Aggregate lab data for the ULYSSES soil series. This aggregation is based on all pedons with a current taxon name of ULYSSES, and applied along 1-cm thick depth slices. Solid lines are the slice-wise median, bounded on either side by the interval defined by the slice-wise 5th and 95th percentiles. The median is the value that splits the data in half. Five percent of the data are less than the 5th percentile, and five percent of the data are greater than the 95th percentile. Values along the right hand side y-axis describe the proportion of pedon data that contribute to aggregate values at this depth. For example, a value of "90%" at 25cm means that 90% of the pedons correlated to ULYSSES were used in the calculation. Source: KSSL snapshot (updated 2020-03-13). Methods used to assemble the KSSL snapshot used by SoilWeb / SDE
Pedons used in the lab summary:
Monthly water balance estimated using a leaky-bucket style model for the ULYSSES soil series. Monthly precipitation (PPT) and potential evapotranspiration (PET) have been estimated from the 50th percentile of gridded values (PRISM 1981-2010) overlapping with the extent of SSURGO map units containing each series as a major component. Monthly PET values were estimated using the method of Thornthwaite (1948). These (and other) climatic parameters are calculated with each SSURGO refresh and provided by the fetchOSD function of the soilDB package. Representative water storage values (“AWC” in the figures) were derived from SSURGO by taking the 50th percentile of profile-total water storage (sum[awc_r * horizon thickness]) for each soil series. Note that this representation of “water storage” is based on the average ability of most plants to extract soil water between 15 bar (“permanent wilting point”) and 1/3 bar (“field capacity”) matric potential. Soil moisture state can be roughly interpreted as “dry” when storage is depleted, “moist” when storage is between 0mm and AWC, and “wet” when there is a surplus. Clearly there are a lot of assumptions baked into this kind of monthly water balance. This is still a work in progress.
Siblings are those soil series that occur together in map units, in this case with the ULYSSES series. Sketches are arranged according to their subgroup-level taxonomic structure. Source: SSURGO snapshot (updated 2024-10-24), parsed OSD records (updated 2025-02-20) and snapshot of SC database (updated 2025-02-20).
Select annual climate data summaries for the ULYSSES series and siblings. Series are sorted according to hierarchical clustering of median values. Source: SSURGO map unit geometry and 1981-2010, 800m PRISM data (updated 2024-10-23).
Geomorphic description summaries for the ULYSSES series and siblings. Series are sorted according to hierarchical clustering of proportions and relative hydrologic position within an idealized landform (e.g. top to bottom). Most soil series (SSURGO components) are associated with a hillslope position and one or more landform-specific positions: hills, mountain slopes, terraces, and/or flats. Proportions can be interpreted as an aggregate representation of geomorphic membership. The values printed to the left (number of component records) and right (Shannon entropy) of stacked bars can be used to judge the reliability of trends. Small Shannon entropy values suggest relatively consistent geomorphic association, while larger values suggest lack thereof. Source: SSURGO component records (updated 2024-10-23).
There are insufficient data to create the 3D mountains figure.
Soil series competing with ULYSSES share the same family level classification in Soil Taxonomy. Source: parsed OSD records (updated 2025-02-20) and snapshot of the SC database (updated 2025-02-20).
Select annual climate data summaries for the ULYSSES series and competing. Series are sorted according to hierarchical clustering of median values. Source: SSURGO map unit geometry and 1981-2010, 800m PRISM data (updated 2024-10-23).
Geomorphic description summaries for the ULYSSES series and competing. Series are sorted according to hierarchical clustering of proportions and relative hydrologic position within an idealized landform (e.g. top to bottom). Proportions can be interpreted as an aggregate representation of geomorphic membership. Most soil series (SSURGO components) are associated with a hillslope position and one or more landform-specific positions: hills, mountain slopes, terraces, and/or flats. The values printed to the left (number of component records) and right (Shannon entropy) of stacked bars can be used to judge the reliability of trends. Shannon entropy values close to 0 represent soil series with relatively consistent geomorphic association, while values close to 1 suggest lack thereof. Source: SSURGO component records (updated 2024-10-23).
There are insufficient data to create the 3D hills figure.
There are insufficient data to create the 3D mountains figure.
Soil series sharing subgroup-level classification with ULYSSES, arranged according to family differentiae. Hovering over a series name will print full classification and a small sketch from the OSD. Source: snapshot of SC database (updated 2025-02-20).
