LOCATION TRAER IA
Established Series
Rev. TEF-RJK-RJB
06/2015
TRAER SERIES
The Traer series consists of deep, poorly drained and very poorly drained, slowly permeable soils formed in loess on uplands and stream benches. Slope ranges from 0 to 2 percent. Mean annual temperature is about 49 degrees F, and mean annual precipitation is about 33 inches.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, mesic Typic Endoaqualfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Traer silt loam with a slope of less than 1 percent - cultivated. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 7 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silt loam (18 percent clay), gray (10YR 6/1) and light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) dry; moderate medium and fine granular structure; friable; few organic coatings of very dark gray (10YR 3/1); few fine dark concretions (iron and manganese oxides); slightly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 9 inches thick)
E--7 to 10 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) silt loam (26 percent clay); weak fine platy structure parting to weak fine granular; friable; few fine dark concretions (iron and manganese oxides); very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 10 inches thick)
BE--10 to 13 inches; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) silty clay loam (31 percent clay); few fine distinct light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) mottles; moderate fine angular blocky structure; friable; few very dark gray organic coats, many light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) silt coats; few dark concretions (iron and manganese oxides); very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 5 inches thick)
Btg1--13 to 19 inches; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) silty clay loam (39 percent clay); strong medium angular blocky structure; firm; thick nearly continuous very dark grayish brown (2.5Y 3/2) clay films; few dark concretions (iron and manganese oxides); very strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary.
Btg2--19 to 23 inches; mottled dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) and light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) silty clay loam (40 percent clay); strong medium angular blocky structure; firm; thick nearly continuous dark olive gray (5Y 3/2) clay films; very strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary.
Btg3--23 to 29 inches; mottled dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2), olive gray (5Y 4/2) and yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) silty clay loam (36 percent clay); weak coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium angular blocky; friable; thin discontinuous dark olive gray (5Y 3/2) clay films; few dark stains (iron oxides); very strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary.
Btg4--29 to 41 inches; mottled grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2), olive (5Y 5/3), and yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) silty clay loam (34 percent clay); weak coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate coarse angular blocky; friable; few thin discontinuous dark olive gray (5Y 3/2) clay films; few dark stains (iron oxides); very strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Btg horizons is 21 to 36 inches.)
BCg--41 to 50 inches; mottled light olive gray (5Y 6/2) and yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) silty clay loam (29 percent clay); very weak coarse prismatic structure; friable; few lime concretions in the lower part; slightly alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
Cg--50 to 60 inches; mottled light olive gray (5Y 6/2) and yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) silt loam (24 percent clay); massive; friable; slight effervescence; slightly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Tama County, Iowa; about 2 1/2 miles west of Toledo; 600 feet east and 1,120 feet south of the center of sec. 18, T. 83 N., R. 15 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from about 40 to 70 inches. Depth to carbonates ranges from about 40 to more than 70 inches. The soil is strongly or very strongly acid in the most acid part of the solum.
The Ap horizon is dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) or dark gray (10YR 4/1). Undisturbed areas have A horizons 2 to 5 inches thick with value of 3 and chroma of 1 or 2.
The E horizon has 10YR hue, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 1 or 2. The A horizon and E horizon typically average between 18 and 26 percent clay.
The BE horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 1 or 2. It typically is silty clay loam with about 27 to 32 percent clay.
The Btg horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y; or 5Y; value of 4 or 5; and chroma of 1 or 2 in 60 percent or more of the matrix. Mottles and a smaller percentage of the matrix have chroma of 3 through 6. The upper 20 inches of the argillic horizon commonly averages between 36 and 40 percent clay. B/A clay ratios are usually greater than 1.5. The clay content decreases regularly as depth increases from the Btg horizon to the Cg horizon.
The Cg horizon has hue of 5Y, 2.5Y, or 10YR; value of 5 or 6; and chroma of 2 through 6. It is silt loam with about 22 to 27 percent clay.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Concord,
Elbert,
Kampville,
Sexton, and
Weir soils in the same family and the
Rushville and
Walford soils. Concord soils formed in stratified silty and clayey alluvium, have less acid sola, and are in areas receiving higher average annual pre- cipitation. Elbert soils contain more clay in the Bt horizon and commonly have rock fragments in the B and C horizons. Kampville soils formed in alluvium, contain more clay in the lower part of the B and C horizons, and are more acid in the lower part of the B and C horizons. Sexton soils have more sand in the lower part of the sola. Weir soils have a lower base saturation in the Bt horizon. Rushville soils have an abrupt textural change from the E horizon to the Bt horizon. Walford soils have darker A horizons and are fine-silty.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Traer soils are on broad upland divides or ridgetops and high stream benches. Individual areas are not large. The soil is on the level and slightly depressed parts of the landscape. Slope gradients are less than 2 percent. They formed in as much as 20 feet of loess of Wisconsin Age. On benches, stratified loamy or sandy material is as shallow as 4 feet in places. Mean annual temperature ranges from about 47 to 54 degrees F, and mean annual precipitation ranges from about 31 to 34 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing
Walford soils and the
Fayette and
Stronghurst soils. Walford soils are on similar landscape positions. Fayette soils are better drained and are on convex, more sloping areas downslope. Stronghurst soils are not as poorly drained as the Traer soils and commonly surround areas of Traer soils. The Fayette and Stronghurst soils form a drainage sequence with the Traer soils.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly or very poorly drained. Permeability is slow. Runoff is slow or ponded.
USE AND VEGETATION: Where drained, Traer soils are used for cultivated crops. Corn and soybeans are common, but oats, small grains, and legume hays are grown in places. A few areas remain in timber. The native vegetative cover is a mixed herbaceous and woody community commonly inhabited with Green Ashes, American Elms, Common Hackberries, Eastern Cottonwoods, American Sycamores, Silky Dogwoods, Black Willows, Wild Black Currants, Riverbank Grapes, Grays Sedges, Hop Sedges, Virginia Wildryes, Stiff Bedstraws, White Avens, Wood Nettles, False Nettles, Canadian Clearweeds, and Common Bonesets.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Principally in east-central and southeast Iowa but also in northern Illinois. They are inextensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Indianapolis, Indiana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Tama County, Iowa, 1938.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.