LOCATION ELLSBURG MN
Established Series
CTS-RTR-AGG
01/2011
ELLSBURG SERIES
The Ellsburg series consists of very deep, poorly drained soils that formed in loamy glacial till on lake plains, till plains and moraines. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent. Mean annual air temperature is about 38 degrees F. Mean annual precipitation is about 28 inches.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Typic Glossaqualfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Ellsburg silt loam with a level slope on a lake plain under a mixed hardwood and coniferous forest at an elevation of 1,320 feet. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 4 inches; black (10YR 2/1) silt loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; moderate medium granular structure; friable; many fine and medium and few coarse roots; about 1 percent cobbles and 3 percent gravel; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (1 to 5 inches thick)
E--4 to 10 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam, light gray (10YR 7/2) dry; moderate thin platy structure parting to weak very fine subangular blocky; very friable; many fine and medium and few coarse roots; few fine faint gray (10YR 6/1) Fe depletions; about 1 percent cobbles and 3 percent gravel; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick)
B/E--10 to 23 inches; 80 percent yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) loam (Bt), 20 percent light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) loam (E); moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; many fine and medium roots; few patchy faint dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) clay films on faces of peds; common medium prominent reddish brown (5YR 4/4) Fe concentrations; about 1 percent cobbles and 3 percent gravel; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary. (5 to 15 inches thick)
Bt1--23 to 38 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/3) clay loam; strong medium subangular blocky structure; firm; few fine roots; common discontinuous faint dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) clay films on faces of peds and common continuous prominent gray (5Y 5/1) clay films in root channels; common medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) Fe concentrations; about 1 percent cobbles and 3 percent gravel; moderately acid; diffuse wavy boundary.
Bt2--38 to 48 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) loam; strong medium subangular blocky structure; firm; very few fine roots; many discontinuous faint dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) clay films on faces of peds and common continuous prominent gray (5Y 5/1) clay films in root channels; many medium prominent light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) Fe depletions; about 1 percent cobbles and 3 percent gravel; slightly acid; diffuse wavy boundary.
Bt3--48 to 65 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/3) loam; strong medium subangular blocky structure; firm; very few fine roots; common discontinuous faint dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) clay films on faces of peds and few discontinuous gray (5Y 5/1) clay films in root channels; common medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) Fe concentrations and common medium prominent gray (5Y 6/1) Fe depletions; about 1 percent cobbles and 3 percent gravel; neutral; diffuse wavy boundary. (combined thickness of the Bt horizons is 30 to 50 inches)
C--65 to 80 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) loam; massive with weak coarse prismatic soil fragments dissected by few 2 to 3 millimeter vertical fractures 1 to 5 feet apart; firm; common medium prominent gray (5Y 6/1) Fe depletions; about 1 percent cobbles and 3 percent gravel; neutral.
TYPE LOCATION: St. Louis County, Minnesota; about 2.5 miles south and 15 miles east of the town of Payne; about 1,900 feet east and 1,800 feet north of the southwest corner of section 24, T. 53 N., R. 18 W.; USGS Payne Quadrangle, latitude 47 degrees 3 minutes 37 seconds N. and 92 degrees 34 minutes 11 seconds W., NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The depth to free carbonates is 50 to more than 80 inches. The rock fragment content by volume is 2 to 10 percent with 1 to 10 percent gravel, 0 to 2 percent cobbles and 0 to 1 percent stones.
The A horizon has hue of 5YR through 10YR, value of 2 or 3 and chroma of 1 through 3. It is silt loam, loam, fine sandy loam or very fine sandy loam. It is strongly acid to slightly acid. It has less than 30 percent very coarse, coarse and medium sand.
The E horizon has hue of 2.5Y through 7.5YR, value of 4 to 6 and chroma of 1 to 3. It is loam, fine sandy loam or silt loam. It has less than 30 percent very coarse, coarse and medium sand. It is strongly acid to slightly acid.
The B/E or E/B horizon has hue of 10YR through 5YR, value of 4 to 6 and chroma of 4 to 8. The Bt part is loam or fine sandy loam. The E part is loam, fine sandy loam or silt loam. It has less than 30 percent very coarse, coarse and medium sand. It is strongly acid to slightly acid.
The Bt horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 5YR, value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 2 to 6. It is loam or clay loam. It is moderately acid to neutral. The clay content ranges from 20 to 35 percent.
Some pedons have a BC horizon.
The C horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 5YR, value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 2 to 4. It is loam or clay loam. It is slightly acid to slightly alkaline. The clay content ranges from 18 to 30 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Dancy and
Morph series. The Dancy soils have more than 30 percent very coarse, coarse and medium sand in the upper 20 to 40 inch mantle. The Morph series formed in stratified sediment and have layers in the lower third of the series control section that have less than 18 percent clay.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Ellsburg soils have linear to slightly concave slopes on lake plains, till plains and moraines. They formed in glacial till. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent. The mean annual air temperature is 36 to 42 degrees F. Mean annual precipitation is 26 to 30 inches. Frost free days range from 90 to 120. Elevation above sea level ranges from 1,150 to 1,450 feet.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Dusler,
Hellwig (T),
Schisler (T),
Melrude (T),
Baden (T) and
Cathro soils. The somewhat poorly drained Dusler soils are on slightly more convex portions of the landscape. The poorly drained Hellwig, Schisler and Melrude soils are on similar landscapes. Hellwig and Schisler soils have an upper 2 story mantle 20 to 40 inches thick. Melrude soils formed in loamy sediments 60 or more inches thick. The very poorly drained Baden soils are in shallow depressions, swales and along the edges of depressions of organic soils. The very poorly drained Cathro soils are basins and depressions.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Poorly drained. Surface runoff is very low or low. Saturated hydraulic conductivity, expressed in inches per hour, is .6 to 2.0 in the upper part and .06 to .2 in the lower part. The Ellsburg soils have an apparent seasonal high saturation at depths as high as .5 foot below the surface at some time from April to June in normal years.
USE AND VEGETATION: This soil is forested. Overstory vegetation includes quaking aspen, paper birch, and balsam fir. Native vegetation is mixed deciduous and coniferous forest.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern Minnesota. Moderately extensive. MLRA-88.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Mille Lacs County, Minnesota, 2005.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 4 inches (A horizon); albic horizon - the zone from 4 to 10 inches (E horizon); glossic horizon - the zone from 10 to 23 inches (B/E horizon); argillic horizon - the zone from 10 to 65 inches ( B/E and Bt horizons); aquic condition (suborder) based on a presumed positive reaction with alpha-alpha dipyridyl at some time during the year in 6 out of 10 years. This red parent material does not produce reduced soil colors typical of other parent materials. 1/18/2011-TYPE LOCATION error was corrected.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Soil Interpretation Record number MN0790.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.