LOCATION RICKERT            IN

RICKERT SERIES

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, active, mesic Ultic Hapludalfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Rickert silt loam on a 10 percent slope in a pasture. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)

Ap--0 to 8 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) silt loam; moderate fine granular structure; friable; many fine roots throughout; slightly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 12 inches thick)

Bt1--8 to 14 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) silt loam; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; friable; many fine roots between peds; many faint continuous brown (7.5YR 4/4) clay films on faces of peds; common faint discontinuous brown (10YR 4/3) organic coatings in root channels and pores; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary.

Bt2--14 to 28 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) silt loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine roots between peds; many faint continuous brown (7.5YR 4/4) clay films on faces of peds; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.

Bt3--28 to 39 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) silt loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine roots between peds; many faint continuous brown (7.5YR 4/4) clay films on faces of peds; few faint discontinuous yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) clay depletions on faces of peds; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.

Bt4--39 to 49 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) silt loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine roots between peds; many faint continuous strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) clay films on faces of peds and common faint discontinuous yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) clay depletions on faces of peds; few medium distinct light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) iron depletions in the matrix; few black (10YR 2/1) iron-manganese concretions; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.

Bt5--49 to 60 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) silt loam; weak fine prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; friable; common fine roots between peds; many faint continuous strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) clay films, and common faint continuous light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) clay depletions on faces of peds; few fine distinct pale light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) iron depletions in the matrix; few black (10YR 2/1) iron-manganese concretions; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.

Bt6--60 to 72 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) silt loam; weak fine prismatic structure parting to moderate fine subangular blocky; friable; many faint continuous strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) clay films on faces of peds; many medium prominent light gray (10YR 7/2) and common faint continuous light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) iron depletions in the matrix; few black (10YR 2/1) iron-manganese concretions; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.

Bt7--72 to 80 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) silt loam; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; friable; common faint discontinuous yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) and few faint patchy strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) clay films on faces of peds; many medium prominent light gray (10YR 7/2) iron depletions in the matrix; few black (10YR 2/1) of iron-manganese concretions; strongly acid.(Combined thickness of the Bt horizon is 45 to 80 inches)

TYPE LOCATION: Perry County, Indiana; 875 feet west and 2,200 feet north of the southeast corner, sec. 5, T. 7 S, R.1 W. USGS Rome, IN Quadrangle: lat. 37 degrees 55 minutes 58 seconds N, long. 86 degrees 32 minutes 8 seconds W.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to the base of the argillic is more than 80 inches. Clay content of the particle-size control section ranges from 22 to 32 percent.

The upper part of the control section (Ap horizon) has hue of 10YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 2 to 6. Reaction is very strongly acid in unlimed areas and ranges to neutral in limed areas.

The middle part of the control section (Bt1-Bt4 horizons) has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 4 to 6. It is commonly silt loam and less commonly silty clay loam and averages 18 to 30 percent clay and 1 to 5 percent sand. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid to moderately acid.

The lower part of the control section (Bt5-Bt7 horizons) has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 4 to 6 and redox depletions. It is silt loam or silt. Clay content averages from 12 to 26 percent and sand averages from 3 to 9 percent. Reaction ranges from strongly acid to slightly acid.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Cidermill, Eilertsen, Elk, Elkinsville, Parke, Pike, Rosine, Veronia, and Wellrock and Wellston series. Cidermill soils have rock fragments in the series control section. Eilertsen soils have an umbric epipedon. Elk soils average more than 5 percent sand in the argillic horizon. Elkinsville, Parke and Pike soils average more than 27 percent sand in the lower part of the series control section. Rosine soils average more than 26 percent clay in the lower part of the series control section. Wellrock, and Wellston soils have a paralithic or lithic contact in the series control section.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Rickert soils are on summits, shoulders and backslopes of loess hills. They formed in more than 80 inches of loess. Mean annual temperature ranges from 51 to 57 degrees F, and the mean annual precipitation ranges from 40 to 46 inches.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Adyeville (T), Alford, Apalona (T), Ebal, Gatchel (T), Hosmer, and Wellston soils. The well drained, moderately deep, Adyeville soils are on backslopes of hills. The well drained, more permeable Alford soils are on similar landform positions of loess hills. The moderately well drained, fine Ebal soils are on scarps, benches, and hills. The moderately well drained, less permeable Hosmer soils are on summits of hills. The well drained, deep Wellston soils are on scarps, benches, and hills.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Permeability is moderate in the upper part of the solum and moderately slow in the lower part. Runoff is medium to rapid. Depth to an intermittent, perched water table is at 3.5 to 5 feet from December through April in most years.

USE AND VEGETATION: Most gently sloping to moderately sloping areas are used to grow corn, soybeans, wheat and grass-legumes for hay, and for pasture. Most strongly sloping areas are in woodland and permanent pasture or wildlife habitat. Native vegetation is mixed, deciduous hardwood forest.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern Indiana. The series is of small extent in MLRA 120.

MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Indianapolis, Indiana

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Perry County, Indiana, 1995. The source of the name is from a named landmark in Perry County.

REMARKS: Diagnostic surface and subsurface horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: 1) Ochric epipedon- the zone from 0 to 8 inches (Ap horizon); 2) Argillic horizon- the zone from 8 to 80 inches (Bt1, Bt2, Bt3, Bt4, Bt5, Bt6, Bt7); 3) Redoximorphic depletions- the zone from 49 to 80 inches.

As of this data, laboratory data for the Rickert series is not available and therefore the classification is tentative.

This soil is included in mapping with the Alford soils in the 1969 Perry County soil survey.

ADDITIONAL DATA: Data on pedon number S93-IN123-014 is at the NSSC, Lincoln, NE.