1

National

Cooperative

Soil

Survey Newsletter

Issue 27

May 2004

In This Issue—

Editor’s Note

Issues of this newsletter are

available on the World Wide Web

(http://soils.usda.gov/). Under Quick

Access, click on NCSS, then on

Newsletters, and then on the desired

issue number.

You are invited to submit stories for

this newsletter to Stanley Anderson,

National Soil Survey Center, Lincoln,

Nebraska. Phone—402-437-5357;

FAX—402-437-5336; email—

stan.anderson@nssc.nrcs.usda.gov.

Water Tables and

Redoximorphic Features

By Craig Ditzler, National Leader, Soil

Classification and Standards, National Soil

Survey Center, Lincoln, Nebraska.

Over the years I have found that one of the things that people

outside of Pedology find interesting

about pedologists is our use of soil

color, as expressed in redoximorphic

features, to assess seasonal soil

wetness. It’s no problem when there is

water in the hole and we say it is wet—

anyone can see that—but when the soil

is bone dry and we say it will likely be

saturated next fall or spring, the

pedologist may seem to be taking on

the role of “water-witch” to someone

untrained in reading the morphological

clues. Over the years there have been a

number of articles published in the

literature detailing the biogeochemical

processes responsible for the formation

of redoximorphic features as well as

studies correlating these redoximorphic

features with soil wetness. A recent

article published by researchers at

North Carolina State University (He, X,

M.J. Vepraskas, D.L. Lindbo, and R.W.

Skaggs. 2003. A method to predict soil

saturation frequency and duration from

soil color. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 67:961–

969) has taken a significant step

forward in helping us to interpret

redoximorphic features in the soil.

The motivation for this study

centered primarily on the hydrology

component of the requirements for

determining jurisdictional wetlands. To

qualify, a site must be saturated to the

surface for at least 5 percent of the

growing season in at least 5 out of 10

years. Currently, there is no technology

available that allows us to verify this

condition with a single visit to a site.

The morphology of the soil (presence

or absence of redoximorphic features)

helps us determine if the soil formed

under conditions of wetness, but not the

frequency or duration of the wetness.

These researchers wanted to see if they

could correlate the redoximorphic

features at a site to the threshold

hydrologic criteria for jurisdictional

wetlands.

This research was conducted at a site

on the Atlantic Coastal Plain near

Greenville, North Carolina. A total of

13 plots were studied along 4 transects.

Each transect represented a

toposequence of soils from a

moderately well drained Aquic

Plaeudult to a very poorly drained

Umbric Paleaquult. Water tables were

monitored daily for 21⁄2 years. Rainfall,

redox potential, pH, and soil

temperature were also monitored.

Detailed morphological descriptions

were made at each plot. From these

data it was discovered that, for this site,

an average of 21 days of continuous

saturation was sufficient to reduce iron,

indicating the presence of anaerobic

conditions in the soil.

The observed water table and

rainfall data were used to calibrate the

soil hydrology model, DRAINMOD,

for each plot so that the model could

reproduce simulated water tables

mirroring those observed over the 21⁄2-

year period. Once the hydrology model

was calibrated, climate data covering

the previous 40 years were used to

simulate past water table fluctuations

for each of the 13 plots. From this

record, it was possible to determine the

number of times each year that the soils

were saturated for 21 or more

Water Tables and Redoximorphic

Features .......................................... 1

The National Agricultural Library

and You .......................................... 2

Thinking Spatially—Maps and the

Rural Appraiser .............................. 3

Not Your Typical Day in the Field ...... 6

Optional and Required Parts of Soil

Survey Publications ....................... 7

National Soil Survey Center Tests

XRF Meter ..................................... 8
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NCSS Newsletter

consecutive days above the depths of

45, 60, 75, and 90 cm. It was also

possible to determine the duration of

each saturation event. This information

(number and duration of events) was

used to calculate what the authors call

the “number of saturation events”

(NSE), a value that integrates both the

number of times the soil is saturated at

a specific depth with the duration of the

event. The NSE was then correlated to

the percent of redoximorphic features

for each of the four depths at each plot.

These correlations were computed for

redoximorphic depletions and

redoximorphic concentrations

separately and for both together. In

addition, these relationships were

studied for saturation events occurring

within the growing season, outside the

growing season, and for the whole year.

