LOCATION LESTER MN+IAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Mollic Hapludalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Lester loam, on a convex slope of about 9 percent, on a ground moraine, in a cultivated field. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)
Ap--0 to 18 centimeters; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; friable; many fine roots; about 3 percent gravel; slightly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (15 to 25 centimeters thick)
Bt1--18 to 53 centimeters; brown (10YR 4/3) clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm; many very fine roots; common very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) clay films on faces of peds and few very dark gray (10YR 3/1) organic coats on faces of peds; about 2 percent gravel; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary.
Bt2--53 to 97 centimeters; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine roots; common dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) clay films on faces of peds and few very dark brown (10YR 2/2) organic coats on faces of peds; about 3 percent gravel; slightly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (The combined thickness of the Bt horizon is 25 to 100 centimeters.)
Bk1--97 to 127 centimeters; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine roots; common very pale brown (10YR 8/2) carbonate threads; about 2 percent gravel; violently effervescent; slightly alkaline; clear wavy boundary.
Bk2--127 to 152 centimeters; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common very pale brown (10YR 8/2) carbonate threads; common fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) iron concentrations; about 2 percent gravel; violently effervescent; slightly alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (The combined thickness of the Bk horizon is 25 to 100 centimeters.)
C--152 to 203 centimeters; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) loam; massive; friable; common medium distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) iron concentrations and few fine distinct light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) iron depletions; about 1 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Major Land Resource Area (MLRA) 103-Central Iowa and Minnesota Till Prairies, Wright County, Minnesota subset; about 3 miles west of Otsego; located about 2,150 feet north and 200 feet west of the southeast corner of section 15, T. 121 N., R. 24 W.; USGS Big Lake topographic quadrangle; lat. 45 degrees 17 minutes 29 seconds N. and long. 93 degrees 41 minutes 3 seconds W., NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to carbonates--50 to 140 centimeters
Clay content in the particle-size control section (weighted average)--24 to 35 percent
Sand content in the particle-size control section (weighted average)--30 to 45 percent
Rock fragment content--1 to 8 percent, mixed lithology
A or Ap horizon:
Hue--10YR
Value--2 or 3
Chroma1 or 2
Texture--loam, clay loam, sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or silt loam
Clay content--8 to 30 percent
Sand content--20 to 60 percent
Reaction--moderately acid to neutral
E horizon (when present):
Hue--10YR
Value--3 to 5
Chroma1 to 3
Texture--loam, clay loam, sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or silt loam
Clay content--8 to 30 percent
Sand content--20 to 60 percent
Reaction--moderately acid to neutral
Bt horizon:
Hue--10YR or 2.5Y
Value--4 or 5
Chroma3 or 4
Texture--clay loam or loam
Clay content--24 to 35 percent
Sand content--30 to 45 percent
B/A clay ratio--1.2 to 1.4
Reaction--strongly acid to neutral
Some pedons have a Bw horizon below the Bt horizon
Bk horizon:
Hue--10YR or 2.5Y
Value--4 or 5
Chroma3 to 6
Texture--clay loam or loam
Clay content--20 to 30 percent
Sand content--30 to 45 percent
Reaction--slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline
Some pedons have redoximorphic features
C horizon:
Hue--10YR or 2.5Y
Value--4 to 6
Chroma3 to 6
Texture--clay loam, loam or sandy loam
Clay content--12 to 32 percent
Sand content--30 to 60 percent
Reaction--slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline
Moist bulk density--1.40 to 1.55 gm/cc
Some pedons have redoximorphic features
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Angus,
Argyle,
Bassett,
Blooming,
Caleb,
Cortland,
Gara,
Koronis,
Newcomer,
Orwood,
Racine,
Sebbo,
Taopi,
Waucoma, and
Winneshiek series.
