LOCATION PELL CREEK MN
Established Series
Rev. TCJ-TWN
03/2014
PELL CREEK SERIES
The Pell Creek series consists of very deep, poorly drained soils that formed in calcareous, loamy till. These soils are on plane or slightly concave slopes on ground moraines and till plains. Slope ranges from 0 to 2 percent. The mean annual air temperature is about 8 degrees C. The mean annual precipitation is about 735 millimeters.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Epiaquolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Pell Creek clay loam, on a dissected moraine, in a cultivated field. (Colors are for moist soil conditions unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 23 centimeters; black (N 2/0) clay loam, very dark gray (N 3/0) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; about 2 percent gravel; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary.
A--23 to 38 centimeters; black (N 2/0) clay loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; about 2 percent gravel; neutral; clear wavy boundary.
AB--38 to 51 centimeters; black (5Y 2/1) clay loam, very dark gray (5Y 3/1) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; about 2 percent gravel; neutral; clear irregular boundary.
Bg1--51 to 66 centimeters; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) clay loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; common iron oxide and manganese oxide stains; few medium distinct olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) and few fine prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) iron concentrations; about 2 percent gravel; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline; clear wavy boundary.
Bg2--66 to 86 centimeters; olive gray (5Y 5/2) clay loam; moderate weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; firm; few large accumulations of manganese oxides; few iron oxide stains; common fine prominent light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) iron concentrations; about 4 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline; clear wavy boundary.
BCkg--86 to 117 centimeters; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) loam; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium angular blocky; massive; firm; few soft accumulation of calcium carbonates; common iron oxide and manganese oxide stains; common fine distinct light olive brown (2.5Y 5/6) iron concentrations; about 4 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary.
BC1--117 to 152 centimeters; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) clay loam; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium angular blocky; firm; common iron oxide and manganese oxide stains; many medium and coarse distinct light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) iron depletions and few medium prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) iron concentrations; about 8 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline.
BC2--152 to 203 centimeters; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) clay loam; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium angular blocky; massive; common iron oxide and manganese oxide stains; common medium and coarse distinct gray (2.5Y 5/1) iron depletions and few medium prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) iron concentrations; about 8 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Major Land Resource Area (MLRA) 103-Central Iowa and Minnesota Till Prairies, Murray County, Minnesota subset; about 8 miles north and 2 miles east of Dovray; located about 1900 feet north and 70 feet west of the southeast corner of section 26, T. 108 N., R. 39 W.; USGS Walnut Grove topographic quadrangle; lat. 44 degrees 07 minutes 50 seconds N. and long. 95 degrees 28 minutes 27 seconds W., NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mollic epipedon thickness--35 to 60 centimeters
Depth to carbonates--40 to 75 centimeters
Clay content of the particle-size control section (weighted average)--24 to 35 percent
Sand content in particle-size control section (weighted average)--18 to 40 percent
Rock fragment content--1 to 8 percent, mixed lithology
The moist consistency is friable or firm in the upper third of the series control section
Some pedons have a few pockets of gypsum
Ap or A horizon:
Hue--10YR, 2.5Y, 5Y, or Neutral
Value--2 or 3
Chroma--0 or 1
Texture--clay loam or silty clay loam
Clay content--24 to 35 percent
Sand content--18 to 40 percent
Reaction--pH 6.1 to 7.3
Moist bulk density--1.35 to 1.55 g/cc
Thickness--25 to 60 centimeters
AB horizon:
Hue--10YR, 2.5Y, or 5Y
Value--2 or 3
Chroma--1 or 2
Texture--clay loam or silty clay loam
Clay content--24 to 35 percent
Sand content--18 to 40 percent
Reaction--pH 6.1 to 7.3
Moist bulk density--1.35 to 1.55 g/cc
Thickness--0 to 15 centimeters
Bg horizon:
Hue--2.5Y or 5Y
Value--4 or 5
Chroma--1 or 2
Texture--clay loam or silty clay loam
Clay content--24 to 35 percent
Sand content--18 to 40 percent
Reaction--pH 6.6 to 8.4