Results from this study demonstrated

that the percent of redoximorphic

features present in these soils is

strongly related to the modeled

saturation data. Redoximorphic

depletions showed a stronger

correlation than redoximorphic

concentrations. As depth increases, it

takes a higher NSE to result in a given

percent of redoximorphic depletions.

The authors display these relationships

in simple linear graphs (one for each of

the four depths) that can be used to

estimate the expected number of

saturation events each year based on the

percent of redoximorphic depletions.

For example, they showed that at a

depth of 45 cm in these soils, 15

percent redoximorphic depletions

suggests that about one saturation event

of 21 to 41 days occurs each year. If

there are only 5 percent redoximorphic

depletions at this depth, one would

expect only three events in a 10-year

period.

These results are specific to the soils

and general geographic area studied.

Soils in other locations will exhibit

different relationships. However, the

methods demonstrated in this project

could be employed at many other

locations to determine how well the

morphology reflects current hydrology.

Some factors influencing the results

would include carbon content,

temperature, pH, and topography. In

addition, it must be recognized that

while the morphology of the soil

reflects a long period of soil formation

and development, the modeled pattern

of soil saturation is limited to the

available (much shorter) period of

climatic records. It is likely that some

locations would show weaker

correlations than those reported in this

study if the morphology of the soil

reflects previous climatic conditions

significantly different from those of

today. While the authors did not

address this issue, it seems that a poor

correlation could be used as one form

of evidence to support the concept of

relict redoximorphic features. I hope

the results from this study will

encourage others to repeat this research

in other locations.

Note: Another article in this issue of

the NCSS Newsletter describes the

National Agricultural Library and its

online services. If you are a USDA

employee, you can access the article

described above through the DIGITOP

section of the Web site by clicking on

“journals” and then searching for “Soil

Science Society of America Journal.” 

The National Agricultural

Library and You

By Craig Ditzler, National Leader, Soil

Classification and Standards, National Soil

Survey Center, Lincoln, Nebraska.

Did you know that the world’s foremost agricultural library is

as close as your computer terminal? It’s

true. The National Agricultural Library

(NAL) was created in 1862 to serve

USDA. Today, it is one of four national

libraries (the others being the Library of

Congress, the National Library of

Medicine, and the National Library of

Education). The NAL has a mission to

increase the availability and utilization

of agricultural information for

researchers, educators, policymakers,

consumers of agricultural products, and

the public.

To make a cyber visit to NAL, point

your browser to:

 http://www.nal.usda.gov/

From the NAL homepage, you can

explore several of the services offered.

I’m just going to mention a few here.

One of the first items you encounter on

the site is AGRICOLA, NAL’s catalog

and article citation service. With over 4

million bibliographic records, it is the

world’s largest compilation of

agricultural information. This powerful

search engine allows you to use key

words to search for books, journals,

serials, reports, and other items. A

simple “quick search” window is

available as well as more advanced

search capabilities involving multiple

search term parameters. Search results

can either be viewed on the screen or

emailed to you. AGRICOLA is

available to anyone with a computer

terminal anywhere in the world.

If you are a USDA employee (and

the NAL server recognizes your

terminal as part of the USDA network

of computers by its “usda.gov”

address), you have additional access to

services. Say, for example, that as a

result of a search on AGRICOLA, you

see a book you’d like to borrow. You

can email a request, and NAL will mail

the book to you and let you borrow it

for 1 month. Or, if you want a copy of a

journal article you’ve located, NAL will

make a copy and fax it to you or (my
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NCSS Newsletter

preference) email it as a PDF

attachment. More information about

requesting items can be found by

clicking on “request an item” on the

tool bar at the top of many of the pages

on the site or by clicking on “about

NAL.” Follow the directions carefully

because there is a particular format

your request should adhere to. I have

had books mailed to me, as well as

articles emailed to me, and have found

the service to be very quick and

reliable.

Another service available to USDA

employees is the digital desktop library

DIGITOP, which provides access to

several thousand electronic full-text

journals, newspapers, and other

materials. I have used this service to

obtain full-text PDF versions of articles

published in Geoderma, Soil and

Tillage Research, Plant and Soil,

Applied Soil Ecology, European

Journal of Soil Science, and the Soil

Science Society of America Journal, as

well as some others. Not all journals are

available through DIGITOP, and only

articles published in the last 10 years or

so have been digitized, but if it’s there,

you can retrieve it immediately and at

no charge to you or your office.

