LOCATION SUTPHEN KSEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, mesic Udertic Haplustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Sutphen silty clay loam - in a nearly level cultivated field. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 6 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) silty clay loam, black (10YR 2/1) moist; weak fine granular structure; hard, firm, plastic and sticky; common very fine roots; slightly acid; abrupt smooth boundary.
A1--6 to 13 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) silty clay, black (10YR 2/1) moist; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, very plastic and very sticky; common very fine roots; neutral; clear wavy boundary.
A2--13 to 30 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) silty clay, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) moist; weak medium angular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, very plastic and very sticky; common very fine roots; a few slickensides; some old cracks filled with very dark gray (10YR 3/1) soil; mildly alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizon is 20 to 36 inches.)
AC--30 to 46 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silty clay, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; weak medium angular blocky structure; very hard, very firm, very plastic and very sticky; a few slickensides; common fine carbonate concretions; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 18 inches thick)
C1--46 to 57 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) silty clay, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; few fine faint (10YR 4/4) mottles; massive; hard, firm, very plastic and very sticky; a few slickensides; few medium and fine carbonate concretions; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary.
C2--57 to 60 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) silty clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) moist; few fine faint (10YR 4/4) mottles; massive; hard, friable, slightly plastic and slightly sticky; few fine carbonate concretions; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Dickinson County, Kansas; 3 miles south and 6 miles west of Abilene, Kansas; 2,550 feet west and 100 feet north of the southeast corner of sec. 33, T. 13 S., R 1 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the mollic epipedon ranges from 24 to 48 inches. Free carbonates are at depths of 15 to 36 inches. Any segregated carbonates at depths of less than 28 inches are in the form of concretions.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 3 to 5 and 2 or 3 moist, and chroma of 1 or 2. In some pedons, faint mottles are below a depth of 20 inches. Texture of the Ap or the upper few inches of the A1 is silty clay loam, silty clay or clay. The lower A horizon is a silty clay or clay. Reaction is slightly acid to moderately alkaline.
The C horizon has hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 5 to 7 and 4 to 6 moist, and chroma of 2 to 4. It is typically silty clay or clay. Silty clay loam occurs in many pedons below a depth of 40 inches. Reaction is mildly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Rosehill series. Rosehill soils have paralithic contact at depths of 20 to 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Sutphen soils are on flood plains and low terraces of the larger streams. They are occasionally flooded for very brief periods during the spring and summer. Slope gradients typically are less than 1 percent but range up to 2 percent. These soils formed in clayey alluvium with low sand content. Average annual precipitation ranges from 24 to 32 inches. The Thornthwaite Annual PE index ranges from 42 to 56. The mean annual temperature ranges from 53 to 55 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Detroit, Eudora, McCook, Muir, New Cambria, and Solomon soils. Detroit soils have an argillic horizon and occupy slightly higher positions on the floodplains. Eudora, McCook and Muir soils are fine-silty. Eudora and McCook soils are lower on the landscape and are nearer the channel. Muir soils are on slightly higher positions adjacent to the upland or the channel of side streams. New Cambria and Solomon soils have free carbonates at depths less than 10 inches. New Cambria soils occupy slightly higher positions on the landscape and Solomon soils are in lower landscape positions.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained. Runoff is slow. Permeability is very slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are cropped to wheat or sorghum. Native vegetation is tall prairie grasses.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North-central Kansas. The series is moderately extensive.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Salina, Kansas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Saline County, Kansas, 1952.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: Mollic epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soils to a depth of about 46 inches (Ap, A1, A2 and AC horizons).
ADDITIONAL DATA: Physical and chemical data for this pedon is available from the National Soil Survey Laboratory (sample numbers 791649-791700) at the following site:
http://ssldata.sc.egov.usda.gov/rptExecute.asp?p=7418&r=1&submit1=Get+Report