Click a link below to display the diagram. Note that these diagrams may be from multiple survey areas.
Main soils and underlying materials in soil association 2 (Soil Survey of Prowers County, Colorado; 1966).
Cross sections showing relationships of the soils to the landscape and to the underlying geologic formations in Prowers County. The upper cross section shows relationships in the western part of the county, and the lower shows those in the eastern part of the county (Soil Survey of Prowers County, Colorado; 1966).
Typical pattern of soils and parent material in the Colby-Razor association (Soil Survey of Cheyenne County, Kansas; 1989).
Typical pattern of soils and parent material in the Colby-Ulysses-Keith association (Soil Survey of Cheyenne County, Kansas; 1989).
Typical pattern of soils and parent material in the Manter-Satanta-Kim association (Soil Survey of Cheyenne County, Kansas; 1989).
Typical cross section of the Pawnee River drainage basin (Soil Survey of Finney County, Kansas; 1965).
Typical cross section of the valley of the Arkansas River (Soil Survey of Finney County, Kansas; 1965).
Typical cross section of the Scott-Finney depression (Soil Survey of Finney County, Kansas; 1965).
Typical cross section of the Manter-Keith association (Soil Survey of Finney County, Kansas; 1965).
A geologic cross section west of Dodge City showing the major soil associations in Ford County (Soil Survey of Ford County, Kansas; 1965).
Relationships of soils in association 1. Included is a small part of association 3 (Soil Survey of Grant County, Kansas; 1969).
Relationships of soils in association 2 (Soil Survey of Grant County, Kansas; 1969).
Relationships of soils in association 3 (Soil Survey of Grant County, Kansas; 1969).
Relationships of soils in association 4 (Soil Survey of Grant County, Kansas; 1969).
Relationships of soils in association 5 (Soil Survey of Grant County, Kansas; 1969).
Soils of the Mansic-Ulysses soil association are on the right; on the left are soils of the Pratt-Tivoli soil association (Soil Survey of Gray County, Kansas; 1968).
Approximate geologic cross section through the central part of Gray County and the general location of soils on the landscape (Soil Survey of Gray County, Kansas; 1968).
Typical section of the Richfield-Ulysses soil association (Soil Survey of Greeley County, Kansas; 1961).
Approximate geologic cross section (north and south) through central Greeley County (Soil Survey of Greeley County, Kansas; 1961).
Cross section of the valley of White Woman Creek in Greeley County (Soil Survey of Greeley County, Kansas; 1961).
Geologic profile extending in a north-south direction through the central part of Hamilton County (Soil Survey of Hamilton County, Kansas; 1961).
Typical topographic relation of three soil associations in Haskell County. Tivoli-Vona association, the farthest north, blocks drainageways flowing from the Satanta-Manter and the Richfield-Ulysses associations to the south (Soil Survey of Haskell County, Kansas; 1968).
Soils of the Richfield-Ulysses association in the central part of the county (Soil Survey of Haskell County, Kansas; 1968).
Landscape showing soils of the Richfield-Spearville-Ulysses association in the southeastern part of the county (Soil Survey of Haskell County, Kansas; 1968).
Cross section of the county showing the relationship of some of the soils of the uplands to the parent material and topography (Soil Survey of Kearny County, Kansas; 1963).
An approximate geologic profile of Kearny County, extending in a north-south direction across the county near Hartland (Soil Survey of Kearny County, Kansas; 1963).
Pattern of soils in association 1 (Soil Survey of Lane County, Kansas; 1972).
Pattern of soils in association 2 (Soil Survey of Lane County, Kansas; 1972).
Geologic cross section of the western part of the county. (Based on plate 6 of "Geology and Ground-Water Resources of Morton Co., Kans." (6).) (Soil Survey of Morton County, Kansas; 1963.)
Typical cross section of the major soils of the Richfield-Ulysses association (Soil Survey of Scott County, Kansas; 1965).
Typical cross section of part of the valley of Ladder (Beaver) Creek (Soil Survey of Scott County, Kansas; 1965).
An approximate geologic profile extending in an east-west direction across Scott County near Shallow Water (Soil Survey of Scott County, Kansas; 1965).
Cross section of the Scott-Finney depression and part of sandy area to the east near the Scott-Finney county line (Soil Survey of Scott County, Kansas; 1965).
Typical pattern of soils in the Ulysses-Colby-Keith association (Soil Survey of Sheridan County, Kansas; 1984).
