LOCATION WANBLEE SDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, mesic Aridic Leptic Natrustalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Wanblee loam - in a microlow of less than 1 percent in native grassland. When described the soil was moist to 27 inches and dry below. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated)
E--0 to 2 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak thin platy structure parting to weak fine granular; soft, very friable; slightly acid; abrupt irregular boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)
Btn--2 to 5 inches; dark brown (10YR 4/3) clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) crushing to dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) moist; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) silt coatings on column tops; moderate medium and coarse columnar structure; extremely hard, firm, sticky and plastic; shiny surfaces on faces of peds; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 12 inches thick)
Bkz1--5 to 8 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) clay loam, dark brown (10YR 4/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, sticky and plastic; common fine accumulations of carbonate and salts; slight effervescence; slightly alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
Bkz2--8 to 16 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) clay loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky; common fine accumulations of carbonate and salts; slight effervescence; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
C--16 to 27 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) loam, brown (10YR 5/3) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky; common fine fragments of siltstone; few fine accumulations of carbonate; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (8 to 16 inches thick)
Cr--27 to 60 inches; very pale brown (10YR 8/3) and white (10YR 8/2) siltstone, pale brown (10YR 6/3) and light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) moist; easily dug with a spade; strong effervescence; strongly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Todd County, South Dakota; about 1 mile north and 1 1/2 miles east of Mission; 140 feet south and 2,340 feet west of the NE corner of sec. 34, T. 39 N., R. 28 w.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The depth to siltstone ranges from 20 to 40 inches. The depth to carbonates ranges from 4 to 10 inches.
The E horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 5 or 6 and 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 1 or 2. It is loam, very fine sandy loam, or silt loam and ranges from moderately acid to neutral.
The Bt horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 4 to 6 and 3 or 4 moist, and chroma of 2 or 3. It is clay loam or clay with a clay content averaging between 35 and 45 percent. Some pedons have few to common accumulations of carbonate in the lower part. It is neutral or slightly alkaline.
The Bk horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 5 to 7, 4 to 6 moist, and chroma of 1 to 3. It is clay loam, silty clay loam, or loam. It has few to many accumulations of carbonates, gypsum, and other salts. It ranges from slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline.
The C horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 5 to 8 and 5 or 6 moist, and chroma of 1 to 3. It is clay loam, silty clay loam, or loam and is moderately or strongly alkaline.
The Cr horizon has hue of 5YR to 5Y, value of 6 to 8 and 5 to 7 moist, and chroma of 1 to 6. It is moderately or strongly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Arvada, Cedar Butte, Hisle, and Winnett series. Arvada and Cedar Butte soils do not have a paralithic contact between depths of 20 and 40 inches. Hisle soils contain more than 45 percent clay and are underlain by clayey shales. Winnett soils have thicker sola and typically are more alkaline.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Wanblee soils are nearly level or gently sloping on uplands. Slopes are plane or slightly concave. Slope gradients range from 0 to 6 percent but typically are less than 3 percent. Wanblee soils are in micro-lows within the landscape. They formed in residuum weathered from soft siltstone. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 45 to 48 degrees F, and mean annual precipitation ranges from 12 to 18 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Huggins, Kadoka, Kube, Shena, and Wortman soils. Huggins, Kadoka, Kube, and Shena soils have a mollic epipedon and do not have a natric horizon. These soils are on nearby uplands. Wortman soils have a mollic epipedon and are on micro-highs in the same landscape.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well or moderately well drained. Runoff is low to very high depending on slope. Permeability is very slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: Mostly in native grass. Western wheatgrass, blue grama, buffalograss, needleandthread, sedges and forbs are the main vegetation.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: South-central and southwestern South Dakota. It is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Shannon County, South Dakota, 1971.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: ochric horizon - the zone from the surface to a depth of about 2 inches (E horizon); argillic horizon (natric) - the zone from a depth of about 2 to 5 inches (Btn horizon).