LOCATION AERIE                   MN

Established Series
Rev.JMW-RTR-KDS
12/2010

AERIE SERIES


The Aerie series consists of very deep, somewhat poorly drained soils that formed in 50 to 100 centimeters of loamy glaciolacustrine deposits and in the underlying clayey glaciolacustrine deposits. These soils are on convex surfaces on glacial lake plains. Slope ranges from 1 to 3 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 670 millimeters. Mean annual air temperature is about 4.0 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy over clayey, mixed over smectitic, superactive, frigid Oxyaquic Hapludalfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Aerie fine sandy loam, with a convex slope of 2 percent, on a glacial lake plain, in a cultivated field, at an elevation of about 400 meters. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)

A--0 to 10 centimeters; black (10YR 2/1) fine sandy loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; moderate fine and medium granular structure; very friable; many very fine and fine roots and common medium roots; moderately acid; clear broken boundary. (5 to 23 centimeters thick)

E/B--10 to 64 centimeters; 90 percent brown (10YR 4/3) loamy sand, brown (10YR 5/3) dry (E); moderate very fine to fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; 10 percent dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) sandy loam, yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) dry (B); moderate fine to medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common very fine to medium roots; few fine faint dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) redoximorphic depletions in the lower part; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 61 centimeters thick)

Bt1--64 to 89 centimeters; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) loam; strong fine and medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few very fine roots; common fine faint brown (10YR 4/3) clay films on ped faces; many fine and medium distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) redoximorphic concentrations; many fine and medium distinct dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) redoximorphic depletions; moderately acid; abrupt wavy boundary.

2Bt2--89 to 107 centimeters; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) clay; moderate very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; firm; few fine faint gray (10YR 5/1) clay films on ped faces; neutral; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizon ranges 8 to 51 centimeters.)

2Bk--107 to 165 centimeters; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) clay; moderate very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; firm; few fine white (2.5Y 8/1) nodules of calcium carbonate; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 84 centimeters thick)

2C--165 to 203 centimeters; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3) silty clay loam; massive; firm; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Major Land Resource Area (MLRA) 88-Northern Minnesota Glacial Lake Basins; St. Louis County, Minnesota; about 3.4 miles northeast of Meadowlands; located about 600 feet south and 2,450 feet east of the northwest corner of section 7, T. 53 N., R. 18 W.; USGS Meadowlands topographic quadrangle; lat. 47 degrees 05 minutes 54 seconds N. and long. 92 degrees 40 minutes 17 seconds W., NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to the base of the argillic horizon ranges from 79 to 127 centimeters
Depth to carbonates--79 to 130 centimeters
Depth to clayey glaciolacustrine deposits--50 to 100 centimeters
These soils do not have rock fragments

Ap or A horizon:
Hue--10YR
Value--2 or 3
Chroma--1 or 2
Texture--loam, very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or silt loam
Reaction--moderately acid to neutral

E/B horizon (where present):
Hue--10YR
Value--4 to 6 for the E part; 4 or 5 for the B part
Chroma--2 or 3 for the E part; 3 to 6 for the B part
Texture--loamy very fine sand, loamy fine sand, or loamy sand for the E part and fine sandy loam or sandy loam for the B part
Reaction--moderately acid to neutral

Bt1 horizon:
Hue--10YR
Value--4 or 5
Chroma--3 or 4
Texture--loam or clay loam
Reaction--moderately acid to neutral

2Bt2 horizon:
Hue--2.5Y
Value--4 or 5
Chroma--2 or 3
Texture--silty clay loam, silty clay, or clay
Reaction--slightly acid to neutral

2Bk horizon (where present):
Hue--2.5Y
Value--4 or 5
Chroma--2 or 3
Texture--silty clay loam, silty clay, or clay
Reaction--slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline

2C horizon:
Hue--2.5Y
Value--5 or 6
Chroma--2 or 3
Texture--silty clay loam, silty clay, or clay
Reaction--slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material--50 to 100 centimeters of loamy glaciolacustrine deposits and in the underlying clayey glaciolacustrine deposits
Landform--convex surfaces on glacial lake plains
Slope--1 to 3 percent
Elevation--350 to 490 meters above sea level
Mean annual air temperature--3 to 5 degrees C
Mean annual precipitation--635 to 711 millimeters
Frost-free period--95 to 125 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Near the type location, these are the McDavitt and Zimm soils. These soils form a hydrosequence with the Aerie soils.
McDavitt--are in lower landscape positions, in drainageways and depressions, and do not have an argillic horizon
Zimm--are in slightly lower lying positions on flats, and do not have an argillic horizon

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class--somewhat poorly drained--a frequently saturated zone occurs between depths of 0.4 and 0.6 meters during the wettest periods of years when precipitation is within one standard deviation of the 30 year mean of annual precipitation
Saturated hydraulic conductivity--1.41 to 141.14 micrometers per second in the loamy mantle and 0.42 to 4.23 micrometers per second in the clayey glaciolacustrine deposits
This saturation is considered apparent

USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are cropped for hay.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Physiographic Division--Interior Plains or Laurentian Upland
Physiographic Province--Central Lowland or Superior Upland
Physiographic sections--Western Lake section (if in the Central Lowland Province) or undefined (if in the Superior Upland Province)
MLRA--Northern Minnesota Glacial Lake Basins (88)
LRR--K; northeastern Minnesota
Extent--small

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota.

SERIES ESTABLISHED: St. Louis County, Minnesota, 2009. The source of the name is a lake in northeastern Minnesota.

REMARKS:
Particle size control section--the zone from a depth of 64 to 107 centimeters (Bt1 and 2Bt2 horizons);
Series control section--the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 150 centimeters.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon include:
ochric epipedon--the zone from the surface to a depth of 64 centimeters (A and E/B horizons);
argillic horizon--the zone from 64 to 107 centimeters (Bt1 and 2Bt horizons);
calcic horizon--the zone from 107 to 165 centimeters (2Bk horizon).

Taxonomy version--Keys to Soil Taxonomy, tenth edition, 2006


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.