Typical pattern of soils in the Ulysses-Pendend-Colby association (Soil Survey of Sheridan County, Kansas; 1984).
Typical pattern of major soils in soil association 1 (Soil Survey of Sherman County, Kansas; 1973).
Typical pattern of major soils in soil association 2 (Soil Survey of Sherman County, Kansas; 1973).
Typical pattern of major soils in soil association 3 (Soil Survey of Sherman County, Kansas; 1973).
Major range sites in Sherman County (Soil Survey of Sherman County, Kansas; 1973).
A cross section of Sherman County soils extending through the center of the county (Soil Survey of Sherman County, Kansas; 1973).
Diagram of the Richfield-Ulysses soil association on the High Plains (Soil Survey of Stanton County, Kansas; 1961).
Diagram of the Manter-Dalhart-Ulysses soil association in the valley of Bear Creek (Soil Survey of Stanton County, Kansas; 1961).
Pattern of soils of the upland in northeastern Stanton County and cross section of part of the valley of Bear Creek (Soil Survey of Stanton County, Kansas; 1961).
Diagram of the Ulysses-Manter-Richfield soil association in the northwestern part of Stanton County (Soil Survey of Stanton County, Kansas; 1961).
Geological cross section through the central part of Stevens County (Soil Survey of Stevens County, Kansas; 1961).
Typical pattern of soils and underlying material in the Ulysses-Colby association (Soil Survey of Wallace County, Kansas; 1986).
Typical pattern of soils and underlying material in the Colby-Kim-Midway association (Soil Survey of Wallace County, Kansas; 1986).
Cross section of association 2 along White Woman Creek (Soil Survey of Wichita County, Kansas; 1965).
Relationship of soils to the landscape and to the common parent materials of Wichita County (Soil Survey of Wichita County, Kansas; 1965).
Typical pattern of soil and underlying material in the Blackwood-Ulysses association (Soil Survey of Dundy County, Nebraska).
Typical pattern of soil and underlying material in the Sully association (Soil Survey of Dundy County, Nebraska).
Typical landscape pattern of the soils and underlying material in the Kuma association (Soil Survey of Chase County, Nebraska; November 1982).
Typical landscape pattern of the soils and underlying material in the Colby association (Soil Survey of Chase County, Nebraska; November 1982).
Typical area in the Anselmo-Keith soil association (Soil Survey of Dundy County, Nebraska; February 1963).
Typical area in the Colby soil association (Soil Survey of Dundy County, Nebraska; February 1963).
Colby soil association merging with the Bridgeport-Havre soil association (Soil Survey of Dundy County, Nebraska; February 1963).
Typical area in the Keith soil association (Soil Survey of Dundy County, Nebraska; February 1963).
The Bridgeport-Havre soil association, on the right, merges with the Sandy alluvial land-Las association (Soil Survey of Dundy County, Nebraska; February 1963).
The relationship of soils to topography and parent material in the Colby-Ulysses association (Soil Survey of Hayes County, Nebraska; August 1982).
Typical pattern of soils in the Holdrege-Keith association (Soil Survey of Red Willow County, Nebraska; April 1967).
Typical pattern of soils in the Hord, terrace-McCook-Bridgeport association (Soil Survey of Red Willow County, Nebraska; April 1967).
Parent material and parent rock of most of the soils in Beaver County, and their position on the landscape (Soil Survey of Beaver County, Oklahoma; August 1962).
Typical pattern of the soils in association 1, Texas County, Okla (Soil Survey of Texas County, Oklahoma; July 1961).
Typical pattern of the soils in association 3, Texas County, Okla (Soil Survey of Texas County, Oklahoma; July 1961).
Representative pattern of soils in association 1 (Soil Survey of Shannon County, SD; 1971).
General relationship of the soils in Carson County (Soil Survey of Carson County, TX; 1962).
A representative pattern of soils in one of the playas of the Pullman-Randall soil association (Soil Survey of Carson County, TX; 1962).
Soil toposequence of playas (Soil Survey of Carson County, TX; 1962).
Soil toposequence of the escarpment separating the High Plains from the Rolling Plains (Soil Survey of Carson County, TX; 1962).
Map units containing ULYSSES as a major component. Limited to 250 records.
Approximate geographic distribution of the ULYSSES soil series. To learn more about how this distribution was mapped, or to compare this soil series extent to others, use the Series Extent Explorer (SEE) application. Source: generalization of SSURGO geometry (updated 2024-10-30).