Moist bulk density--1.35 to 1.55 g/cc
Thickness--10 to 50 centimeters
Some pedons have Bt horizons with clay films present on ped faces, however these horizons do not meet the clay increase of 1.2 percent from the eluvial horizon requirement for an argillic horizon
Bkg horizon (when present):
Hue--2.5Y or 5Y
Value--4 to 6
Chroma--2 to 4
Texture--clay loam or loam
Clay content--24 to 35 percent
Sand content--20 to 40 percent
Reaction--pH 7.4 to 8.4
Calcium carbonate equivalent--15 to 30 percent; 5 percent or more higher than the underlying horizon(s)
Moist bulk density--1.35 to 1.55 g/cc
Thickness--0 to 25 centimeters
BCkg, BC, or C horizon:
Hue--2.5Y or 5Y
Value--4 to 6
Chroma--2 to 4
Texture--clay loam or loam
Clay content--24 to 35 percent (averages between 25 and 33 percent)
Sand content--20 to 40 percent
Reaction--pH 7.4 to 8.4
Calcium carbonate equivalent--10 to 20 percent
Moist bulk density--1.45 to 1.65 g/cc
The moist consistency is typically firm
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material--calcareous, loamy till
Landform--plane or slightly concave slopes on ground moraines and till plains (Coteau Slope)
Slope--0 to 2 percent
Elevation--300 to 400 meters above sea level, see remarks
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
Annton,
Belview,
Romnell,
Storden,
Swanlake, and
Walnut Grove soils that form a drainage catena.
Annton--are on higher landscape positions on convex slopes and do not have a frequently saturated zone within a depth of 1 meter during the wettest periods of years when precipitation is within one standard deviation of 30 year mean of annual precipitation
Belview and
Storden--are on higher landscape positions on convex slopes and have carbonates throughout the series control section
Romnell--are on lower landscape positions in depressions, swales, and drainageways and are frequently saturated at the soil surface to a depth of 0.15 meter during the wettest periods of years when precipitation is within one standard deviation of 30 year mean of annual precipitation
Swanlake--are on higher landscape positions on convex slopes and do not have a frequently saturated zone within a depth of 1 meter during the wettest periods of years when precipitation is within one standard deviation of 30 year mean of annual precipitation
Walnut Grove--are on slightly higher landscape positions and have a frequently saturated zone between depths of 0.45 and 1 meter during the wettest periods of years when precipitation is within one standard deviation of 30 year mean of annual precipitation
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class--poorly drained--a frequently saturated zone occurs between depths of 0.15 and 0.45 meter during the wettest periods of years when precipitation is within one standard deviation of 30 year mean of annual precipitation, this saturation is both perched and apparent
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. Native vegetation is predominantly wet-site tall prairie species such as prairie cordgrass, switchgrass, big bluestem, wooly sedge, giant goldenrod and Canada goldenrod.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Physiographic Division--Interior Plains
Physiographic Province--Central Lowland
Physiographic Section--Western lake section
Local physiographic area--Coteau des Prairies bench" geomorphic surface
MLRA--Central Iowa and Minnesota Till Prairies (103)
LRR--M; south-central and southwestern Minnesota
Extent--moderate
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Cottonwood County, Minnesota, 2009.
REMARKS:
Particle-size control section--the zone from a depth of 25 to 100 centimeters; series control section--the zone from the surface to a depth of 150 centimeters.
Diagnostic horizons and properties recognized in this pedon are:
mollic epipedon--the zone from the surface to a depth of 51 centimeters (Ap, A and AB horizons);
cambic horizon--the zone from 51 to 203 centimeters (Bg1, Bg2, BCkg, BC1, and BC2 horizons);
aquic moisture regime.
Episaturation based on field observations and brighter colored matrix in the lower part of the profile.
Some pedons have a sandy or coarse-loamy lag line, about 10 centimeters thick, with or without gravel at the contact with the underlying firm till.
The BC horizon is defined by having prismatic primary structure parting to angular or subangular blocky. This structure is evident in pits and cutbanks and rarely observed by smaller scale investigations. The change in moist bulk density of 1.45 to 1.65 g/cc was based on lab data of soils that are similar and field investigations by soil scientist in this geomorphic landform of the Coteau des Prairies bench".
Based on current investigations, elevation range in MLRA 103 is about 270 to 480 meters above sea level. However, the elevation data in the 2006 issue of USDA Handbook 296, has not been changed to agree with this elevation data.
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.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.