LOCATION ALDENLAKE MNEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, isotic, frigid Dystric Eutrudepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Aldenlake sandy loam with a linear slope of 4 percent on an outwash plain under a mixed hardwood and coniferous forest. Elevation of about 438 meters. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)
A--0 to 13 centimeters; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) sandy loam, gray (10YR 5/1) dry; moderate medium granular structure; friable; many fine and very fine and common medium roots; about 5 percent gravel and 2 percent cobbles; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (5 to 15 centimeters thick)
Bw1--13 to 51 centimeters; brown (7.5YR 4/4) sandy loam; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; friable; many fine and very fine and common medium roots; about 10 percent gravel and 1 percent cobbles; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Bw2--51 to 86 centimeters; brown (7.5YR 4/3) sandy loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine and few medium roots; about 12 percent gravel and 2 percent cobbles; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bw horizons is 46 to 86 centimeters)
2BC--86 to 99 centimeters; brown (7.5YR 4/4) very gravelly loamy sand; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; very friable; common fine and very fine roots; about 40 percent gravel; about 3 percent cobbles; slightly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 30 centimeters thick)
2C--99 to 203 centimeters; brown (7.5YR 4/4) very gravelly sand; single grain; loose; about 50 percent gravel; about 4 percent cobbles; slightly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Major Land Resource Area (MLRA) 93A-Superior Stony and Rocky Loamy Plains and Hills, Western Part; St. Louis County, Minnesota (Duluth subset); about 16 miles north of Duluth; located about 1,400 feet east and 150 feet north of the southwest corner of section 18, T. 52 N., R. 14 W.; USGS Fredenberg Quadrangle, latitude 46 degrees 58 minutes 55 seconds N. and longitude 92 degrees 10 minutes 10 seconds W., NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to gravelly loamy sand or coarser textures--51 to 102 centimeters
Depth to free carbonates--more than 203 centimeters
Range in content of rock fragments--5 to 30 percent in the loamy mantle, and 15 to 75 percent in the underlying sediment
Some pedons have a thin Oi or Oe horizon (duff layer).
A horizon:
Hue--7.5YR or 10YR
Value--2 or 3
Chroma--1 to 3
Texture--sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or loam
Rock fragment content--total 5 to 15 percent; with 3 to 15 percent gravel, 0 to 7 percent cobbles, and 0 to 3 percent stones and boulders
Reaction--strongly acid to slightly acid
Some pedons have a thin E horizon.
Bw horizon:
Hue--5YR, 7.5YR, or 10YR
Value--3 to 5
Chroma--3 to 6
Texture--sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam, or their gravelly analogues
Rock fragment content--total 5 to 30 percent; with 3 to 25 percent gravel, 0 to 7 percent cobbles, and 0 to 3 percent stones and boulders
Reaction--very strongly acid to slightly acid
Some pedons have a BC horizon.
2BC horizon (when present):
Hue--5YR or 7.5YR
Value--4 or 4
Chroma--3 or 4
Texture--very gravelly loamy sand or very gravelly loamy coarse sand or their gravelly analogues
Rock fragment content--total 15 to 65 percent; with 15 to 65 percent gravel, 0 to 10 percent cobbles, 0 to 3 percent stones and boulders
Reaction--strongly acid to slightly acid
2C horizon:
Hue of 5YR or 7.5YR
Value of 4 or 5
Chroma of 4 through 6
Some pedons have hue of 10YR, value of 3 and chroma of 2 in some Rainy lobe materials
Texture--very gravelly sand, very gravelly coarse sand, very gravelly loamy sand, very gravelly loamy coarse sand or their gravelly or extremely gravelly analogues
Rock fragment content--total 15 to 75 percent; with 15 to 65 gravel, 0 to 10 percent cobbles, and 0 to 3 percent stones and boulders
Reaction--moderately or slightly acid
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Ahmeek,
Linneus and
Mesaba series
Ahmeek--have a densic contact within the series control section
Linneus--have limestone, calcareous sandstone or shale at depths of 51 to 102 centimeters
Mesaba--have gabbro, basalt, or granite bedrock at depths of 51 to 102 centimeters
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Aldenlake soils have linear to convex slopes on outwash plains, moraines, eskers and drumlins. They formed in a loamy mantle and the underlying glacial outwash. The material is from the Rainy Lobe, or the Superior Lobe or is mixed from both sources and is of the Late Wisconsinan glaciation. Slope ranges from 0 to 45 percent. The mean annual air temperature ranges from 2 to 7 degrees C. and the mean annual precipitation ranges from 635 to 865 millimeters. Annual frost free days range from 110 to 185 days. The elevation above sea level ranges from 185 to 640 meters.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Gnesen, Rollins, Pequaywan and Hulligan soils. The somewhat excessively drained Rollins soils are in areas with a thinner loamy mantle. The moderately well drained Pequaywan, somewhat poorly drained Gnesen, and the poorly and very poorly drained Hulligan soils are all on lower lying or less sloping positions on the landscape.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class--Well drained--frequent saturation does not occur within a depth of 2.0 meters during the wettest period of normal years
Saturated hydraulic conductivity--4.23 to 42.34 micrometers per second (0.6 to 6.0 inches per hour) in the loamy mantle and 42.34 to 423.4 micrometers per second (6.0 to 60 inches per hour) in the underlying sediment
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used mainly for timber production. Native vegetation is mixed deciduous and coniferous forest. Major tree species are quaking aspen, paper birch, sugar maple, red and white pine. Some areas are pastured.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Physiographic Divisions--Laurentian Upland or Interior Plains
Physiographic Provinces--Superior Upland or Central Lowland
Physiographic sections--undefined (if in the Superior Upland Province) or Western Lake section (if in the Central Lowland Province)
MLRAs--Superior Stony and Rocky Loamy Plains and Hills, Western Part (93A) and Wisconsin and Minnesota Thin Loess and Till, Northern Part (90A)
LRR K; Northeastern Minnesota
Extent--moderate
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: St. Louis County (Duluth subset), 2007
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 features recognized in this pedon include:
ochric epipedon--the zone from the surface to a depth of 13 centimeters (A horizon);
cambic horizon--the zone from 13 centimeters to 86 centimeters (Bw1 and Bw2 horizons);
dystric subgroup--no free carbonates within a depth of 100 centimeters;
isotic mineralogy--based on a 15 kPa water to measured clay ratio of greater than 0.6
Taxonomy version--Keys to Soil Taxonomy, tenth edition, 2006