LOCATION RICELAKE MNEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Aquic Arenic Hapludalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Ricelake loamy sand, on a 1 percent plain slope in a mixed forest cover. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 2 inches; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) loamy sand, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many fine and medium roots; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)
E1--2 to 12 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loamy sand, gray (10YR 6/1) dry; weak fine granular structure parting to single grained; very friable; many fine and medium roots; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
E2--12 to 23 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) sand; single grained; loose; common fine and medium roots; few fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) Fe concentrations; about 2 percent gravel; moderately acid; gradual smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the E horizons is 6 to 20 inches)
Bt--23 to 30 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) sandy loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; few very fine and fine roots; common fine dark gray (10YR 4/1) clay films on faces of peds; few fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) Fe concentrations and common medium dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) Fe depletions; about 2 percent gravel percent gravel; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (3 to 10 inches thick)
Bw--30 to 35 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) sand; single grain; loose; common fine distinct light olive gray (5Y 6/2) Fe depletions and few fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) Fe concentrations; about 2 percent gravel; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 16 inches thick)
2C1--35 to 50 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) clay loam; massive; friable; common medium distinct olive gray (5Y 5/2) Fe depletions and common fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) Fe concentrations; 3 percent gravel; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 20 inches thick)
2C2--50 to 80 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) loam; massive; friable; many medium distinct olive gray (5Y 5/2) Fe depletions and many medium prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) Fe concentrations; about 3 percent gravel; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Koochiching County, Minnesota; about 8 miles east and 1 mile south of Gemmel; about 500 feet east and 1700 feet south of the northwest corner of section 26, T.152 N., R.26 W.; USGS Wildwood topographic quadrangle; lat. 47 degrees 57 minutes 27 seconds N. long. 93 degrees 56 minutes 57 seconds W.; NAD27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to carbonates range from 30 to 60 inches. The upper mantle is 20 to less than 40 inches thick. Rock fragments, by volume, range from 0 to 10 percent gravel in the upper part and 2 to 10 percent gravel and 0 to 5 percent cobbles in the underlying till. A gravelly lag line up to 5 inches thick may occur at the contact of the upper mantle and the till. Rock fragments range to 35 percent, by volume, in this horizon. The upper 20 inches of the argillic horizon averages less than 18 percent clay, but some subhorizons have up to 27 percent clay.
The A or Ap horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 1 to 3. When mixed to 7 inches the value is 6 or greater. It is loamy sand, loamy fine sand, or loamy coarse sand. The reaction is strongly acid to slightly acid.
The E horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 1 or 2. It is loamy sand, loamy fine sand, sand or coarse sand. The reaction is strongly acid to slightly acid. Thin lamellae may occur in this horizon.
The Bt horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y; value of 4 or 5; and chroma of 2 through 4. It is sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam or coarse sandy loam. The reaction is moderately acid to neutral.
Some pedons have a 2Bt horizon similar to the Bt but includes textures of clay loam and sandy clay loam.
The Bw horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y; value of 4 or 5; and chroma of 2 through 4. It is loamy sand, loamy coarse sand, loamy fine sand, sand or coarse sand. The reaction is moderately acid to neutral.
Some pedons have a 2Bk horizon that has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 4 to 7; and chroma of 1 or 2. It is loam or clay loam. Carbonate threads or masses are common to many. Reaction is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
Some pedons have a thin 2BC horizon with loamy or silty textures.
The 2C horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 5R, value of 4 to 6; and chroma of 1 or 2. It is loam or clay loam. Reaction is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline. The moist bulk density is 1.4 to 1.6 g/cc.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bushville, Eckvoll, and Huntersville soils. Bushville and Huntersville soils have a densic contact in the lower third of the series control section. Eckvoll soils have an epipedon that, when mixed to 7 inches, has a dry value of 5 or less and do not have soil saturation in the upper third of the series control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Ricelake soils are on plane or slightly concave surfaces on moraines, lake washed till plains and glacial beach ridges. Slope gradients range from 0 to 3 percent. These soils formed in a sandy glacial outwash or eolian mantle and underlying calcareous, loamy till. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 22 to 30 inches. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 36 to 45 degrees F. Frost-free days range from 88 to 145. Elevation above sea level ranges from 670 to 1,500 feet.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the well drained Braham, moderately well drained Cutaway, and poorly drained Blomford soils that form a drainage sequence. The well drained Kelliher and somewhat poorly drained Beltrami soils are associated in places.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained. Surface runoff is low. Permeability is rapid in the upper mantle and moderate to moderately slow in the underlying material. Depth to seasonal high saturation is as high as 1 foot for some time from April to June in normal years.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most of this soil is forested. Species include mixed hardwood, spruce and conifers. Some of this soil is cleared and used for forage and small grain production.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North-central and west-central Minnesota. MLRA-57, 88, 91 and possibly MLRA-93. Moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Sherburne County, Minnesota, 1994.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features are: ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface to a depth of 23 inches (A and E horizon); albic horizon - the zone from 2 to 23 inches (E1 and E2 horizon); argillic horizon - the zone from 23 to 30 inches (Bt horizon); cambic horizon - the zone from 30 to 35 inches (Bw horizon); aquic moisture regime per low chroma of argillic horizon.
The type location of this series was moved to Koochiching County to better represent the MLRA concept and central range of the series.