LOCATION MINNEWAUKAN ND+ID SDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Mixed, frigid Typic Psammaquents
TYPICAL PEDON: Minnewaukan loamy fine sand on a northeast-facing slope of 1 percent in native grass. When described the soil was moist to 44 inches and saturated from 44 to 60 inches. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated)
A--0 to 3 inches; black (10YR 2/1) loamy fine sand, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; weak fine subangular blocky and granular structure; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; many roots; about 1 percent gravel; slight effervescence; slightly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 8 inches thick)
AC--3 to 5 inches; dark grayish brown and very dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2 and 2.5Y 3/2) loamy coarse sand, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) dry; single grained; nonsticky and nonplastic; many roots; about 15 percent gravel; slight effervescence; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick)
C--5 to 16 inches; dark grayish brown with olive brown (2.5Y 4/2 with 2.5Y 4/4) loamy sand, light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) dry; many fine distinct dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) mottles; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to weak medium subangular blocky; soft, very friable, slightly sticky and nonplastic; few roots; about 1 percent gravel; slight effervescence; slightly alkaline; clear wavy boundary.
Cg1--16 to 28 inches; olive gray and olive (5Y 4/2 and 5Y 4/3) loamy sand, light gray and light olive gray (5Y 6/1 and 5Y 6/2) dry; very weak coarse prismatic structure; slightly sticky and nonplastic; few fine roots; about 10 percent pebbles; about 30 percent of sand and pebbles are shale fragments; few fine masses of carbonate; slight effervescence; slightly alkaline; clear wavy boundary.
Cg2--28 to 36 inches; olive gray and gray (5Y 5/2 and 5Y 5/1) fine sand, light gray (5Y 7/2) dry; single grained; nonsticky and nonplastic; about 1 percent gravel; slight effervescence; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary.
Cg3--36 to 50 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) fine sand, brown (10YR 4/3 and 10YR 5/3) dry; single grained; nonsticky and nonplastic; few small iron and manganese concretions; slight effervescence; moderately alkaline.
Cg4--50 to 60 inches; olive (5Y 4/3) fine sand, pale olive (5Y 6/3) dry; single grained; nonsticky and nonplastic; slight effervescence; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Benson County, North Dakota; about 3 1/2 miles north and 1 mile west of Warwick; 1055 feet south and 150 feet west of the northeast corner, sec. 17, T. 151 N., R. 63 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The 10- to 40-inch control section typically is loamy fine sand, loamy sand, fine sand or sand. Some pedons are stratified and some have fine sandy loam to silty clay loam layers below depths of 40 inches. Some have horizons that contain 1 to 20 percent by volume of gravel. A few pedons contain gypsum crystals and other salts.
The A and AC horizons have hue of 10YR, 2.5Y, or 5Y, value of 2 to 4 and 3 to 6 dry, and chroma of 1 or 2 moist or dry. Horizons having color darker than value of 3.5 moist and 5.5 dry are less than 6 inches thick. Textures range from fine sandy loam to sand. These horizons are neutral or slightly alkaline. Some pedons have thin Ab horizons.
The C horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y, or 5Y and rarely 5GY, value of 3 to 5 and 4 to 7 dry, and chroma of 1 to 4. It is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline. Distinct or prominent mottles are in some horizons.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bantry, Deford and Gunbarrel series. Bantry soils do not have carbonates in the upper part of the profile. Deford soils are noncalcareous above 25 inches and have thicker dark colored surface horizons. Gunbarrel soils are high in exchangeable sodium.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Minnewaukan soils are on level and nearly level floodplains, beaches and basins of current and glacial lakes. Slope gradients are 0 to 3 percent. The soils formed in calcareous sorted sands. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 37 to 45 degrees F, and mean annual precipitation from 15 to 24 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Lallie soils on the same lake plain and the Arveson, Colvin, Divide, Fossum, Grano, Hamar, Hegne, Marysland and Ojata soils on nearby lake and outwash plains. Lallie soils are fine. All of the other soils have mollic epipedons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained. Runoff is negligible. Permeability is rapid. A seasonal high water table is at depth of 0.5 foot above the surface to 1.5 foot below the surface at some time during the period March through July. Some areas are covered with water during periods of excessive moisture.
USE AND VEGETATION: The soils are used for range or pasture. Native vegetation is northern reedgrass, prairie cordgrass, little bluestem, tall dropseed and shrubs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central and eastern North Dakota and Idaho. The series is moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Eddy County and parts of Benson and Nelson Counties, North Dakota, 1971.
REMARKS: Revised 3/95.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 5 inches (A and AC horizons).