LOCATION MUSCOTAH KS+NEEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, mesic Aquertic Hapludolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Muscotah silty clay loam - cultivated (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.
Ap--0 to 9 inches; black (10YR 2/1) silty clay loam; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) dry; moderate fine granular structure; hard, friable; slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine roots throughout; neutral; clear wavy boundary.
A1--9 to 16 inches; black (10YR 2/1) silty clay loam; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; very hard, friable; sticky and plastic; few very fine roots throughout; neutral; gradual smooth boundary.
A2--16 to 23 inches; black (10YR 2/1) silty clay loam; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; very hard, firm; sticky and plastic; few very fine roots throughout; few fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) soft masses of iron accumulation; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizon is 18 to 32 inches.)
Bw1--23 to 35 inches; black (10YR 2/1) silty clay; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm; very sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots throughout; few distinct slickensides; common fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) soft masses of iron accumulation; neutral; gradual smooth boundary.
Bw2--35 to 44 inches; black (10YR 2/1) silty clay; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm; very sticky and very plastic; common distinct slickensides; common fine distinct dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) soft masses of iron accumulation; neutral; gradual smooth boundary.
Bw3--44 to 60 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) silty clay; dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm; very sticky and very plastic; common distinct slickensides; few fine rounded iron-manganese concretions; common fine faint very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) iron depletions; neutral; gradual wavy boundary.
Bw4--60 to 70 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) silty clay; dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm; very sticky and very plastic; common distinct discontinuous intersecting slickensides; few fine rounded iron-manganese concretions, and few medium irregular carbonate nodules; common medium distinct dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) iron depletions; neutral; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of Bw horizons is 20 to 50 inches.)
Bg--70 to 80 inches; olive gray (5Y 4/2) silty clay; olive gray (5Y 5/2) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm; very sticky and very plastic; free water at 75 inches; common distinct discontinuous intersecting slickensides; common fine prominent olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) soft masses of iron accumulation; few fine rounded iron-manganese concretions, and common fine and medium irregular carbonate nodules; neutral. (6 to 20 inches thick).
TYPE LOCATION: Brown County, Kansas; about 4 miles south and 1 mile west of Muscotah; 230 feet west and 500 feet north of the southeast corner of Sec. 18, T. 4 S., R. 16 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: The soil moisture control section is Udic moisture regime.
Depth to secondary calcium carbonate: More than 30 inches
Depth to redox concentrations: 16 to 24 inches
Thickness of the mollic epipedon: More than 36 inches
Particle-size control section (weighted average):
Clay content: 35 to 50 percent
Sand content: Less than 20 percent
A horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 2 or 3 moist, 3 or 4 dry
Chroma: 1 or 2
Texture: Silty clay loam, silty overwash phase is recognized
Clay content: 27 to 40 percent, 18 to 27 percent for silty overwash
Reaction: Moderately acid to neutral
Bw horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 2 or 3 moist, 3 to 5 dry
Chroma: 1 or 2
Texture: Silty clay loam, silty clay
Clay content: 35 to 50 percent
Sand content: Less than 10 percent
Reaction: Moderately acid to slightly alkaline
Bg horizon:
Hue: 2.5Y to 5Y
Value: 2 to 5 moist, 3 to 6 dry
Chroma: 1 or 2
Texture: Silty clay loam or silty clay
Clay content: 35 to 50 percent
Sand content: Less than 10 percent
Reaction: Neutral or slightly alkaline
Cg horizons are in some pedons.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in the family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: Clayey alluvium
Landform: Floodplains
Slopes: 0 to 2 percent
Mean annual temperature: 51 to 55 degrees F
Mean annual precipitation: 29 to 37 inches
Frost-free period: 170 to 190 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Chase,
Kennebec, and
Kenridge soils.
Chase soils have an argillic horizon and are on higher floodplain positions.
The Kennebec and Kenridge soils have less clay and are near the stream channels.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY:
Drainage: Somewhat poorly
Runoff: Low or medium
Permeability: slow
Seasonal high water table: 1.5 to 3 feet
Months: March to June
Flooded: Occasional
Duration: Brief
Months: March to June
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are cultivated. Principal crops are corn, wheat, and soybeans. Native vegetation is tall prairie grasses and trees.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeast Kansas and possibly Southeast Nebraska.
The series is not extensive.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Salina, Kansas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Brown County, Kansas, 1991.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle-size control section: The zone from 10 to 40 inches. (A1, A2, Bw1 and Bw2 horizons)
Mollic epipedon: The zone from 0 to 70 inches. (All A, Bw horizons)
Redoximorphic concentrations: In the zone from 16 to 44 inches. (A2, Bw1, Bw2 horizons)
Redoximorphic depletions: In the zone from 44 to 70 inches. (Bw3, Bw4 horizons)
Endosaturation: The zone of saturation >18 inches. (A2 through Bg horizons)
ADDITIONAL DATA: These soils were originally mapped as Wabash in the original Brown County survey. These soils are better drained than Wabash soils. The name was changed from the proposed Powhattan series. A complete pedon analysis is available from NSSL as pedon number S90-KS-013-008.