LOCATION LONGFORD KS+NEEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, mesic Udic Argiustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Longford silt loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil conditions unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 10 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silt loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; strong fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly plastic and slightly sticky; many fine roots; slightly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (6 to 12 inches thick)
BA--10 to 16 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silty clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; strong fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly plastic and slightly sticky; many fine roots; slightly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick)
Bt1--16 to 22 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) silty clay loam, brown (7.5YR 4/4) moist; strong fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, plastic and sticky; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) stains and clay films on faces of peds; few fine roots; slightly acid; gradual smooth boundary.
Bt2--22 to 40 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) silty clay loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; strong fine and medium blocky structure; very hard, firm, plastic and sticky; clay films on faces of peds; few coarse roots, slightly acid; gradual smooth boundary.
Bt3--40 to 46 inches; reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) silty clay loam, yellowish red (5YR 5/6) moist; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, plastic and sticky; thin discontinuous clay films on ped faces; few very fine and fine black concretions and sandstone pebbles; slightly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizons is 19 to 40 inches)
2BC--46 to 60 inches; reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) clay loam, yellowish red (5YR 5/6) moist; weak fine and medium granular structure; hard, friable, slightly plastic and slightly sticky; few fine and medium black concretions and fine sandstone pebbles; neutral.
TYPE LOCATION: Cloud County, Kansas; about 2 miles south of Miltonvale; about 2,100 feet west and 300 feet south of the northeast corner of sec. 31, T. 8 S., R. 1 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to free carbonates ranges from 36 to more than 60 inches. The mollic epipedon ranges from 10 to 20 inches thick. A few small pebbles are in some pedons. Some pedon do not have a lithologic discontinuity. A bedrock substratum phase and eroded phase is recognized.
The A horizon
Hue: 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 and 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2
Texture: silt loam and less commonly loam or silty clay loam
Reaction: medium acid to neutral.
The Bt horizon
Hue: 7.5YR or 5YR
Value: 4 to 6 and 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 2 to 6
Texture: silty clay loam, silty clay, or clay loam
Clay Content: average clay content is 35 to 45 percent. Reaction: slightly acid or neutral
Some pedons have BA horizon with color and texture similar to the Bt.
The 2BC or BC horizon
Hue: 5YR to 10YR
Value: 5 to 7 and 4 to 6 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6
Texture: clay loam, silt loam, silty clay loam, or loam
Reaction: slightly acid to mildly alkaline.
The 2C and C horizon when present have color and textures similar to the 2BC horizon. Some pedons have grayish brown or reddish mottles below a depth of 48 inches.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Hastings series. Hastings soils do not have hues as red as 7.5YR.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Longford soils are on upland slopes and high terraces. Slope gradients are typically less than 8 percent but range from 0 to 12 percent. Longford soils formed in loess or silty and/or silty or loamy alluvium. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 24 to 36 inches. Mean annual temperature ranges from 48 to 58 degrees F. Thornthwaites Annual PE Index ranges from 44 to 58.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Crete, Geary, Hastings, Hedville, Hobbs, Lancaster, and Muir soils. Crete soils are generally on ridges above the Longford soils. Crete soils have yellower hue in the control section. The fine-silty Geary soils are in similar positions. Hastings soils are on side slopes above the Longford soils. Hedville and Lancaster soils are on higher slopes. They have sandstone at depths of less than 40 inches. The fine-silty Hobbs and Muir soils are on flood plains or low terraces below Longford soils.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Runoff is medium or slow. Permeability is slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are cropped to wheat or sorghum. Native vegetation is tall prairie grasses.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Kansas to north central Nebraska. The series is moderately extensive.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Salina, Kansas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Clay County, Kansas, 1926.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: Mollic epipedon - the zone from 0 to 16 inches (A and BA horizons); Argillic horizon - the zone from 16 to 46 inches (Bt1, Bt2, and Bt3 horizons); and ustic moisture regime.