LOCATION LANCASTER          KS+NE

LANCASTER SERIES

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

TYPICAL PEDON: Lancaster loam - native range. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)

A--0 to 23 centimeters (0 to 9 inches); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loam, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) moist; weak medium granular structure; hard, friable, slightly plastic and slightly sticky; moderately acid; few fine roots: gradual smooth boundary. (15 to 36 centimeters (6 to 14 inches) thick)

BA--23 to 41 centimeters (9 to 16 inches); brown (7.5YR 4/2) clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly plastic and slightly sticky; few fine roots; less than 5 percent hard sandstone fragments about 2 mm to 1 inch diameter; moderately acid; gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 20 centimeters (0 to 8 inches) thick)

Bt1--41 to 61 centimeters (16 to 24 inches); brown (7.5YR 5/4) clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm, plasticand sticky; few fine roots; slightly darker colored clay films on vertical faces of peds and in root channels; slightly acid; gradual smooth boundary.

Bt2--61 to 76 centimeters (24 to 30 inches0; reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) sandy clay loam, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) moist; streaked and splotched with colors that are more yellow and more gray than the soil mass and with few distinct reddish spots; weak medium blocky structure; very hard, firm, plastic and sticky; few fine roots; darker colored clay films on some faces of peds; neutral; gradual smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizon ranges from 6 to 31 inches)

Cr--76 centimeters (30 inches); partially weathered sandy shale.

TYPE LOCATION: Saline County, Kansas; about 3 kilometers (2 miles) north and 2 kilometers (1.25 miles) west of Bavaria; 53 meters (175 feet) north and 14 meters (45 feet) west of the southeast corner of sec. 17, T. 14 S., R. 4 W.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture control section: Ustic moisture regime
Paralithic contact: 51 to 102 centimeters (20 to 40 inches to sandstone or shale
Depth to argillic horizon: 15 to 51 centimeters (6 to 20 inches)
Thickness of the mollic epipedon: 20 to 51 centimeters (8 to 20 inches)

Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: 18 to 35 percent
Sand content: 20 to 80 percent
Pararock fragments:
Content: 0 to 15 percent by volume
Size: 2mm to 3 inches
Kind: Weathered sandstone
Content: 0 to 5 percent by volume
Size: 3 to 10 inches
Kind: Weathered sandstone

A horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 4 or 5, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1 to 3, or moist
Texture: Loam, sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or gravelly loam
Clay content: 5 to 26 percent
Pararock fragments: 0 to 15 percent
Reaction: Moderately acid or slightly acid

Bt horizon:
Hue: 10YR to 5YR
Value: 4 to 6, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6 dry or moist
Texture: Loam, clay loam, or sandy clay loam
Clay content: 18 to 35 percent
Pararock fragments: 0 to 15 percent
Reaction: Moderately acid to neutral

C horizon, when present:
Hue: 7.5YR or 5YR
Value: 5 or 6, 4 or 5 moist
Chroma: 4 to 6 dry or moist
Variegations of colors more gray, yellow or red than the soil matrix occur below a depth of 51 centimeters (20 inches).
Colors: presumed to be inherited from the parent material
Texture: Sandy clay loam, clay loam, fine sandy loam or loam.
Clay content: 12 to 30 percent
Pararock fragments: 0 to 15 percent
Reaction: Slightly acid or neutral

COMPETING SERIES: These are Leisy, Loretto, Nalim, Naron, Ost, Saltcreek and Shellabarger soils.
These soils do not have paralithic contact within a depth of 40 inches.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: Residuum derived from noncalcareous sandstone and sandy shale, in some places modified by thin deposits of loess or old alluvium
Landform: Uplands
Slopes: 1 to 16 percent
Mean annual temperature: 12 to 14 degrees C. (53 to 57 degrees F.)
Mean annual precipitation: 61 to 76 centimeters (24 to 30 inches)
Frost-free period: 150 to 190 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Edalgo, Geary, Hedville, Longford, and Wells soils.
Edalgo and Longford soils are fine textured and generally are on slopes below Lancaster.
Geary soils are very deep, fine-silty and generally ocurr on lower slopes. Hedville soils are shallow to bedrock and generally occur on slopes below Lancaster.
Wells soils usually occur on lower slopes.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage: Well
Runoff: Low or medium
Saturated hydraulic conductivity: moderately high

USE AND VEGETATION: Most gentle slopes are cultivated
Principal crops are wheat and sorghums.
Steeper slopes are usually in range.
Native vegetation is dominated by mid and tall grasses; big bluestem, indiangrass, and little bluestem are most common.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North central Kansas and southeastern Nebraska. The series is of large extent.

MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Salina, Kansas

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lancaster County, Nebraska, 1906.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: Particle-size control section: 41 to 76 centimeters (16 to 30 inches) (Bt1, Bt2 horizons)
Mollic epipedon: 0 to 41 centimeters (0 to 16 inches) (A and BA horizons)
Argillic horizon: 41 to 76 centimeters (16 to 30 inches) (Bt1, Bt2 horizons)
Paralithic contact: with weathered sandy shale at 76 centimeters (30 inches)
(Cr horizons)

LRR=H
Added "moderately deep" to first sentence in the first paragraph. Increase slope range to "16 percent".
Described wet consistence in typical pedon and added clay film to the Bt horizons.
Removed series that did compete within the same family from the competing series paragraph.
Changed runoff from rapid to medium to reflect permeability.
Added Soil Interpretation Record clay content and sand content to "Range In Characteristics".

Modified format by LRM in 2/2006 to include metric conversion and change permeability to saturated hydraulic conductivity.

ADDITIONAL DATA: National Soil Survey Laboratory Soil Survey investigation Report No. 4, page 39.
Also NSSL 813915 to 813920 (S81KS- 115-001) unpublished at the following seb site:
http://ssldata.sc.egov.usda.gov/rptExecute.asp?p=1753&r=1&submit1=Get+Report.