LOCATION O'NEILL NE+SDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Haplustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: O'Neill fine sandy loam - on a 1 percent convex northeast-facing slope in a cultivated field. When described, the soil was moist throughout. (Colors are for dry soil, unless otherwise stated)
Ap--0 to 5 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) fine sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak coarse platy structure parting to weak fine granular; slightly hard, friable; slightly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 9 inches thick)
A--5 to 8 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) fine sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak coarse subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary. (2 to 11 inches thick)
Bw1--8 to 16 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) fine sandy loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to weak fine subangular blocky; slightly hard, friable; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary.
Bw2--16 to 26 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) fine sandy loam; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) moist; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to weak medium subangular blocky; slightly hard, very friable; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary. (Combined Bw horizons 13 to 23 inches thick)
2C1--26 to 32 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) gravelly sand, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; single grain; soft, very friable; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick)
2C2--32 to 80 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) coarse sand and gravel, yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) moist; single grain; loose; neutral.
TYPE LOCATION: Brown County, Nebraska; 3 miles north and 2 1/2 miles west of Ainsworth; 1,840 feet north and 50 feet west of the southeast corner of section 5, T. 30 N., R. 22 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Soil moisture: The soil moisture control section is moist in some part from October through April; intermittently moist from May through July; driest in July through September.
Depth to carbonates: more than 80 inches
Thickness of the mollic epipedon: 7 to 20 inches and includes the A horizon and in some pedons the upper part of the B horizon
Thickness of the solum: 20 to 40 inches
Depth to rock fragments: 20 to 40 inches
A horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 4 or 5 and 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: 1 or 2
Texture: loam, fine sandy loam, sandy loam, loamy fine sand or loamy sand.
Reaction: strongly acid to neutral
Bw horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 4 to 6 and 3 or 4 moist
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: fine sandy loam or sandy loam; in a few pedons, clay has accumulated in the lower part of the Bw2 horizon so that the layer is noticeably finer in texture than the layer above and below
Reaction: strongly acid to neutral
2C horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 6 to 8 and 5 or 6 moist
Chroma: 3 or 4
Texture: gravelly sand, coarse sand or sand
Rock fragments: rounded 2 to 75 mm in size, 5 to 20 percent by volume
Reaction: strongly acid to neutral
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in the same family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: O'Neill soils are on stream terraces and uplands bordering drainageways. Slope gradient commonly is 2 percent and ranges from 0 to 30 percent. O'Neill soils formed in loamy material 20 to 40 inches deep over gravelly sand. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 18 to 24 inches, and the mean annual air temperature ranges from 48 to 52 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Brocksburg, Dunday, Jansen, Meadin, Simeon and Valentine. Brocksburg and Jansen soils are fine-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal and Brocksburg soils have mollic colors deeper than 20 inches. These soils occur in a lower position on the landscape. Dunday soils lack 2C horizon of sand and gravel and are on nearly level to undulating areas above areas of O'Neill. Meadin soils are sandy-skeletal and are on steeper slopes below the O'Neill soils. Simeon and Valentine soils lack mollic epipedons and occur on higher landscape positions.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Runoff is low to moderately high. Permeability is moderately rapid in the solum and very rapid in the underlying material.
USE AND VEGETATION: Mostly cultivated. Corn and sorghum are the principal crops under dry farming. Corn, sorghum, alfalfa and soybeans are grown where the soil is irrigated. Slopes steeper than 4 percent have usually been kept in or returned to grass. Native vegetation is tall and midgrasses.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Nebraska. O'Neill soils are extensive.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Bismarck, North Dakota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Reconnaissance Soil Survey of Western Nebraska, 1911.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in this pedon are: mollic epipedon - the zone from the surface to a depth of 16 inches (Ap, A and Bw1 horizons; cambic horizon - the zone from 16 to 26 inches (Bw2 horizon).
Some laboratory characterization data indicates the soils have too much sand in the upper part to have contrasting particle-size classes and the soil is either in the coarse-loamy or sandy families. These soils need further study to determine possible particle-size family placement.