LOCATION COE NDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy-skeletal, mixed, frigid Entic Hapludolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Coe sandy loam on a northwest-facing convex slope of 5 percent under native grass. When described the soil was moist to 18 inches and dry below 18 inches. (Colors are for dry soil unless otherwise stated)
A--0 to 6 inches; dark gray (10YR 4/1) sandy loam, black (10YR 2/1) moist; weak fine subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine granular; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many very fine and fine roots; about 10 percent gravel; about 80 percent shale in the 0.1 to 76 mm fraction; slight effervescence; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
C1--6 to 16 inches; light brownish gray and gray (2.5Y 6/2 and 5Y 6/1) very gravelly coarse sand, dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) moist; single grained; nonsticky and nonplastic; few very fine roots; about 45 percent gravel; about 80 percent shale in the 0.1 to 76 mm fraction; slight effervescence; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary.
C2--16 to 60 inches; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) very gravelly coarse sand, dark gray and dark grayish brown (N 4/0 and 2.5Y 4/2) moist; single grained; nonsticky and nonplastic; some evidence of stratification; about 45 percent gravel; about 85 percent shale in the 0.1 to 76 mm fraction; strong effervescence in the upper part and slight effervescence below 30 inches; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Nelson County, North Dakota; about 2 miles west and 3/4 mile north of Pekin; 1,120 feet south and 200 feet east of the northwest corner, sec. 20, T. 150 N., R. 60 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to sand and gravel ranges from 6 to 14 inches. Some pedons do not have carbonates throughout. The 10 to 40 inch control section averages 35 to 80 percent rock fragments and has more than 20 percent shale in the fine sand through gravel fractions. It is coarse sand, sand, loamy sand or loamy coarse sand. The mollic epipedon typically is 7 or 8 inches thick and ranges from 7 to 12 inches thick.
The A horizon has 10YR hue, value of 3 to 5 and 2 or 3 moist, and chroma of 1. It is loam, coarse sandy loam, gravelly loam, gravelly sandy loam or sandy loam. It is neutral or slightly alkaline. Some pedons have AC or Bk horizons.
The C horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 4 to 7 and 4 to 6 moist, and chroma of 3 or less. It is gravelly, very gravelly, or extremely gravelly coarse sand, sand or loamy coarse sand. It is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Alpena and Sioux series in the same family and the Binford and Brantford series. Alpena and Sioux soils have less than 20 percent shale in the 0.1 to 76 mm fraction of the C horizon. Binford and Brantford soils have cambic horizons. Binford soils are sandy and Brantford soils are fine-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Coe soils are on level to steep slopes of outwash plains, eskers, beach ridges and terraces of valley side slopes. Slopes range from 0 to 35 percent. The soils formed in glaciofluvial sand and gravel deposits from shale bedrock overridden by the Wisconsin ice sheet. Mean annual temperature ranges from about 37 to 45 degrees F, and mean annual precipitation from 16 to 24 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Binford and Brantford soils and the Buse, Kloten, Renshaw and Vang soils. Binford, Brantford, Renshaw and Vang soils are on nearby outwash plains and have cambic horizons. Buse soils are on glacial till and are fine-loamy. Kloten soils are on nearby valley side slopes and uplands and are shallow to soft shale bedrock.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Excessively drained. Slow runoff. Very rapid permeability.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used primarily for pasture. Native vegetation is stonyhills muhly, green needlegrass, upland sedges and silverberry.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern North Dakota. The soils are moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Walsh County, North Dakota, 1971.
REMARKS: Revised 12/91.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: mollic epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 7 inches (after mixing) (A horizon).