So remember, no matter where you

are located, if you have access to a

computer terminal, you can visit the

world’s foremost agricultural library,

the USDA National Agricultural

Library. 

Thinking Spatially—Maps

and the Rural Appraiser

By Bob Nielsen, Certified Professional Soil

Scientist.

Maps and map products are tools of the appraisal trade

and are themselves an important part of

appraisal reports. Maps are used by

appraisers to show the location,

boundaries, and topography of a

property. They are also used to compute

the area of the property or to depict its

soils, production potential, grazing

capacity, and water resources. Yes,

maps are useful tools, and they convey

information to the reader of an

appraisal report that would be difficult

to express in narrative form. To take a

liberty, “A map is worth 1,000 words.”

What maps, mapping tools, or map

products should be included in

appraisal reports? The answer is ——!

Well, maybe the answer is not quite that

vague, but it does very much depend on

you and the value the map or map

product adds to the appraisal process or

your appraisal products.

The pitfall to be avoided is

retrofitting a map or map product into

the appraisal process and product

without a clear understanding of what

that map adds to the final analysis. For

example, a topographical map contains

a wealth of information that can be used

to describe the geographical landscape

of a property. This type of map is

especially useful in areas of high relief

but may not be as useful in describing

level landscapes. Scale is another

important consideration. Large-scale

maps (1:250,000 or larger) work well

when an appraisal project covers a large

area, but they are of little value when a

small farm or ranch is appraised. These

are just a couple of examples of the

considerations that need to be made

before various maps or map products

are selected for inclusion in an

appraisal process or report. With this in

mind, let’s take a look at maps and map

properties and some of the issues that

may arise when maps are employed in

the appraisal process.

Maps—An Overview

Maps provide us with a graphic

representation of the world around us

and show the relationships between

one place and another. They provide

us with a sense of direction and

distance. There are two general types of

maps. Physical or topographical maps

emphasize physical features,

such as land masses, rivers and other

water bodies, mountains, soils, land

use, and other geographical

information. These types of maps also

show major political subdivisions and

transportation systems. Political and

cadastre maps, on the other hand,

emphasize political subdivisions and

ownership. Maps of countries, states,

cities, and counties are examples of

political maps, while Public Land

Survey System (PLSS) or land

ownership maps are examples of

cadastre maps. The maps may show

major terrain features, such as major

contour lines and water bodies.

Maps and map products fulfill many

roles and provide the user with volumes

of information. Consider a map (any

map) and put a pencil to any spot within

the map boundaries. That point

represents a spot on the landscape that

has many diverse properties (also

known as attributes). These attributes

include the point’s geographical,

physical, environmental, political, and

economic characteristics. If the map is a

topographical map, the attributes of the

point are its elevation, geographical

coordinates, or distance to the nearest

road or town. Examples of attributes

that would not be shown are ownership,

when the property containing the point

was last sold, the value of the property

containing the point, and what soils are

likely to be found at the point.

Anything that can be attributed to

the point can be represented as a map

attribute. One attribute of importance to

the rural appraiser is a point’s

contribution of value to the subject or

comparable property. This attribute can

take many forms and includes the

point’s productivity index, grazing
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NCSS Newsletter

capacity, proximity to a major

recreational area, etc.

Map—Characteristics 1

Maps and map products have a

specific set of characteristics that define

the map, how it can be used, and what

information is depicted. Three basic

map characteristics define the map and

are of concern to the rural appraiser.

These characteristics are type,

projection, and scale. Before digital

maps and digital mapping products,

cartographers set these map

characteristics. These decisions were

generally a compromise between the

publication format and the information

the cartographer was depicting. With

the advent of digital maps and

Geographic Information Systems (GIS),

the user becomes the cartographer and

must make some of the map publication

decisions that were once made by the

cartographers.

Given this shift in technology and

the capability to manipulate a digital

map, a basic understanding of map

characteristics is necessary. Following

is a brief discussion of each.

Type.—There are five basic types of

map products that can be used by an

appraiser. These are planimetric,

topographic, quadrangle, and thematic

line maps and image maps.

• Planimetric maps present political

and cultural features but do not show

relief. Examples of planimetric maps

are state and county highway maps,

cadastral (ownership) plats, and

political boundary (county) maps.

• Topographic maps represent the

shape and elevation of the terrain.

