LOCATION BLUFFTON MN+WIEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Typic Endoaquolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Bluffton loam with a slightly concave slope of 1 percent in a depression on a ground moraine in a cultivated field. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 8 inches; black (10YR 2/1) loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; common roots; slightly acid; abrupt smooth boundary.
A1--8 to 15 inches; black (N 2/0) loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; few roots; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary.
A2--15 to 19 inches; black (10YR 2/1) loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; weak medium prismatic structure parting to weak medium subangular and angular blocky; friable; few roots; few faint clay films or shiny coatings on faces of peds; slightly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of A horizons is 7 to 24 inches.)
Bg--19 to 22 inches; dark gray (5Y 4/1) fine sandy loam; few medium prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) Fe concentrations; weak medium prismatic structure parting to weak medium angular and subangular blocky; friable; few roots; few distinct black coatings on vertical faces of prisms; about 6 percent gravel; few limestone pebbles; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 30 inches thick)
Cg1--22 to 26 inches; light olive gray (5Y 6/2) fine sandy loam; few medium distinct greenish gray (5BG 6/1) Fe depletions and pale olive (5Y 6/4) Fe concentrations; massive; friable; few roots; olive gray (5Y 4/2) and dark olive gray (5Y 3/2) fillings in old root channels; about 5 percent gravel; slight effervescence; slightly alkaline; clear wavy boundary.
Cg2--26 to 38 inches; gray (5Y 6/1) loam; few medium distinct greenish gray (5BG 6/1) Fe depletions and prominent olive yellow (5Y 6/6) Fe concentrations; massive; friable; few roots; about 4 percent gravel; slight effervescence; slightly alkaline; clear wavy boundary.
Cg3--38 to 60 inches; light olive gray (5Y 6/2) sandy clay loam; many coarse prominent greenish gray (5BG 6/1) Fe depletions and strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) Fe concentrations; massive; friable; few roots; about 4 percent gravel; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Washington County, Minnesota; about 2 miles north of Mahtomedi; 2,200 feet east and 900 feet south of the northwest corner of sec. 6, T. 30 N., R. 21 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness and depth to free carbonates commonly are 15 to 44 inches, but ranges to greater than 60 inches in some pedons. The mollic epipedon is 7 to 24 inches thick. The series control section has 18 to 30 percent clay, 45 to 65 percent sand, and 10 to 15 percent very fine sand. Content of rock fragments of mixed lithology ranges from 0 to 10 percent in the upper part to a few pebbles to 10 percent in the lower part. Textural change with depth in these soils commonly is erratic. Some pedons have an O horizon as much as 6 inches in thickness. The soil moisture control section is saturated for 20 to 60 days in most years following the summer solstice unless artificially drained.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 1 or 2 or is N 2/ or N 3/. It has mottles in some pedons. It is loam, silt loam, sandy loam or sandy clay loam. The A horizon is neutral to moderately acid.
The B horizon has hue of 5Y or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6 and chroma of 1 or 2. It is fine sandy loam, loam, clay loam or sandy clay loam. It is moderately acid to neutral.
The Bk horizons are present in some pedons. They have properties similar to the C horizons.
The C horizon has hue of 5Y or 2.5Y, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 1 or 2. It mostly is loam, fine sandy loam, or sandy clay loam, but subhorizons with coarser texture are in some pedons. It is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Flom series. However, when formerly classified as Typic Haplaquolls, the competing series were Larry, Mahtowa, Mann, and Wyard. Flom soils have less than 45 percent sand in the series control section. Larry and Wyard soils are substantially drier in the moisture control section during the 120 days following the summer solstice. Also, Larry soils have more than 10 percent rock fragments in the control section. Mahtowa soils have hue 5YR or redder in the lower part of the control section. The Mann soils have more than 45 percent silt and less than 20 percent fine sand or coarser in the upper part of the control section and high density soil materials in the lower part.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: These soils have concave slopes with gradients less than 2 percent in depressions, swales, and drainageways on glacial moraines. At least the upper part of the solum formed in loamy local alluvium from glacial till. The lower part of the solum or the C horizon is loamy till of the Des Moines Lobe including the St. Louis and Grantsburg sublobes of the Late Wisconsin glaciation. Mean air annual temperature ranges from 37 to 45 degrees F. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 26 to 30 inches. Frost-free days range from 90 to 145. The elevation above sea level ranges from 1000 to 1500 feet.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: The main ones are the Alstad, Beltrami, Cushing, Nebish, Shooker, and Talmoon soils. The Bluffton soils are members of both the Nebish-Beltrami-Shooker hydrosequence and the Cushing-Alstad hydrosequence. The well drained Nebish and Cushing soils have convex slopes and are on higher lying more sloping terrain. The moderately well drained Beltrami soils have nearly level to gently undulating plane or slightly convex slopes. The somewhat poorly drained Alstad and poorly drained Shooker and Talmoon soils have nearly level slightly convex to slightly concave slopes. Organic soils such as Cathro and Seelyeville are common associates in some places.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Very poorly drained. Surface runoff is very slow or ponded. Permeability is moderately rapid or moderate in the upper part and moderate or moderately slow in the lower part. Apparent water table ranges from plus 2 feet to 1 foot at some time from January to December.
USE AND VEGETATION: Some of these soils are in native vegetation; some are used for pasture; and some are drained and used for small grain, corn and soybeans. Native vegetation is mixture of water-tolerant grasses, deciduous trees and coniferous trees. Principal species are alder, black ash, black spruce, willow, and sedges.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central and northern Minnesota, and northwestern Wisconsin. Moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Wadena County, Minnesota, 1926.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features in this pedon: mollic epipedon - the zone from the surface to 19 inches (A horizons); cambic horizon - the zone from 19 to 22 inches; aquic moisture regime - low chroma matrix on horizon below mollic epipedon. Series formerly classified as Typic Haplaquolls, fine-loamy, mixed, frigid.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Refer to Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station Central File Code No. 1563 for results of some laboratory analyses of the typical pedon.