LOCATION ALMENA WI+MNEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, frigid Aquic Glossudalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Almena silt loam, on a plane slope of l percent, in a cultivated field, at an elevation of about 402 meters above sea level. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated)
Ap--0 to 23 centimeters; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) silt loam, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) dry; weak medium granular structure; friable; common fine and medium roots; about 1 percent gravel; moderately acid; abrupt smooth boundary.
E/B--23 to 33 centimeters; about 70 percent brown (10YR 5/3) silt loam (E), very pale brown (10YR 7/3) dry; weak medium platy structure; friable; extends as tongues into and surrounds remnants of dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) silt loam (Bt); weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine roots; few fine faint and distinct grayish brown (10YR 5/2) iron depletions; common medium distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation; about 1 percent gravel; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
B/E--33 to 53 centimeters; about 60 percent dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) silt loam (Bt); moderate fine subangular blocky structure; friable; few distinct brown (7.5YR 4/4) clay films on faces of peds; penetrated by tongues of brown (10YR 5/3) silt loam (E), very pale brown (10YR 7/3) dry; weak fine platy structure; friable; few fine roots; common medium distinct and faint grayish brown (10YR 5/2) iron depletions; common medium distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation; about 1 percent gravel; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bt1--53 to 76 centimeters; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) silt loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common distinct brown (7.5YR 4/4) clay films on faces of peds; common medium distinct grayish brown (10YR 5/2) iron depletions; common medium distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation; about 1 percent gravel; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bt2--76 to 107 centimeters; brown (7.5YR 4/4) silt loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common distinct strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) clay films on faces of peds; few fine distinct brown (7.5YR 5/2) iron depletions; common fine distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation; about 3 percent gravel; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
2C--107 to 152 centimeters; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) sandy loam; massive; friable; common medium distinct yellowish red (5YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation; about 14 percent gravel; strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Major Land Resource Area (MLRA) 90B-Wisconsin and Minnesota Thin Loess and Till, Southern Part, Taylor County, Wisconsin subset; about 10 miles southeast of Lublin; located about 100 feet north and 2,525 feet east of the southwest corner of section 36, T. 30 N., R. 2 W.; USGS Lublin SE topographic quadrangle; lat. 45 degrees 01 minutes 53 seconds N. and long. 90 degrees 34 minutes 04 seconds W., NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to till--100 to 150 centimeters
Clay content of the particle-size control section (weighted average)18 to 27 percent
Sand content of the particle-size control section (weighted average)--less than 15 percent
Ratio of coarse silt to fine silt in the silty mantle--1.25 to 2.50
Ap horizon:
Hue--10YR
Value--2 to 4
Chroma--2 or 3
Texture--silt loam
Clay content--9 to 23 percent
Sand content--less than 15 percent
Rock fragment content--0 to 10 percent, gravel; 0 to 3 percent, cobbles
Reaction--pH 4.5 to 7.3
Thickness--15 to 23 centimeters
A horizon (when present):
Hue--10YR
Value--2 or 3
Chroma--1 or 2
Texture--silt loam
Clay content--9 to 23 percent
Sand content--less than 15 percent
Rock fragment content--0 to 10 percent, gravel; 0 to 3 percent, cobbles
Reaction--pH 4.5 to 7.3
Thickness--0 to 25 centimeters
E horizon (when present) and E part of the E/B or B/E horizons:
Hue--10YR
Value--4 to 6
Chroma--2 or 3
Texture--silt loam or silt
Clay content--5 to 23
Sand content--less than 15 percent
Rock fragment content--0 to 10 percent, gravel; 0 to 3 percent, cobbles
