LOCATION WELLS KSEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, active, mesic Udic Argiustolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Wells loam - rangeland. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 25 centimeters (0 to 10 inches); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine granular structure; slightly hard, very friable, slightly plastic and slightly sticky; many fine roots, insect holes, worm casts, and many fine tubular pores; moderately acid; gradual smooth boundary. (20 to 30 centimeters (8 to 12 inches) thick)
BA--25 to 41 centimeters (10 to 16 inches); brown (7.5YR 4/2) clay loam, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly plastic and slightly sticky; many fine roots, many insect holes; many worm casts; and many fine tubular pores; moderately acid; gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 20 centimeters (0 to 8 inches) thick)
Bt1--41 to 56 centimeters (16 to 22 inches); mixed yellowish red (5YR 5/6) and reddish brown (5YR 4/4) clay loam, mixed yellowish red (5YR 4/6) and dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) moist; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, plastic and sticky; clay films on vertical and horizontal faces of peds; many fine roots; many fine tubular pores; few worm casts; slightly acid; gradual smooth boundary.
Bt2--56 to 102 centimeters (22 to 40 inches); reddish yellow (5YR 6/6) clay loam, yellowish red (5YR 4/6) moist; moderate fine and medium blocky structure; hard, firm, plastic and sticky; common clay films on vertical faces of peds; few fine roots; few worm casts; many fine tubular pores; slightly acid; gradual smooth boundary.
Bt3--102 to 127 centimeters (40 to 50 inches); reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/8) clay loam, strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) moist; moderate fine blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly plastic and slightly sticky; few clay films on vertical faces of peds; few fine roots; few worm casts; many fine tubular pores; slightly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of Bt horizons 36 to 102 centimeters (14 to 40 inches) thick)
C--127 to 152 centimeters (50 to 60 inches); reddish yellow (7.5YR 6/6) loam, strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) moist; massive; slightly hard, very friable, slightly plastic and slightly sticky; many fine and medium tubular pores; few fine iron concretions; neutral.
TYPE LOCATION: Ottawa County, Kansas; 1.6 kilometers (one mile) south and 10 kilometers (6 miles) west of Minneapolis; 91 meters (300 feet) west and 30 meters (100 feet) south of the northeast corner of section 13, T. 11 S., R. 5 W. USGS topographic quadrangle Tescott SE, Kansas, Latitude 39 degrees, 6 minutes, 10 seconds North; Longitude 97 degrees, 49 minutes, 5 seconds West.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mollic epipedon: 25 to 51 centimeters (10 to 20 inches)
A horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 4 or 5, 2 or 3 moist
Chroma: of 1 to 3
Texture: loam and less commonly fine sandy loam, sandy loam, or clay loam
Reaction: moderately acid or slightly acid.
Bt horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 5YR
Value: 4 to 6, 3 to 5 moist
Chroma: 3 to 6
Texture: clay loam or sandy clay loam
Reaction: slightly acid or neutral.
C horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 5YR
Value: 4 to 7, 5 or 6 moist
Chroma: 4 to 8
Texture: clay loam, sandy clay loam, loam, or sandy loam
Reaction: slightly acid to slightlyy alkaline
Calcium carbonate concretions: in some pedons
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Landform: uplands
Slope: 0 to 8 percent
Parent material: residuum from noncalcareous sandstones and sandy shales modified by thin deposits of colluvium from sandstone and loess
Mean annual precipitation: 61 to 76 centimeters (24 to 30 inches)
Mean annual temperature: 11 to 14 degrees C. (52 to 57 degrees F.)
Thornthwaite Annual P-E Index: 44 to 54
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Geary,
Hedville,
Lancaster,
Longford, and
Smolan soils.
Geary soils are on higher positions and are fine-silty.
Lancaster soils are on higher positions.
Longford and Smolan soils occupy positions similar to the Wells soils and have fine-textured argillic horizons.
The shallow Hedville soils occupy positions above the Wells soils.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage: well drained
Runoff: medium
Saturated hydraulic conductivity: moderately high
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are in cropland.
Principal crops are wheat or sorghum.
Native vegetation is tall grass.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North central Kansas. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Salina, Kansas
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Dickinson County, Kansas, 1977.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic epipedon: 0 to 41 centimeters (0 to 16 inches) (A, BA horizons)
argillic horizon: 41 to 127 centimeters (16 to 50 inches) (Bt1, Bt2, and Bt3 horizons)
CEC activity class is supported by laboratory sample.
07/2003 WAW CEC activity class added, change format to semi-tablular, updated competing series, added ADDITIONAL DATA, updated reaction classes in horizon description to new terminology.
ADDITIONAL DATA:
A pedon was sampled from the same general area as the pedon described here. NSSL Laboratory sample 79P0320, (pedon 79KS143001
Modified format by LRM in 2/2006 to include metric conversion and change permeability to saturated hydraulic conductivity.