LOCATION GEARY              KS+NE

GEARY SERIES

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Udic Argiustolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Geary silt loam - in a cultivated field. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

Ap--0 to 23 centimeters (0 to 9 inches); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silt loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak fine granular structure; hard, friable, slightly plastic and slightly sticky; few fine roots; moderately acid; gradual smooth boundary. (15 to 33 centimeters) 6 to 13 inches thick)

BA--23 to 38 centimeters (9 to 15 inches); brown (7.5YR 4/4) silty clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, slightly plastic and slightly sticky; few fine roots; moderately acid; gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 25 centimeters) 0 to 10 inches thick)

Bt1--38 to 58 centimeters (15 to 23 inches); brown (7.5YR 4/4) silty clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist and brown (7.5YR 4/4) rubbed, moist; moderate fine and very fine subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, plastic and sticky; few faint clay films on horizontal and vertical faces of ped; slightly acid; gradual smooth boundary.

Bt2--58 to 81 centimeters (23 to 32 inches); brown (7.5YR 4/4) silty clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist, and brown (7.5YR 4/4) rubbed, moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, plastic and sticky; few faint clay films on faces of some peds; slightly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizons is (28 to 84 centimeters) 11 to 33 inches.)

BC--81 to 107 centimeters (32 to 42 inches); brown (7.5YR 5/4) silty clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; very hard, friable, slightly plastic and slightly sticky; neutral; gradual smooth boundary. (13 to 31 centimeters) 5 to 15 inches thick)

C--107 to 152 centimeters (42 to 60 inches); reddish brown (5YR 5/3) silty clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/3) moist; massive; hard, friable, slightly plastic and slightly sticky; few fine tubular pores; slightly alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Saline County, Kansas; about 9 miles east and 1/2 mile north of Salina Post Office; 73 meters (240 feet) west and 21 meters (70 feet) south of the center, sec. 9, T. 14 S., R. 1 W.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mollic epipedon: 25 to 51 centimeters (10 to 20 inches)
Depth to free carbonates: commonly below 152 centimeters (60 inches), but some pedons contain carbonates between 91 and 152 centimeters (36 and 60 inches).

A horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 3 to 5 and 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: silt loam, silty clay loam, or clay loam
Reaction: moderately acid or slightly acid.

Bt horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 5YR
Value: 4 to 6 and 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6
Texture: silty clay loam or clay loam with 27 to 35 percent clay
Reaction: moderately acid to slightly alkaline.

C horizon:
Hue: 10YR, 7.5YR, or 5YR
Value: 5 to 7 and 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6
Texture: silty clay loam, silt loam, loam, or clay loam
Reaction: ranges from slightly acid to moderately alkaline.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Avans and Holder series.
Avans soils formed in alluvium and are on lower landscapes.
Holder soils have hues yellower than 7.5YR in the control section.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: presumed to be loess older and more weathered than the Peorian loess.
Landform: uplands
Slopes range: 0 to 30 percent.
Mean annual temperature: 10 to 14 degrees C (50 to 58 degrees F)
Mean annual precipitation: 58 to 79 centimeters (23 to 31 inches)
Thornthwaites Annual P-E Index: 38 to 52.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Crete, Hastings, Hedville, Hobbs, Longford, and Wells soils.
Crete and Hastings soils are fine textured and generally higher in the landscape and are formed in younger loess.
Hedville soils are generally lower in the landscape and associated with sandstone.
Hobbs soils are fine textured found in associated narrow flood plains and more stratified.
Longford soils are fine textured and generally on higher positions in the landscape.
Wells soils are on lower positions.

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

USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are cultivated.
The principal crops are wheat and grain sorghum.
Native vegetation is tall and mid prairie grasses.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Kansas and east-central Nebraska. The Geary series is of large extent.

MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Salina, Kansas

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Manhattan Agricultural Experiment Station field, Riley County, Kansas, by prior correlation, 1940.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon: the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of about 38 centimeters (15 inches) (Ap and BA horizons).
Argillic horizon: the zone from a depth of about 38 to 81 centimeters (15 to 32 inches) (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).
Moisture regime: Ustic
07/2003 WAW Changed to semi-tabular format, update runoff and reaction terminology, added additional data.

10/17/05 JCR Added metric to the description.

ADDITIONAL DATA: A pedon was sampled in the same general area as the type location, the data is listed under NSSL sample numbers 79P01687-79P01693, pedon 79P0325 (79KS169002). Other pedons sampled include NSSL pedon 90P0076 (89KS061004), sample numbers 90P00500-90P00510.