LOCATION MALARDI MNEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Argiudolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Malardi sandy loam, on a convex slope of about 4 percent, on a glacial outwash plain, in a cultivated field. (Colors are for moist unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 25 centimeters; black (10YR 2/1) sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; many fine roots; about 4 percent gravel; slightly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (17 to 30 centimeters thick)
Bt1--25 to 38 centimeters; brown (10YR 4/3) sandy loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; few discontinuous dark brown (10YR 3/3) clay films on faces of peds; common fine roots; about 6 percent gravel; slightly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (7 to 40 centimeters thick)
2Bt2--38 to 74 centimeters; brown (10YR 4/3) loamy coarse sand; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; clay bridging between sand grains; few fine roots; about 8 percent gravel; neutral; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 41 centimeters thick)
2C--74 to 203 centimeters; brown (10YR 5/3) gravelly sand; single grain; loose; about 16 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Major Land Resource Area (MLRA) 103-Central Iowa and Minnesota Till Prairies, Wright County, Minnesota subset; about 2 miles south and 4.5 miles east of Silver Creek; located about 2,550 feet west and 100 feet north of the southeast corner of section 13, T. 121 N., R. 26 W; USGS Silver Creek topographic quadrangle; lat. 45 degrees 16 minutes 58 seconds N. and 93 degrees 54 minutes 02 seconds W., NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Thickness of the mollic epipedon--17 to 45 centimeters thick
Depth to carbonates--45 to 150 centimeters
Depth to sandy and gravelly sediments--25 to 50 centimeters
Clay content of the particle-size control section (weighted average)--2 to 10 percent
Sand content of the particle-size control section (weighted average)--45 to 70 percent, more than 50 percent medium sand
Ap or A horizon:
Hue--10YR
Value--2 or 3
Chroma--1 to 3
Texture--sandy loam or coarse sandy loam
Clay content--5 to 18 percent
Sand content--50 to 75 percent
Rock fragment content--0 to 15 percent, 2 to 5 millimeters of mixed lithology
Reaction--moderately acid to neutral
Bt horizon:
Hue--7.5YR or 10YR
Value--3 to 5
Chroma--2 to 4
Texture--fine sandy loam, sandy loam, coarse sandy loam, loam, or the gravelly analogues of these textures
Clay content--5 to 18 percent
Sand content--50 to 75 percent
Rock fragment content--0 to 35 percent, 2 to 5 millimeters of mixed lithology
Reaction--moderately acid to neutral
2Bt or 2BC horizon (when present):
Hue--7.5YR or 10YR
Value--3 to 5
Chroma--2 to 6
Texture--loamy sand, loamy coarse sand, coarse sand, sandy loam or the gravelly analogues of these textures
Clay content--1 to 10 percent
Sand content--70 to 95 percent
Rock fragment content--10 to 60 percent, mostly 2 to 5 millimeters of mixed lithology
Reaction--moderately acid to neutral
2C horizon:
Hue--10YR or 2.5Y
Value--3 to 6
Chroma--2 to 4
Texture--loamy sand, sand, loamy coarse sand, coarse sand, or the gravelly analogues of these textures
Clay content--0 to 5 percent
Sand content--70 to 99 percent
Rock fragment content--10 to 60 percent, mostly 2 to 5 millimeters of mixed lithology
Reaction--slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Eden Prairie,
Norborne, Onaraga, and
Rasset series.
Eden Prairie--have a rock fragment content of less than 15 percent in the lower half of the series control section
Norborne--have a mollic epipedon more than 60 centimeters thick
Onaraga--have a clay content that averages 12 to 18 percent in the particle-size control section
Rasset--have a clay content of more than 10 percent in the upper two thirds of the series control section
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material--25 to 50 centimeters of loamy outwash sediments and the underlying sandy and gravelly outwash sediments, Late Wisconsin age
Landform--nearly level or convex slopes on outwash plains, stream terraces and on collapsed glacial alluvium within ground moraines or end moraines
Slope--0 to 35 percent
Elevation--200 to 450 meters above sea level
Mean annual air temperature--4 to 10 degrees C
Mean annual precipitation--585 to 965 millimeters
Frost-free period--135 to 205 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Angus,
Hamel,
Klossner, and
Lester, soils.
Angus--are on landscape positions similar to those of the Malardi soils and have a clay content that averages 22 to 30 percent in the particle-size control section
Hamel--are on lower landscape positions on foot slopes or toe slopes and are frequently saturated at the surface of the soil during the wettest periods of normal years
Klossner--are on lower landscape positions in depressions and have 41 to 127 centimeters of organic material over loamy deposits
Lester--are on landscape positions similar to those of the Malardi soils and have a clay content that averages 24 to 35 percent in the particle-size control section
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class--somewhat excessively drained--these soils do not have a frequently saturated zone within a depth of 1.8 meters during the wettest periods of normal years
Saturated hydraulic conductivity--10.00 to 100.00 micrometers per second in the loamy sediments and 100.00 to 705.00 micrometers percent in the sandy and gravelly sediments
Surface runoff potential--negligible to medium
USE AND VEGETATION:
Most areas are cultivated. The principal crops are corn, soybeans, small grain, and some legumes. Some areas are in pasture. The native vegetation was mixed deciduous forest and prairie grasses of the tall grass prairie.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Physiographic Division--Interior Plains
Physiographic Province--Central Lowland
Physiographic sections--Western lake section, Wisconsin driftless section and Dissected till plains
MLRAs--Central Minnesota Sandy Outwash (91A),
Central Iowa and Minnesota Till Prairies (103),
Eastern Iowa and Minnesota Till Prairies (104), and
Northern Mississippi Valley Loess Hills (105)
LRR K and LRR M; eastern, east-central and southeastern Minnesota
Extent--moderate
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Wright County, Minnesota, 1998.
REMARKS:
Particle-size control section--the zone from a depth of 25 to 74 centimeters;
series control section--the zone from the surface to a depth of 150 centimeters.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon include:
mollic epipedon--the zone from the surface to a depth of 25 centimeters (Ap horizon);
argillic horizon--the zone from a depth of 25 to 74 centimeters (Bt and 2Bt horizons);
udic moisture regime.
Cation-exchange activity class is inferred from lab data from similar soils in the surrounding area.
Taxonomy version--Keys to Soil Taxonomy, tenth edition, 2006.