Elevation and landscape features are

represented by contour lines or

shading. Contour lines are lines of

equal elevation, and the contour

interval is the elevation difference

between contour lines. Generally,

topographical maps are made at a

scale of 1:24,000 with a contour

interval of 5 to 10 feet (2 to 5 meters)

on level terrain to 20 to 40 feet (6 to

12 meters) on steeper terrain. Map

scales of 1:100,000 and 1:250,000

with contour intervals of 100 to 200

feet (30 to 60 meters) are available in

some areas. Caution is required when

maps of different scale and contour

intervals are used because the

smaller the map scale, the less

precise and accurate the information

presented.

• Quadrangle maps are special

topographic maps that are 7.5

minutes of latitude (north and south)

by 7.5 minutes of longitude (east and

west). In some areas where a broader

view and less detail are needed or

useful, 15-minute quadrangles are

available.

• Thematic maps emphasize a single

topic, such as geology, soil, land use,

and production indexes, and depict

the extent, area, and distribution of

the topic or subject.

• Image maps, unlike the preceding

line maps, are prepared from aerial

and satellite imagery and have an

established scale and orientation. An

orthophotograph is a special type of

image map in which the

geographically projected photograph

has been corrected for displacement

of terrain tip, tilt, and relief. This

process creates an orthographically

correct photo base on which distance,

area, and direction can be measured

accurately. Image and

orthophotograph maps are becoming

more readily available and are being

used as base maps for line maps and

other map products.

Projection.—Map projection is

used to portray all or part of the round

Earth on a flat surface. This portrayal

cannot be done without some distortion.

Every projection has its own set of

advantages and disadvantages, and

there is no “best” projection. Briefly,

equivalent projection preserves size

(areal extent) but may distort shape.

Conformal projection preserves shape

but distorts areal extent. The map

maker must select the projection that

best represents the data depicted and

has the least amount of distortion. The

following U.S. Geological Survey

(USGS) Web site provides a good

discussion and overview of various

projections used to make maps:

http://mac.usgs.gov/mac/isb/pubs/

MapProjections/projections.html

Map projection is one of those map

technicalities that have been the

concern of cartographers and map

publishers. Historically, it has not been

an issue that has been of concern to the

user. It is becoming an issue for the user

as more map products are published

digitally and as GPS (Global

Positioning Systems) and GIS

(Geographical Information Systems)

technologies are applied. Computerized

mapping systems provide the user with

the capability to merge and manipulate

digital maps and aerial photographs and

create new maps or map products. This

potential allows the user to depict

special features of the subject property

or develop spatial analytical

information. However, merging digital

maps and aerial photographs gives poor

1 U.S. Department of Agriculture. 1990.

Basic Photo Interpretation. Soil Conservation

Service. Washington, DC. Chapter 6.
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NCSS Newsletter

results or is impossible if the various

map layers or images are of different

projection. For instance, an appraiser

using a GPS, which has the projection

set to UTM NAD 83, has located points

or boundary coordinates of the subject

property. If those coordinates are then

transferred to digital or hardcopy maps

or aerial photographs with a different

projection, the points or boundary tracts

will appear misplaced. If the map or

photograph is in UTM NAD 27

projection, the GPS data will appear to

shift several hundred feet south and

west of the original point or points. The

mixing of projections can give the

impression of error in either the map or

the GPS readings when in truth the data

are correct for both. It is the projection

that is different.

Scale.—Map scale can be simply

defined as the ratio of distance on a

photograph or map to its corresponding

distance on the ground. Map or

photographic scale is a ratio expressed

as 1:24,000, 1:12,000, or 1:250,000 or

as an equivalence expression, such as 1

inch equals 2,000 feet. Although map

scale is a fairly straightforward concept,

it does constrain the amount of

information depicted on the map.

For example, map publication scale

is set by the publication format and is a

compromise between the information

presented and the physical size of the

map publication. This compromise in

turn affects the amount and precision of

information depicted on the map

product. A good illustration of this

point is the NRCS soil survey report.

When soil survey maps are published at

a scale of 1:24,000, the smallest area of

soil a soil scientist can depict is about

10 acres. However, if the publication

scale is set at 1:12,000, soil scientists

can depict areas of soil as small as 2.5

acres. In areas of high-intensity

agriculture, such as the Corn Belt, the

greater resolution provided by the

1:12,000 soil maps is an important

planning and management resource

used by farmers, farm managers, and

agribusiness specialists. Conversely, in

the grazing lands of the West, ranchers

and rangeland managers are equally

well served by the lesser resolution

1:24,000 soil maps.

