LOCATION WINLER SD+MT WYEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Very-fine, smectitic, mesic Aridic Leptic Haplusterts
TYPICAL PEDON: Winler clay - on a southwest-facing slope of 6 percent in native grass. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 5 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) clay, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; weak platy crust in upper 1/2 inch, weak medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, sticky and plastic; common roots; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
Bss--5 to 12 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) clay, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; weak very coarse subangular blocky structure; extremely hard, very firm, sticky and plastic; few intersecting slickensides; common roots; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
Bssyz--12 to 22 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) clay, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; weak very coarse subangular blocky structure; extremely hard, very firm, sticky and plastic; few intersecting slickensides; many fine accumulations of salt and gypsum; slightly alkaline; gradual boundary. (5 to 15 inches thick)
C--22 to 31 inches; olive (5Y 5/3) clay, olive (5Y 4/3) moist; common fine and medium prominent mottles of yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) moist; massive; very hard, very firm, sticky and plastic; 30 percent fragments of shale by volume; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
Cr--31 to 45 inches; gray (5Y 5/1) clay shale, very dark gray (5Y 3/1) moist; brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) and yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) stains on fracture faces of shale fragments; very strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Butte County, South Dakota; about 14 miles northeast of Newell; 50 feet east and 1,600 feet north of the southwest corner of sec. 8, T. 10 N., R. 8 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The depth to bedded shale ranges from about 20 to 40 inches. The depth to accumulations of visible salt and gypsum ranges from about 8 to 17 inches. The soil commonly does not have carbonates. When the soil is dry, cracks 1/2 inch to 2 inches or more wide and several feet long extend downward through the solum. Rock fragments range from 0 to 5 percent.
The A horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 4 to 6, and 3 to 5 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3. It typically is clay, but in some pedons it is clay loam where the surface is influenced by loamy sediments or sorted. It ranges from slightly acid to slightly alkaline.
The Bss horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 5 or 6, and 4 or 5 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3. It averages 60 to 75 percent clay. It ranges from slightly acid to slightly alkaline.
The Bssyz horizon has color and texture of the Bss horizon. The Bssyz horizon has common to many accumulations of gypsum and other salts. Some pedons have carbonates, but have slight effervescence.
The C horizon has a color range similar to the Bss horizon. It is clay and contains as much as 50 percent shale fragments by volume. The C horizon ranges from moderately acid to moderately alkaline.
The Cr horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 4 to 6 and 3 to 5 moist, and chroma of l to 4. Stains are common on fracture faces of shale fragments. It ranges from very strongly acid to slightly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Larvie, Metre, Wasa and Whitewater series. Larvie soils do not have visible salts near the surface. In addition, Larvie soils have redder hue in the lower part of the profile. Metre soils have a mollic epipedon. Wasa soils have salts above depths of 8 inches and have a more dispersed surface. Whitewater soils contain carbonates at the surface, do not have visible salts, and the bedrock has a high SAR.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Winler soils are on nearly level to sloping hills, ridges and uplands. Slopes are dominantly smooth and plane. Slope gradients range from 0 to 15 percent. Gilgai microrelief is in most areas. The soil formed in clayey residuum weathered from clay shale. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 45 to 48 degrees F, and mean annual precipitation ranges from 14 to 17 inches. Growing season is about 130 to 150 days; average growing season precipitation ranges from 11 to 14 inches; and growing degree days are about 2300 to 3600.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Wasa soils and the Hisle, Kyle, Lismas, Swanboy and Pierre soils. Hisle soils have a natric horizon. Kyle, Twotop and Swanboy soils do not have shale within depths of 40 inches. In addition, Kyle soils do not have visible salts above 20 inches and have a stronger grade of and finer structure at the surface; and Swanboy soils have salts above depths of 8 inches and have a dispersed surface. Lismas soils have shale within 20 inches. Pierre soils do not have visible salts within a depth of 20 inches. Hisle, Kyle, Pierre and Wasa soils are on similar landscapes as the Winler soils. Swanboy and Twotop soils are on fans and flats below the Winler soils. Lismas soils are on steeper slopes above the Winler soils.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Runoff is medium to very high depending on slope. Permeability is very slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: Rangeland. Native vegetation is mainly western wheatgrass and Montana wheatgrass. A few areas have green needlegrass included in the native vegetation.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western South Dakota. The series is of large extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Butte County, South Dakota, 1970.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 5 inches (A horizon); Vertisol criteria - intersecting slickensides (Bss and Bssyz horizons) and some gilgai microrelief.
Surface condition - Granular surface mulch - surface is not covered with an understory of short vegetation but is exposed due to a nearly pure stand of wheatgrass.