LOCATION HUSKA OKEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, superactive, thermic Mollic Natrustalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Huska silt loam--on a 1 percent slope in rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 9 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) silt loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) moist; massive; hard, friable; slightly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 9 inches thick)
Btn1--9 to 18 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) silty clay, dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; moderate coarse columnar structure; extremely hard, very firm; thick continuous clay films on faces of peds; ped faces are dark reddish brown (5YR 3/2); few fine black concretions; exchangeable sodium percentage is 22; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (7 to 11 inches thick)
Btnz1--18 to 25 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) silty clay loam, reddish brown (5YR 4/4) moist; few fine faint strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) redoximorphic concentrations; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; extremely hard, very firm; thin continuous clay films on faces of peds; exchangeable sodium is 39 percent; few fine calcium carbonate concretions; common fine visible threads of salts; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (8 to 18 inches thick)
Btnz2--25 to 34 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) clay, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; weak medium blocky structure; extremely hard, very firm; thin continuous clay films on faces of peds; many fine irregular threads of salts; few medium crystals of gypsum; exchangeable sodium is 53 percent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (9 to 23 inches thick)
B'tn--34 to 50 inches; red (2.5YR 5/6) clay, red (2.5YR 4/6) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure; extremely hard, firm; thin discontinuous clay films on faces of peds; exchangeable sodium is 52 percent; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (10 to 33 inches thick)
Cr--50 to 55 inches; light gray (5YR 7/1) sandstone; rippable.
TYPE LOCATION: Payne County, Oklahoma; on the Oklahoma State University Golf Driving Range in Stillwater; 2,200 feet west and 500 feet south of the northeast corner of sec 10, T. 19 N., R. 2 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum ranges from 40 to 60 inches thick. The exchangeable sodium ranges from 15 to 55 percent in the Btn horizons. The electrical conductivity of saturation extract ranges from 0 to 8 millimhos/cm in. the A horizon and 2 to 16 millimhos/cm in the Btn horizons. The Ap horizon, or materials between the soil surface and a depth of 18 cm after mixing, have color value, moist, of 3 or less and a color value, dry, of 5 or less (crushed and smoothed sample). The A horizon is typically hard when dry.
The A horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 2 to 4. Texture is fine sandy loam, very fine sandy loam, loam, or silt loam. Reaction ranges from moderately acid to slightly alkaline.
The Btn horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 2 to 6. Texture is silty clay loam, clay loam, silty clay, or clay. Clay contact ranges from 35 to 45 percent. Ped faces have a lower value and chroma than the matrix in most pedons. Some pedons have mottles in shades of red. Reaction ranges from neutral to moderately alkaline.
The Btnz1 horizon has hue of 2.5YR to 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 3 to 6. Texture is silty clay loam, clay loam, silty clay, or clay. Some pedons are mottled in shades of red and brown. Calcium carbonate concretions and visible threads of salts are present in most pedons. Reaction ranges from slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline.
The Btnz2 horizon has hue of 2.5YR or 5YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 4 to 8. Some pedons are mottled in shades of red and brown. Texture is silty clay loam, clay loam, clay, or silty clay. Soft masses of calcium carbonate, threads of salts, and dark concretions are present in most pedons. Reaction ranges from slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline.
The B'tn horizon has hue of 2.5YR or 5YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 4 to 8. Texture is silty clay loam, clay loam, clay, or silty clay. Some pedons are calcareous and contain threads and soft masses of salts. Reaction ranges from slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline.
The Cr horizon consist of interbedded reddish or grayish sandstone, and sandy shale, and red shale. This rock like material is non paralithic with low to moderate excavation difficulty. It is dense enough to be root restrictive, and fractures are greater than 10 cm apart. Most of this material slakes in water within 15 hours.
COMPETING SERIES: These are Drummond and Pawhuska series in the same family. Soils in similar families are Deandale, Doolin, Foard, Hinkle, Oscar, Seminole, Wakita, and Wing series. Deandale, Doolin, Foard and Seminole soils have a mollic epipedon. In addition, Doolin and Foard soils have smectitic mineralogy. Drummond and Pawhuska soils are more than 60 inches to bedrock. Hinkle soils are dry for longer periods and have smectitic mineralogy. Oscar and Wakita soils have a fine-silty control section. In addition, Oscar soils are more than 60 inches to bedrock and have secondary carbonates higher in the solum. Wing soils have wetness mottles within 20 inches of the soils surface.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Huska soils occur on very gently sloping or gently sloping high stream divides on uplands in the Central Rolling Red Prairies. The areas often occur as individual circular or elongated areas intermixed with other soils but can also occur in large individual areas. They formed in interbedded sandstone and shale of Permian age. Mean Annual Precipitation: 26 to 40 inches. Mean Annual Temperature: 58 to 64 degrees F. Thornthwaite Annual P-E indices: 44 to 64. Frost free days range from 200 to 230. Elevation ranges from 900 to 1300 feet.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Chickasha, Grainola, Lucien, Renfrow and Zaneis series. Chickasha and Zaneis soils occur on landscapes similar to the Huska, but the Chickasha and Zaneis soils have a fine-loamy control section and lack a natric horizon. Grainola and Renfrow soils usually occur on landscapes below the Huska soils. Grainola and Renfrow soils lack a natric horizon. Lucien soils occur on landscapes similar to the Huska soils, but Lucien soils lack a natric horizon and have a solum less than 20 inches thick.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained; very slowly permeable; runoff is very high.
USE AND VEGETATION: Many areas have been cultivated in the past, but are now in low condition grasses such as threeawn. Some areas are cultivated to small grains or improved pastures and some areas are rangeland. Native vegetation is mainly mid and short grass prairie.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Rolling Red Prairies (MLRA 80A) of Oklahoma. The series is not extensive.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Temple, Texas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Payne County, Oklahoma; 1983.
REMARKS: Soil Interpretation Record OK0302
These soils were formerly included in the Pawhuska series or Slickspot land type.
Diagnostic horizons and features that are recognized in this pedon are:
Umbric epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 9 inches (A horizon).
Natric horizon - the zone from 9 inches to a depth of 50 inches (Btn horizons).
Argillic horizon - the zone from 9 inches to a depth of 50 inches (Bt horizons).Accumulation of salts more soluble than gypsum - the zone from 18 inches to a depth of 34 inches (Btnz horizons).
Cr horizon - the non paralithic rock like material encountered at a depth of 50 inches.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Lab sample no. 79-OK-60-6 by Oklahoma State University.