LOCATION ESCANABA MIEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy over loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Alfic Haplorthods
TYPICAL PEDON: Escanaba loamy fine sand - 1 to 6 percent slopes; 1,400 feet north and 2,300 feet east of the southwest corner of section 31, T. 45 N., R. 27 W.; USGS Green Hills topographic quadrangle. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated).
Oe--0 to 1 inch, partially decomposed leaf litter.
A--1 to 3 inches; black (5YR 2.5/1) loamy fine sand, dark gray (5YR 4/1) dry; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many very fine to coarse roots; about 3 percent gravel; moderately acid; abrupt wavy boundary.
E--3 to 6 inches; reddish gray (5YR 5/2) loamy fine sand; pinkish gray (5YR 6/2) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; many very fine to coarse roots; about 3 percent gravel; moderately acid; abrupt wavy boundary.
Bs1--6 to 12 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) loamy fine sand; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; many very fine to medium roots; about 3 percent gravel; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bs2--12 to 26 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) loamy fine sand; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; few fine and medium roots; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary.
2E/B--26 to 35 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/3) loamy fine sand, pinkish gray (5YR 6/2) dry (E); occupies about 60 percent of the horizon as tongues extending into or completely surrounding isolated remnants of dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) fine sandy loam (Bt); few distinct discontinuous dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) clay films on faces of peds; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine and medium roots; common very fine vesicular pores; about 3 percent gravel and 2 percent cobbles; neutral; clear irregular boundary.
2Bt--35 to 42 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) fine sandy loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine and medium roots; few distict discontinuous dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) clay films on faces of peds; common very fine vesicular pores; about 3 percent gravel and 2 percent cobbles; neutral; gradual wavy boundary.
2C--42 to 80 inches; reddish brown (5YR 5/4) gravelly fine sandy loam; massive with weakly expressed thin platiness inherrent from deposition; friable; few fine and medium roots; about 14 percent gravel and 6 percent cobbles; Slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Marquette County, Michigan; 13 miles east of Witch Lake; 1400 feet north and 2300 feet east of the southwest corner of sec. 31, T. 45 N., R. 27 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 24 to 58 inches. The sandy upper part of the solum is 20 to 35 inches thick. The solum ranges from strongly acid to neutral in the upper part and from slightly acid to neutral in the lower part. The substratum is neutral or slightly alkaline. Volume of gravel ranges from 0 to 10 percent in the solum and from 3 to 20 percent in the substratum. Volume of cobbles range from 0 to 15 percent throughout the pedon.
The A horizon has hue of 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR, or is neutral; value of 2 or 3; and chroma of 0 to 2. Where present, the Ap horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, and value and chroma of 2 to 4. The A horizon is sand, loamy fine sand, loamy sand, or fine sand.
The E horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 3 to 6, and chroma of 2 to 6. Colors with chroma of 3 to 6 have value dry of 7 or more. It is loamy fine sand, fine sand, or sand.
The Bs1 horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, and value and chroma of 3 or 4. The Bs2 horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, and value and chroma of 4 to 6. The Bs horizons are loamy fine sand, loamy sand, fine sand or sand.
The 2E/B horizon consists of E material surrounding remnants of Bt horizon. The E portion has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 2 to 6. Colors with chroma of 2 to 6 have value dry of 7 or more. It is loamy sand, loamy fine sand or fine sand. The Bt portion has colors and textures like the Bt horizon. Some pedons have 2B/E horizons with similar colors and textures as the 2E/B horizon.
The 2Bt horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 3 to 6. It is fine sandy loam or sandy loam. The average clay content of the 2Bt horizon ranges from 7 to 18 percent.
The 2C horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 3 to 6. It is fine sandy loam, sandy loam, or their gravelly analogues. Small pockets of sand and gravel occur in some pedons.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series in this family. Related soils are the Menominee and Guenther series. Menominee soils have 18 to 35 percent clay in the Bt horizon. Guenther soils lack carbonates in the lower part of the series control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Escanaba soils are on end moraines, ground moraines, and drumlins of Wisconsinan Age. Slopes range from 0 to 18 percent. The mean annual precipitation ranging from 28 to 33 inches. The mean annual temperature ranges from 41 to 46 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Deford, Emmet, Ensley, Pemene, Rousseau, Solona, and Wainola soils. Deford and Ensley soils are poorly drained and very poorly drained and are in depressions on nearby landscapes. Emmet soils are generally finer textured in the upper part of the solum. Pemene soils have coarser textured substratums. Rousseau soils are sandy. Emmet, Pemene, and Rousseau soils are adjacent to Escanaba soils and all are on similar landscape positions. Solona and Wainola soils are somewhat poorly drained and are on lower areas adjacent to Escanaba soils.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Permeability is moderately rapid in the sandy upper part of the pedon and moderate in the loamy lower part. Surface runoff is slow or medium.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are forested with sugar maple, red maple, white birch, bigtooth aspen, quaking aspen, red pine, and eastern white pine.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan and possibly Northern Wisconsin. The soils of this series are not extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Dickinson County, Michigan, 1985.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 6 inches (A and E horizons); albic horizon - the zone from 2 to 6 inches (E horizon); glossic horizon - the zone from 21 to 34 inches (2E/B horizon); argillic horizon - the zone from 34 to 46 inches (Bt horizon); arenic feature - a sandy particle-size class from the surface to the top of the argillic horizon - the zone from the surface to 34 inches (A, E, Bs1, Bs2 and 2E/B horizons). For information on this soil see Michigan Technological University pedon S82MI-043-5.