LOCATION WHITEWATER              SD

Established Series
Rev. KEC/JWW
08/2011

WHITEWATER SERIES

The Whitewater series consists of moderately deep, well drained soils formed in sodium-enriched residuum or alluvium over residuum derived from claystone. Whitewater soils are on pediment slopes. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is low. Slopes range from 0 to 15 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 395 mm, and the mean annual air temperature is about 8 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, mesic Sodic Haplusterts

TYPICAL PEDON: Whitewater silty clay, on a south-facing slope of 1 percent in native grass. When described the soil was dry throughout. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

A--0 to 8 cm; gray (10YR 5/1) silty clay, dark gray (10YR 4/1) moist; weak fine blocky structure parting to weak very fine and fine granular; slightly hard, firm, moderately sticky and moderately plastic; trans-horizon cracks 0.5 to 2 cm wide; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 13 cm thick)

Bss--8 to 41 cm; gray (10YR 6/1) clay; gray (10YR 5/1) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure parting to weak medium subangular blocky; extremely hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; trans-horizon cracks 0.5 to 2 cm wide; few intersecting slickensides; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (17 to 46 cm thick)

BCkss--41 to 66 cm; gray (10YR 6/1) clay; gray (10YR 5/1) moist; massive; extremely hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; trans-horizon cracks 0.5 to 2 cm wide; few intersecting slickensides; few fine soft masses of carbonate; violent effervescence; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 30 cm thick)

Ck--66 to 84 cm; light gray (10YR 7/2) silty clay; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) moist; massive; extremely hard, very firm, very sticky and very plastic; trans-horizon cracks 0.5 to 2 cm wide; few intersecting slickensides; few fine soft masses of carbonate; strong effervescence; slightly alkaline; diffuse wavy boundary.

Cr--84 to 200 cm; pinkish gray (7.5YR 7/2) soft claystone; pinkish gray (5YR 6/2) moist; soft when moist but hard and brittle when dry; slight effervescence; slightly alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Pennington County, South Dakota; 300 feet south and 1,050 feet east of the northwest corner of Sec. 22, T. 3 S., R. 16 E.; 43 degrees, 46 minutes, 20.1 seconds north latitude, and 102 degrees, 12 minutes, 0.0 seconds west longitude; NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to Bedrock: 50 to 100 cm

A horizon:
Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y, or 5Y
Value: 5 to 8, 4 to 7 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2
Texture: SIC, C
Sodium Adsorption Raio: 5 to 13
Reaction: slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline

Bss horizon:
Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y, or 5Y
Value: 5 to 8 dry, 4 to 7 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2
Texture: SIC, C
Clay content: 40 to 60 percent; subhorizons less than half the thickness of the master horizon may have up to 65 percent clay
Sodium Adsorption Ratio: 10 to 25
Reaction: slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline

Some pedons have a Bk horizon.

BC and C horizons:
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR, 2.5Y, or 5Y
Value: 5 to 8, 4 to 7 moist
Chroma: 1 to 4
Texture: SIC, C
Clay content: 40 to 60 percent; subhorizons less than half the thickness of either master horizon may have up to 65 percent clay
Sodium Adsorption Ratio: 13 to 30
Reaction: slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline

Some pedons have few to common accumlations of salts.

Cr horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR, 2.5Y, or 5Y
Texture (in lieu): Sodic claystone of the Chadron formation of the White River group

COMPETING SERIES:
There are no competing series in this taxonomic class.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform: pediments, fans, and terraces
Landscape: badlands and plains
Parent material: sodic residuum or alluvium over residuum derived from claystone
Slopes: 0 to 15 percent
Mean annual air temperature: 6 to 10 degrees C; soil moisture regime is aridic-ustic
Mean annual precipitation: 355 to 455 mm

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Cedarpass, Denby, and Orella soils.
Cedarpass and Denby soils are very deep; additionally the Cedarpass soils are fine-silty. They occur on similar or slighly lower landscape positions then Whitewater soils
Orella soils are shallow. They occur on higher landscape positions then Whitewater soils.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained. Runoff is medium to very high depending on slope. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is low.

USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used primarily as rangeland. The native vegetation dominantly is a thin stand of western wheatgrass, green needlegrass, blue grama, and pricklypear.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southwestern South Dakota and possibly northern Nebraska. The series is of moderate extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Denver, Colorado

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Jackson County, South Dakota, 1984.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon:
Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 3 inches (A horizon)
Cambic horizon - the zone from 3 to 16 inches (Bss horizon)
Vertisol criteria - intersecting slickensides and cracks (A, Bss, BCss and C horizons).

ADDITIONAL DATA:

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.