LOCATION MUNISING MIEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, active, frigid Alfic Oxyaquic Fragiorthods
TYPICAL PEDON: Munising loamy sand - forested. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Oe--0 to 1 inch; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/2) partially decomposed forest litter; many roots; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 2 inches thick)
A--1 to 2 inch; black (5YR 2/1) sandy loam, gray (5YR 5/1) dry; weak fine granular structure; friable; many roots; about 2 percent gravel; very strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 3 inches thick)
E--2 to 10 inches; pinkish gray (5YR 6/2) loamy sand; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; common roots; about 2 percent gravel; very strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 10 inches thick)
Bhs--10 to 14 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) sandy loam; weak very coarse granular structure; friable with some strongly cemented tongues; many roots; about 2 percent gravel; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
Bs--14 to 22 inches; reddish; reddish brown (5YR 4/3) sandy loam; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; slightly hard when dry; friable; common roots; about 2 percent gravel; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (3 to 11 inches thick)
Bx--22 to 30 inches; reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) loamy sand; few fine faint yellowish red (5YR 4/6) masses of iron accumulation; weak thick platy structure; slightly hard and brittle when dry; firm; few roots; about 2 percent gravel; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick)
Ex--30 to 41 inches; pinkish gray (5YR 6/2) loamy sand; few reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) pieces which appear to be remnants of Bt; massive; very hard and brittle; very firm; vesicular; about 2 percent gravel; strongly acid; abrupt irregular boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick)
(B/E)x--41 to 49 inches; reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) sandy loam (B); common vesicular pores; thin clay flows in pores; occupies about 80 percent of the horizon surrounded by tongues of pinkish gray (5YR 6/2) sandy loam (E); massive; very hard and brittle; very firm; about 2 percent gravel; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 23 inches thick)
Bt--49 to 63 inches; reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) sandy loam; massive; friable; clay flows along vertical faces of peds and in pores; about 2 percent gravel; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 18 inches thick)
C--63 to 80 inches; reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) sandy loam; massive; friable; about 3 percent gravel; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary.
TYPE LOCATION: Baraga County, Michigan; 0.6 miles northeast of Ravine River Bridge and 150 feet south of road; 1,000 feet north and 1,100 feet east of the center of sec. 4, T. 51 N., R. 31 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 34 to more than 80 inches. Depth to the fragipan ranges from 15 to 25 inches. Volume of gravel ranges from 1 to 10 percent and volume of cobbles ranges from 0 to 5 percent throughout the pedon. The total content of rock fragments is less than 10 percent throughout the profile. Stones range from 0 to 2 percent throughout the pedon. The solum is very strongly acid to moderately acid and the C horizon is moderately acid to slightly acid.
Cultivated areas have a dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) Ap horizon 6 to 10 inches thick.
The A horizon has hue of 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR or is neutral; value of 2 through 4; and chroma of 0 to 2.
The E horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR; value of 5 or 6. The A and E horizons are loamy sand, loamy fine sand, sandy loam, or fine sandy loam.
The Bhs horizon has value and chroma of 2 or 3. The Bs horizon has value of 3 or 4 and chroma of 3 to 6. The Bhs and Bs horizons are fine sandy loam or sandy loam.
The Bx horizon has hue of 2.5YR or 5YR . It is loamy sand or sandy loam.
The Ex horizon has value of 4 to 6 and chroma of 2 to 4. It is loamy sand, loamy fine sand, fine sandy loam or sandy loam.
The (B/E)x horizon is loamy sand, loamy fine sand, sandy loam, or fine sandy loam. Colors are similar to the Bx and Ex horizons. The fragipan horizons are very hard or extremely hard when dry and very firm to extremely firm when moist. Faint to distinct redoximorphic features are in the upper part of the fragipan as a result of impeded drainage.
Some pedons have an (E/B)x horizon with colors and textures similar to the (B/E)x. The presence and arrangement of the fragipan horizons is variable but at least one fragipan layer is present in all pedons of the Munising series
The Bt horizon has hue of 2.5YR or 5YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 4. It is sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or sandy clay loam. In pedons where a separate Bt horizon is absent, at least one of the fragipan horizons also meet the requirements for an argillic horizon.
The C horizon has hue of 10R, 2.5YR, or 5YR; value of 4 or 5; and chroma of 3 or 4. It is sandy loam or fine sandy loam.
COMPETING SERIES: There are none currently. The Graveraet and Steuben soils need to be reclassified and will compete in the future. The closely related Argonne, Gogebic, Kallio, Wabeno and Wakefield soils are in the superactive clay activity class. Argonne and Wabeno soils have hues yellower than 5YR in the lower solum and substratum. Gogebic soils have greater than 10 percent rock fragments throughout. Graveraet soils have less acid substratums. Kallio soils contain more than 15 percent rock fragments in the upper part of the solum and contain more than 20 percent clay in the substratum.. Steuben soils have sand C horizons within a depth of 40 inches. Wakefield soils contain more than 18 percent clay in the argillic horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Munising soils are on nearly level to steep areas on ground and end moraines of Wisconsinan age. The Munising soils have formed in sandy loam till derived from Jacobsville sandstone. Slope gradients are dominantly 2 to 12 percent but range from 0 to 35 percent. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 26 to 33 inches, and mean annual temperature is 41 to 45 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Abbaye, Frohling, Gay, Keweenaw, Onota, Skanee, Tokiahok and Yalmer soils. The well drained Frohling, somewhat poorly drained Skanee soils and poorly drained Gay soils form a drainage sequence with Munising soils. The well drained Keweenaw soils formed in loamy sand and do not have a fragipan. Well drained Onota and moderately well drained Abbaye soils have sandstone bedrock at 20 to 40 inches. The moderately well drained Yalmer and well drained Tokiahok soils have sandy spodic horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained. Runoff is negligible to high, dependent on slope. Permeability is moderate in the upper subsoil, very slow in the fragipan, and moderate or moderately slow in that part below the fragipan.
USE AND VEGETATION: Large areas of this soil are forested. The principal tree species is sugar maple, with varying amounts of yellow birch, hemlock, and aspen. Cleared acreage is used for general farming. Grass-legume hay, potatoes, and strawberries are common crops.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Chippewa County, Michigan, 1927.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: ochric epipedon - the zone from 1 to2 inches (A horizon); albic horizon - the zone from 2 to 10 inches and from 30 to 41 inches (E and Ex horizons); spodic horizon - the zone from 10 to 22 inches (Bs1 and Bs2 horizons); fragipan feature - the zone from 22 to 49 inches (Bx, Ex and (B/E)x horizons); argillic horizon - the zone from 49 to 63 inches (Bt horizon).
The well drained phase is no longer within the series concept.