LOCATION CLARION IA+MNEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Hapludolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Clarion loam, on a convex upland with a slope of 4 percent, in a cultivated field. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 18 centimeters (7 inches); black (10YR 2/1) loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; many roots; about 3 percent gravel; slightly acid; abrupt smooth boundary.
A1--18 to 30 centimeters (7 to 12 inches); very dark brown (10YR 2/2) loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; many roots; about 3 percent gravel; common worm casts; slightly acid; gradual smooth boundary.
A2--30 to 46 centimeters (12 to 18 inches); dark brown (10YR 3/3) loam, brown (10YR 4/3) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; many roots; many distinct very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) coats on faces of peds; about 3 percent gravel; slightly acid; gradual smooth boundary. [Combined thickness of the A horizon is 25 to 51 centimeters (10 to 20 inches).]
Bw1--46 to 66 centimeters (18 to 26 inches); dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; many roots; many fine pores; common distinct dark brown (10YR 3/3) coats on faces of peds; about 3 percent gravel; neutral; gradual smooth boundary.
Bw2--66 to 91 centimeters (26 to 36 inches); dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common roots; many fine pores; about 3 percent gravel; neutral; gradual smooth boundary. [Combined thickness of the Bw horizon is 20 to 71 centimeters (8 to 28 inches).]
C1--91 to 132 centimeters (36 to 52 inches); yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) loam; massive; friable; few calcium carbonate masses; few fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) Fe concentrations; few fine distinct light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) Fe depletions; about 3 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary.
C2--132 to 152 centimeters (52 to 60 inches); yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) loam; massive; friable; common roots; many fine pores; common fine distinct light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) Fe depletions; common fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) Fe concentrations; about 3 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Hamilton County, Iowa; about 1 mile east and 5 miles south of Stanhope; 12 meters (40 feet) west and 73 meters (240 feet) north of the southeast corner of section 32, T. 86 N., R. 25 W.; USGS Mackey quadrangle; lat. 42 degrees 12 minutes 37 seconds N. and long. 93 degrees 46 minutes 35 seconds W., NAD83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Thickness of the mollic epipedon--25 to 51 centimeters (10 to 20 inches)
Depth to carbonates--46 to 127 centimeters (18 to 50 inches)
Clay content of the particle-size control section (weighted average)--18 to 28 percent
Sand content of the particle-size control section--30 to 50 percent
Coarse fragments--1 to 10 percent throughout the profile
Ap or A horizon:
Hue--10YR
Value--2 or 3
Chroma--1 to 3
Texture--loam, sandy loam, silt loam with high sand content, or clay loam
Reaction--slightly acid or neutral
Bw horizon:
Hue--10YR or 2.5Y
Value--4 or 5
Chroma--3 or 4
Texture--loam or clay loam
Reaction--moderately acid to neutral; some pedons are slightly alkaline in the lower part
Some pedons have a Bk or BC horizon.
C horizon:
Hue--10YR or 2.5Y
Value--4 to 6
Chroma--2 to 4
Texture--the moderately coarse substratum phase has textures of loam, fine sandy loam or sandy loam. It has 12 to 22 percent clay and more than 40 percent total sand. The moderately fine substratum phase has textures of loam or clay loam. It has 20 to 30 percent clay and less than 45 percent total sand. Redox depletions typically occur in this horizon.
Reaction--moderately alkaline or slightly alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: These are
Arbor,
Aredale,
Bode,
Cresken,
Everly,
Farrar,
Frontenac,
Garmore,
Kenyon,
Limecreek,
Liscomb,
Moland,
Neeper,
Ocheyedan,
Omsrud,
Ostrander, and
Rossfield series.
Arbor, Cresken, Everly, Kenyon, and Ostrander soils have a lithologic discontinuity in the lower half of the series control section with moist bulk density greater than 1.6 g/cc
Aredale soils do not have carbonates in the series control section
Bode soil average between 28 and 35 percent clay in the particle-size control section
Farrar soils average greater than 50 percent sand in the upper third of the series control section
Frontenac soils contain 35 to 70 percent coarse fragments in the lower third of the series control section
Garmore soils have carbonate at depths greater than 127 centimeters (50 inches)
Limecreek soils average less than 20 percent sand in the upper half of the series control section
Liscomb soils have a bulk density greater than 1.6 g/cc in the lower third of the series control section
Moland soils contain 15 to 35 percent clay in the upper third of the series control section
Neeper soils do not have carbonates in the series control section
Ocheyedan soils do not have rock fragments in the series control section
Omsrud soils are not saturated with water in the lower third of the series control section
Rossfield soils contain 10 to 40 percent coarse fragments in the lower third of the series control section
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material--calcareous glacial till
Landform--convex slopes in the relatively undissected, gently undulating to rolling Late Wisconsin till plain
Slopes--1 to 9 percent
Elevation--213 to 427 meters (700 to 1400 feet) above sea level
Mean annual air temperature--7 to 10 degrees C (45 to 50 degrees F)
Mean annual precipitation--69 to 81 centimeters (27 to 32 inches)
Frost free period--120 to 180 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: Members of the typical catena include
Nicollet,
Omsrud,
Storden, and
Webster series.
Nicollet soils typically occur on slight rises and are saturated in the upper two thirds of the series control section.
Omsrud soils occupy steeper or more strongly convex slopes and do not have saturation within the series control section.
Storden soils occupy steeper or more strongly convex slopes and contain carbonates throughout the series control section.
Webster soils occur at lower landscape positions and are saturated throughout the series control section.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class--moderately well drained--a frequently saturated zone occurs within depths of 1.2 to 1.8 meters (4 to 6 feet) during March to June in normal years
Saturated hydraulic conductivity--moderately high to high
Surface runoff potential--is very low to medium depending on slope
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are cultivated. The principal crops are corn, soybeans, small grains, and legume hay. The native vegetation is big bluestem, little bluestem, switchgrass, and other grasses of the tall grass prairie.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Physiographic Division--Interior Plains
Physiographic Province--Central Lowland
Physiographic section--Western lake section
MLRA--Central Iowa and Minnesota Till Prairie (103)
Extent--north-central Iowa and south-central Minnesota. The Clarion soils are extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Hamilton County, Iowa, 1917.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle-size control section--the zone from 25 to 100 centimeters (10 to 40 inches)
Series control section--the zone from the surface to a depth of 150 centimeters (59 inches)
Mollic epipedon--zone from the surface to a depth of 18 inches (Ap, A1, and A2 horizon)
Cambic horizon--the zone from 46 to 91 centimeters (18 to 36 inches) (Bw1 and Bw2 horizons)
Udic moisture regime.
The concepts of moderately coarse and moderately fine substratum phases were established by the mlra-103 steering committee based on an analysis of particle size data from Iowa and Minnesota. The Des Moines Lobe till generally gets sandier and has less clay as one progresses south along the path of the Des Moines advance.
Based on piezometer data from Iowa and Minnesota the Clarion series concept was changed to a soil that has soil saturation between 4 and 6 feet. Previously, Clarion soils did not have saturation above 6 feet.
In parts of MLRA-103 this drainage class is called well drained based on the Soil Survey Manual. Drainage class is a state interpretation.