Angus--have a frequently saturated zone between depths of 1 to 1.8 meters during the wettest part of years when precipitation is within one standard deviation of the 30 year mean of annual precipitation
Argyle--have matrix hue of 7.5YR to 2.5YR in the lower half of the series control section
Bassett--have a moist bulk density range of 1.75 to 1.9 gm/cc in the lower third of the series control section
Blooming--have carbonates within depths of 90 to 165 centimeters and have a sand content that averages 15 to 35 percent in the particle-size control section
Caleb--do not have carbonates within a depth of 200 centimeters
Cortland--do not have carbonates within a depth of 200 centimeters
Gara--have a clay content that averages 30 to 35 percent in the particle-size control section and have carbonates within depths of 75 to 178 centimeters
Koronis--have a clay content that averages 18 to 24 percent in the particle-size control section
Newcomer--have a paralithic contact with sandstone within a depth of 102 centimeters
Orwood--do not have rock fragments in the series control section
Racine--have a moist bulk density range of 1.75 to 1.9 gm/cc in the lower third of the series control section
Sebbo--have a frequently saturated zone at a depth of 1 meter during the wettest part of years when precipitation is within one standard deviation of the 30 year mean of annual precipitation and have 0 to 15 percent sandstone channers and cherty gravel throughout the series control section
Taopi--have carbonates within a depth of 100 centimeters and have soft limestone or siltstone rock fragment content of 10 to 40 percent in the lower third of the series control section
Waucoma--have a lithic contact with limestone within a depth of 150 centimeters
Winneshiek--have a lithic contact with limestone within a depth of 100 centimeters
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material--calcareous, loamy till, late Wisconsinan Age
Landform--convex slopes on moraines and till plains
Slope--5 to 70 percent
Elevation--300 to 400 meters above sea level
Mean annual air temperature--6 to 10 degrees C
Mean annual precipitation--585 to 890 millimeters
Frost-free period--155 to 200 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Angus,
Cordova,
Hamel,
Le Sueur and
Nessel soils.
Angus--are on landscape positions similar to those of the Lester soils and have a frequently saturated zone between depths of 1 to 1.8 meters during the wettest part of years when precipitation is within one standard deviation of the 30 year mean of annual precipitation
Cordova--are on lower landscape positions on flats and upper drainageways and have a frequently saturated zone between depths of 0.15 to 0.45 meter during the wettest part of years when precipitation is within one standard deviation of the 30 year mean of annual precipitation
Hamel--are on lower landscape positions on foot and toe slopes and have a mollic epipedon 60 to 150 centimeters thick
Le Sueur--are on slightly lower landscape positions on slightly convex slopes on moraines and have a frequently saturated zone between depths of 0.45 to 0.75 meter during the wettest part of years when precipitation is within one standard deviation of the 30 year mean of annual precipitation
Nessel--are on slightly lower landscape positions on slightly convex slopes on moraines and have a frequently saturated zone between depths of 0.60 to 1 meter during the wettest part of years when precipitation is within one standard deviation of the 30 year mean of annual precipitation
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class--well drained--a frequently saturated zone does not occur within a depth of 1.8 meters during the wettest part of years when precipitation is within one standard deviation of the 30 year mean of annual precipitation
Saturated hydraulic conductivity--1.00 to 10.00 micrometers per second
USE AND VEGETATION:
Most areas are cultivated. The principal crops are corn and soybeans. Some areas are pastureland and forest. The native vegetation is savanna.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Physiographic Division--Interior Plains
Physiographic Province--Central Lowland
Physiographic Section--Western lake section
MLRA--Central Iowa and Minnesota Till Prairies (103)
LRR--M; south-central and east-central Minnesota and north-central Iowa
Extent--large
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Dakota County, Minnesota, l945.
REMARKS:
Particle-size control section--the zone from a depth of 18 to 68 centimeters;
series control section--the zone from the surface to a depth of 152 centimeters.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon include:
ochric epipedon--the zone from the surface to a depth of 18 centimeters (Ap horizon);
argillic horizon--the zone from a depth of 18 to 97 centimeters (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons);
calcic horizon--the zone from a depth of 97 to 152 centimeters (Bk1 and Bk2 horizons);
udic moisture regime.
Mollic subgroup based on the colors of the upper 18 centimeters after mixing.
Areas with slopes of 1 to 5 percent that were previously correlated as Lester may be included with the Angus series in the future.
Taxonomy version--Keys to Soil Taxonomy, tenth edition, 2006.