction: moderately acid or slightly acid.

BA horizon:
Hue: 5YR to 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 dry, 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3 dry or moist
Texture: loam, clay loam, sandy clay loam
Clay content: 24 to 30 percent
Sand content: 25 to 60 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent sandstone gravel
Reaction: moderately acid to neutral

Bt horizon:
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 6 dry, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 3 to 8 dry or moist
Texture: clay loam or sandy clay loam
Clay content: 24 to 34 percent
Sand content: 25 to 60 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 5 percent sandstone gravel
Reaction: slightly acid or neutral.

C horizon:
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 5 to 7 dry, 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 4 to 8 dry or moist
Texture: clay loam, sandy clay loam, loam, or sandy loam
Clay content: 14 to 30 percent
Sand content: 30 to 60 percent
Rock fragments: 0 to 10 percent sandstone gravel and cobbles
Calcium carbonate equivalent: 0 to 2 percent
Reaction: slightly acid to slightly alkaline

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: residuum weathered from noncalcareous sandstones and sandy shales modified by thin deposits of colluvium from sandstone and loess
Landform: hillslopes on uplands
Slopes: 0 to 8 percent
Elevation: 335 to 550 meters (1100 to 1800 feet)
Mean annual precipitation: 660 to 840 millimeters(26 to 33 inches)
Mean annual air temperature: 12 to 14 degrees C (53 to 57 degrees F)
Precipitation pattern: Precipitation is usually evenly distributed throughout the year with the exception of November through February being the driest months and May and June being the wettest months. Summer precipitation occurs during intense summer thunderstorms.
Frost-free period: 165 to 190 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Geary, Hedville, Lancaster, and Hord soils.
Geary soils are on higher hillslope positions and are fine-silty.
Lancaster soils are on higher hillslope positions and have a paralithic contact within 100 cm.
Hedville soils are on higher hillslope positions and have a lithic contact within 50 cm.
Hord soils are on terrace positions below Wells and are fine-silty.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage: well drained
Runoff: medium
Saturated hydraulic conductivity: moderately high

USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are in cropland. Principal crops are wheat or sorghum. Native vegetation is mid or tall grass prairie.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North central Kansas; Land Resource Region H, Central Great Plains Winter Wheat and Range Region; MLRA 74, Central Kansas Sandstone Hills. The series is of moderate extent.

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: Salina, Kansas

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Dickinson County, Kansas, 1977.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle-size control section: The zone from 41 to 91 cm (16 to 36 inches). (upper 50 cm of Bt1 and Bt2 horizons)
Mollic epipedon: The zone from 0 to 41 centimeters (0 to 16 inches). (A, BA horizons)
Argillic horizon: The zone from 41 to 127 centimeters (16 to 50 inches). (Bt1, Bt2, and Bt3 horizons)

The assignment of the CEC activity class is supported by KSSL sample number 79P0320 (pedon 79KS143001).

In some pedons, sandstone or sandy shale bedrock occurs at depths between 100 and 150 cm.

07/2003 WAW CEC activity class added, change format to semi-tablular, updated competing series, added ADDITIONAL DATA, updated reaction classes in horizon description to new terminology.

Modified format by LRM in 2/2006 to include metric conversion and change permeability to saturated hydraulic conductivity.

8/2013 DJK Added landform to introduction and geomorphic setting. Updated climate information. Added elevation to typical pedon. Added clay content, sand content, and rock fragments in RIC. Added BA ranges. Added chroma of 8 to range for Bt. Changed color values and added calcium carbonate equivalent (deleted concretions) for C. Added elevation, precipitation pattern, and frost free days to geomorphic setting. Deleted thornwaite PE index. Updated geographically associated soils. Added LRR and MLRA to Distribution and Extent. Added statement on depth to bedrock in remarks section. Added sample number that supports CEC activity class.

ADDITIONAL DATA:
A pedon was sampled from the same general area as the typical pedon. KSSL lab pedon no. 79P0320 (pedon 79KS143001).

---

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.