The advent of digital maps and

Geographic Information Systems

(GIS) allows the user to exercise more

control over map content and scale. In

this context, the rural appraisers can

change or tailor the maps or map

products to meet their individual

needs. Digital map scales can be

changed by zooming in or out, and the

result can be clipped and published in

an appraisal report. The caveat is that

current digital maps are based on their

published predecessors and the

information content has not changed.

Zooming into or out of the area of

interest on digital maps does not

increase or decrease the accuracy

or precision of the information

depicted. The information presented

is most reliable at the publication

scale whether in hardcopy or digital

format.

Map legend and metadata.—The

map legend provides a number of

important details about the map. Most

often, the map legend of a hardcopy

map includes the map name, the year

published, the scale, the projection,

and a distance scale. Digital spatial

data and maps also have a legend that

is technically referred to as metadata

(data about data). Metadata is

generally in a text file that accompanies

a digital map or aerial photograph. This

text file contains a description of the

digital data and information normally

found in a map’s legend and along its

margins. This information becomes

important when digital maps are

layered in GIS or other mapping

technologies to ensure that the scale

and projection of each map layer are

compatible.

Summary

Maps and map products in the

appraiser’s toolbox can be an important

part of the appraisal process and report.

However, the appraiser must decide

what maps or map products will

improve the appraisal process and/or

the appraisal report. The best map

products and mapping technologies are

not always obvious and will require

some research and testing. Issues to be

considered in the decision process are:

• Is the map to be used as an

informational source or as an

analytical tool?

• Is the map to be used to show the

subject’s location, define its

boundaries, calculate its area, or

represent its natural resources or

agronomic capability?

• What is the format, digital or

hardcopy?

• Are two or more maps to be used

simultaneously?

Once the appraiser begins to answer

these questions, the available options

become more focused. Adding maps

and map products to the appraisal

process or report is a process and not an

all-or-nothing proposition. As the

appraisers become more familiar with

mapping tools and products, they will

discover more applications of the new

technologies for their appraisal

products.

There are several good reference

Web sites that might be of assistance in

considering maps and their role in the

appraisal process:

http://mac.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/pubslists/

fctsht.html

http://oddens.geog.uu.nl/index.html

http://members.aol.com/bowermanb/

maps.html

http://www.maphistory.info/

webtexts.html

http://www.maphistory.info/

edson.html#intro 
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NCSS Newsletter

Not Your Typical Day in

the Field

By Kent Sutcliffe, Soil Scientist, Natural

Resources Conservation Service, Cedar City,

Utah.

The August day started out in a normal way for members of the

Grand Staircase-Escalante National

Monument Soil Survey Team. Jay

Skovlin, Soil Scientist, Kent Sutcliffe,

Project Leader, and Suzanne Mayne,

Range Specialist, packed up pit

description equipment and digital

cameras into Suzanne’s new truck and

headed east from Cedar City. The plan

for the day was to locate and describe

the type location of the Podo series and

to determine if the climate of the type

location properly reflects the

classification of the series. Lucky for

us, the type location is on a narrow strip

of Dixie National Forest between Bryce

Canyon National Park and the Grand

Staircase-Escalante National Monument

(GSENM). Although it is hard to take,

we often hike through beautiful

National Parks during work, in the

name of data integrity.

Before the attendant at Bryce waved

us on, she mentioned that there was a

lost hiker in the area. Apparently, a

woman had departed on a hike the

previous morning and not returned in

the evening. Since there is no water

available in the park’s backcountry, the

possibility of disorientation and injury

from dehydration is a real concern.

Since the Podo series type location

is somewhat remote, we planned on

doing an out-and-back hike from the

rim of Bryce Canyon. The mileage

would not be huge, but as anyone who

has ever been to Bryce knows, the

problem is in the 1,500 feet of elevation

we would cover hiking down and back

up. Although temperatures were quite

mild, we were all soon sweating

because of the need to keep a steady

pace. After a half hour or so of hiking,

we realized that at the rate we were

going, we were not going to be able to

make it to the type location and back by

nightfall. We decided to make it a

point-to-point hike. After visiting the

type location, we would continue down

the drainage to a pick-up point.

