LOCATION BRAHAM MN+WI
Established Series
Rev.KDS-AGG
02/2011
BRAHAM SERIES
The Braham series consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in a sandy glacial outwash or eolian mantle and underlying calcareous, loamy till. These soils are on moraines. They have rapid permeability in the upper mantle and moderate to moderately slow permeability in the underlying till. Slopes range from 6 to 30 percent. Mean annual air temperature is about 42 degrees F. Mean annual precipitation is about 25 inches at the type location.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Arenic Hapludalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Braham loamy fine sand with a convex slope of 10 percent on a ground moraine in a cultivated field. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)
Ap--0 to 8 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loamy fine sand, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry; weak very fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; slightly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (7 to 10 inches thick)
E1--8 to 12 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) loamy sand; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary.
E2--12 to 28 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) loamy sand; single grain; loose; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (12 to 30 inches thick)
2Bt1--28 to 42 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm; common faint brown (10YR 4/3) clay films on faces of peds; about 5 percent gravel; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
2Bt2--42 to 48 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few faint brown (10YR 4/3) clay films on vertical fractures and in root channels; about 5 percent gravel; neutral; clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of 2Bt horizon is 6 to 26 inches.)
2Bk--48 to 80 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) loam; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; friable; few threads of calcium carbonate on faces of fractures; about 5 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Sherburne County, Minnesota; 2,350 feet south and 1,050 feet east of the northwest corner of sec. 20, T. 34 N., R. 28 W.; USGS Becker quadrangle; lat. 45 degrees 25 minutes 25 seconds N. and long. 93 degrees 51 minutes 22 seconds W., NAD27
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The depth to free carbonates ranges 27 to 60 inches. The upper mantle is 20 to less than 40 inches thick. Rock fragments, by volume, range from 0 to 10 percent gravel in the upper part and 2 to 10 percent gravel and 0 to 5 percent cobbles in the underlying till. A gravelly lag line up to 5 inches thick may occur at the contact of the upper mantle and the till. Rock fragments range to 35 percent, by volume, in this horizon.
The A or Ap horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 1 through 3. Cultivated areas include a color value of 4. It is loamy sand, loamy fine sand, or loamy coarse sand. The reaction is strongly acid to slightly acid. In uncultivated areas the A horizon is 1 to 5 inches thick.
The E horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 1 to 3. It is loamy sand, loamy fine sand, sand or coarse sand. The reaction is strongly acid to slightly acid. Thin lamellae may occur in this horizon.
Some pedons have a thin B/E, 2B/E, E & Bt, or 2E/B horizons.
The 2Bt horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y; value of 4 or 5; and chroma of 3 or 4. It is loam, clay loam, or sandy clay loam. The clay content averages more than 18 percent. The reaction is moderately acid to neutral.
The 2Bk horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 10YR, value of 4 to 7; and chroma of 2 to 4. It is loam or clay loam. Carbonate threads or masses are common to many. Reaction is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline
Some pedons have a 2BC horizon with loamy or silty textures.
The 2C horizon (when present) has hue of 2.5Y or 10YR, value of 4 to 6; and chroma of 2 to 4. It is loam or clay loam. Reaction is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline. The moist bulk density is 1.4 to 1.6 g/cc. Redox features with chroma of 1 to 4 are present.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Akeley,
Andrusia,
Demontreville,
Leaflake,
Pomroy and
Redeye series. Akeley soils have sandy mantles thicker than 40 inches over lacustrine sediments. Andrusia soils formed entirely in medium and coarse sands and have less than 20 percent clay in the argillic horizon. DeMontreville soils have hues that are 7.5YR or redder in the argillic horizon, are dominated by medium and coarse sands and have less than 18 percent clay. Leaflake soils have underlying glacial till less than 18 percent clay. Pomroy and Redeye soils have argillic horizons with less than 18 percent clay and have formed in dense till with very slow permeability.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Braham soils have convex slopes on glacial moraines. Slopes range from 6 to 30 percent. These soils formed in a sandy glacial outwash or eolian mantle and underlying calcareous, loamy till. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 22 to 30 inches. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 36 to 45 degrees F. Frost-free days range from 88 to 145. Elevation above sea level ranges from 670 to 1,500 feet.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the moderately well drained
Cutaway, somewhat poorly drained
Ricelake, and poorly drained
Blomford soils that form a drainage sequence. The well drained
Kelliher and
Nebish soils are associated in places.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Surface runoff is low. Permeability is rapid in the upper part and moderate or moderately slow in the lower part.
USE AND VEGETATION: Braham soils primarily are cropped to soybeans, corn, small grain, and hay in the southern part of their range and are used for growing pasture and forest in the northern part of their range. Native vegetation is mixed hardwood, spruce and pine species.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North-central, east-central and west-central Minnesota. MLRA's-57, 88 91 and possibly MLRA-93. Moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Isanti County, Minnesota, 1956.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features in this pedon are: ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface to 28 inches (Ap and E horizons); argillic horizon - the zone from 28 to 48 inches (2Bt horizons); Arenic subgroup-loamy fine sand from surface to 28 inches.
The type location was moved to Sherburne County, Minnesota to better characterize the series. The previous type location would fit the current concept of the Cutaway series. 2/11/2011-TYPE LOCATION error was corrected.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.