Suzanne offered to hike back and drive

her truck around to a small ranch at the

end of the drainage. She would then

leave the truck and hike up Willis Creek

to meet us.

As Jay and I hiked quickly through

the beautiful Claron Formation

outcroppings, we could not help but

notice the constant din of a helicopter.

Although we could not see the

helicopter from where we were, we

assumed it was searching for the

missing woman. It was making passes

through adjacent drainages, but it never

dropped into the area where we were

hiking. We finally made it to the quarter

section mentioned in the OSD and

found the type location. It had taken

longer to get there than we had

expected, so we quickly dug a pit, took

pictures, and made some additional site

observations. While working there, we

both thought we heard other voices, but

it was hard to tell with the distant

helicopter noise. Worried that Suzanne

might be close, we hiked on down

Ponderosa Canyon to its confluence

with Willis Creek.

Once at the confluence of the two

drainages, we drank some water and

briefly rested. We decided to drop our

packs, to ensure that Suzanne would

stop and not continue hiking up Willis

Creek while we continued our work. At

this point, I was sure I was hearing

someone yelling. Since the voice we

were hearing did not sound like it

belonged to Suzanne, we became a little

more worried. About 100 yards down

the trail, we found the lost woman! Jay

and I looked at each other in disbelief.

 She was lying under a ponderosa

tree, digging small trenches radially out

from the base of the tree. When we

approached her, it took a minute for her

to respond. Later we found out that she

had been hallucinating and was not sure

if we were real. After a few moments,

she began talking with us and made

clear what she needed: water. We dug

through our bags and produced all of

the water we had, including texturing

water. We encouraged her to drink

slowly, but she really did not want to

hear that.

After she drank all of the water we

had, she began to tell us about her

experience. It was quite clear to Jay and

me that she needed to get more fluids

and electrolytes. She had attempted to

eat earlier in the day, but her body had

rejected the food. She appeared to us to

be quite confused. She had dug the

trenches in order to “trap water.” She

spoke of lakes in the area that she had

drunk from in the past. Having hiked all

through the area, we knew none existed.

Even small ponds developed for

wildlife and cattle were long since dry

because of a drought. After drinking

some water, she regained some

strength. We told her that we had a

vehicle a few miles away, and she was

excited at the prospect of hiking to it

and getting medical help. She must

have had a surge of adrenaline, because

once on the trail she was hiking really

quickly. We figured she would not be

able to maintain the pace for 3 miles,

so we tried to slow her down a little.

Sure enough, after just a few hundred

yards, she started to falter and needed

to rest.

Now completely out of water, Jay

and I consulted with each other about

what to do. We decided that I would run
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NCSS Newsletter

Optional and Required Parts of Soil Survey Publications

Excerpted from Quality Improvement Rapid Response Team Soil Survey Publications Report,

August 2003, page 28.

Accessibility statement ............................................................................... Required

Cover .......................................................................................................... Required

“How To Use This Soil Survey” ................................................................. Required

“Box” information and EEO statement....................................................... Required

Contents ...................................................................................................... Required

Foreword (or Preface)................................................................................. Required

“General Nature of the Survey Area”

Introductory information and locator map .............................................. Required

Climate tables and “Climate” section .............................. Optional (link to WCC)

Other sections, such as “History,” “Natural

Resources,” and “Transportation Facilities” ........................................ Optional

“How This Survey Was Made” ................................................................... Required

“Survey Procedures” ................................................................................ Optional

“General Soil Map Units” ............................................ Optional (link to STATSGO)

Detailed soil map unit descriptions............................................................. Required

“Use and Management of the Soils” and

interpretive tables ............................................................................. Required*

“Land Capability Classification” ............................................................ Required

“Prime Farmland” .................................................................. Required if relevant

“Soil Properties” and properties tables

“Engineering Index Properties” .............................................................. Required

“Physical Properties” .............................................................................. Required

“Chemical Properties” ............................................................................ Required

“Soil Features” ........................................................................................ Required

“Water Features” ..................................................................................... Required

“Physical and Chemical Analyses of Selected Soils” ....... Optional (link to NSSL

 data)

“Engineering Index Test Data .................................................................. Optional

“Classification of the Soils” and classification table .................................. Required

Series descriptions ...............................................................Optional (link to OSDs)

“Formation of the Soils” .............................................................................. Optional

References .................................................................................................. Required

Glossary ...................................................................................................... Required

General soil map .......................................................... Optional (link to STATSGO)

Detailed soil maps

Detailed map sheets ................................................................................ Required

“Index to Map Sheets” ............................................................................ Required

“Conventional and Special Symbols Legend” ........................................ Required

“Soil Legend” ......................................................................................... Required

Photographs ................................................................................................. Optional

Block diagrams and other drawings ............................................................. Optional

* Required only for relevant uses (Cropland, pasture, woodland, range,

wildlife habitat, recreation, and engineering uses are all optional, depending on

relevancy.) 

down and try to find Suzanne and bring

the truck up the trail as far as possible. I

ran down the trail, anticipating the

appearance of Suzanne over every little

knoll. What I did not know is that

Suzanne was unable to find the key to

get into the ranch. As a result, she had

to park on the opposite end of the

ranch, adding about another mile to her

hike. Finally, I saw her and explained

what had happened. I think if I had not

been sweating so much and totally out

of breath, she would not have believed

me. I got the truck and headed up the

trail, soon picking up Suzanne. We

continued on, and she bristled at the

sound of branches scraping her brandnew Chevy pickup. I reassured her that

“they’ll buff out.” We finally arrived in

the area where we had parted ways, but

no one was there.

Jay immediately popped out of the

woods, looking calm. His face wore an

expression that seemed to say, “What’s

the big hurry?” He went on to explain

that while we were gone, the helicopter

had come over the ridge to search the

Willis Creek drainage. Jay had been

able to catch the attention of the

helicopter crew by yelling and waving

his sharpshooter shovel. After circling

several times, the crew was able to land

the helicopter and administer aid to the

woman. After they offered us cold

bottled water, we discovered that they

were an interagency crew of fire and

safety people. They had been searching

for this person the whole day, in

addition to several hours the previous

evening. The information they had

received from the family indicated that

the woman had gotten lost several miles

from where we found her. It was only

out of frustration that the helicopter

crew decided to search the Willis Creek

drainage. The crew members were very

thankful for our efforts. We packed up

the truck and headed home, discussing

our very unusual day in the field. 
8

NCSS Newsletter

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all

its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex,

religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family

status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities

who require alternative means for communication of program information

(Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at

(202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil

Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW,

Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA

is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

National Soil Survey

Center Tests XRF Meter

From “NRCS Technology News,” April 2004.

Scientists at the National Soil Survey Center (NSSC) tested a

portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF)

meter as potential new technology for

field soil surveys in urban and industrial

areas. The suitability of portable XRF

meters to supplement current laboratory

methods to measure trace element

contents in soils was evaluated. Trace

element contents have long been

important for accurate soil mapping in

urban and industrial areas and for soil

survey interpretations. Recent requests

from state soils staffs have included soil

contents of lead (Pb), arsenic (As), and

selenium (Se).

This technology is useful in soil

surveys for four major reasons:

• The rapid growth in urban soil

surveys is expected to add more

analyses to the workload of the Soil

Survey Laboratory.

• Screening sites in the field before

extensive sampling can lead to

savings up to 60 percent on

equipment and personnel and to

reduced mapping time.

• Safety can be increased at urban

sampling sites if soils are screened

before employees are exposed to

contaminated materials.

• Cooperators, such as the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency

(including the Lead-Safe Yard

Program), already use portable XRF

meters in the field to identify sites

with high risk from metals in soil and

paint residue.

 It is recommended that NRCS soil

scientists and conservationists in urban

areas attend the available training on

portable XRF meters to increase their

awareness and skill with tools used by

Prepared soil samples (dried and finely

ground) packed into cells for analysis in

the portable XRF meter.

Example of a portable XRF meter with

attachments for direct field soil

sampling or analysis of prepared soil

samples.

Positioning of portable XRF meter.

cooperators. These general vendor

training sessions can be followed by

local onsite workshops and joint

sampling trips for field training

coordinated by NSSC scientists.

Portable XRF meters are affordable

new technology for NRCS. These XRF

meters can increase the safety and

efficiency of soil surveys in urban and

industrial areas while supplementing

existing laboratory resources.

For more information, contact:

Joyce Scheyer

National Soil Survey Center

402-437-5698

joyce.scheyer@nssc.nrcs.usda.gov