Reaction--pH 4.5 to 6.0
Thickness of the E horizon--0 to 25 centimeters
Bt part of the E/B or B/E horizon and Bt horizon:
Hue--7.5YR or 10YR
Value--4 or 5
Chroma--3 to 6
Texture--silt loam or silty clay loam
Clay content--18 to 27 percent
Sand content--less than 15 percent
Rock fragment content--0 to 10 percent, gravel; 0 to 3 percent, cobbles
Reaction--pH 4.5 to 6.0
Thickness of the glossic horizon--5 to 75 centimeters
Thickness of the Bt horizon--13 to 60 centimeters
Some pedons have Btg horizons, with dominant chroma of 2, below the upper 25 centimeters of the argillic horizon
C horizon (when present):
Hue--7.5YR or 10YR
Value--4 or 5
Chroma--2 to 6
Texture--silt loam
Clay content--12 to 25 percent
Sand content--less than 15 percent
Rock fragment content--0 to 10 percent, gravel; 0 to 3 percent, cobbles
Reaction--pH 4.5 to 6.0
Thickness--0 to 25 centimeters
2Bt horizon (when present):
Hue--2.5YR, 5YR, or 7.5YR
Value--4 to 6
Chroma--3 to 6
Texture--sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam, gravelly sandy loam, gravelly fine sandy loam, or gravelly loam
Clay content--10 to 20 percent
Sand content--40 to 70 percent
Rock fragment content--3 to 35 percent, gravel; 0 to 5 percent, cobbles
Reaction--pH 4.5 to 6.0
Bulk density--1.65 to 1.90 g/cc
Thickness--0 to 25 centimeters
2C horizon:
Hue--2.5YR, 5YR, or 7.5YR
Value--4 to 6
Chroma--3 to 6
Texture--sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam, gravelly sandy loam, gravelly fine sandy loam, or gravelly loam
Clay content--5 to 20 percent
Sand content--45 to 70 percent
Rock fragment content--3 to 35 percent, gravel; 0 to 5 percent, cobbles
Reaction--pH 5.1 to 6.5
Bulk density--1.65 to 1.8 g/cc
Some pedons have a 2Cd horizon, below a depth of 150 centimeters, with a moist bulk density range of 1.8 to 2.0 g/cc
Some pedons have small pockets or thin strata of loamy sand or gravely loamy sand
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Comstock and
Maplehurst series.
Comstock--have a rock fragment content of less than 3 percent in the lower third of the series control section
Maplehurst--have a sand content that averages more than 85 percent in the lower part of the series control section
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material--100 to 150 centimeters of loess or other silty alluvium and in the underlying loamy till of Late or Early Wisconsinan Age
Landform--flats, toeslopes, and footslopes on ground moraines
Slope--0 to 6 percent
Elevation--205 to 470 meters above sea level
Mean annual air temperature--3 to 8 degrees C
Mean annual precipitation--660 to 865 millimeters
Frost-free days--110 to 180 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Adolph,
Auburndale,
Capitola,
Freeon,
Loyal,
Magnor,
Otterholt,
Spencer, and
Withee soils.
Adolph--are on lower landscape positions in depressions and drainageways and are frequently saturated from the surface of the soil to a depth of 0.3 meter during the wettest periods of years when precipitation is within one standard deviation of 30 year mean of annual precipitation
Auburndale--are on lower landscape positions in depressions and drainageways and are frequently saturated from the surface of the soil to a depth of 0.3 meter during the wettest periods of years when precipitation is within one standard deviation of 30 year mean of annual precipitation
Capitola--are on lower landscape positions in depressions and drainageways and are frequently saturated from the surface of the soil to a depth of 0.3 meter during the wettest periods of years when precipitation is within one standard deviation of 30 year mean of annual precipitation
Freeon--are on slightly higher landscape positions and have a frequently saturated zone between depths of 0.6 to 1 meter during the wettest periods of years when precipitation is within one standard deviation of 30 year mean of annual precipitation
Loyal--are on slightly higher landscape positions and have a sand content that averages 15 to 65 percent in the particle-size control section
Magnor--are on landscape positions similar to those of the Almena soils and have a densic contact within a depth of 150 centimeters with a moist bulk density range of 1.8 to 2.0 g/cc
Otterholt--are on higher landscape positions and do have a frequently saturated zone within a depth of 1.0 meter during the wettest periods of years when precipitation is within one standard deviation of 30 year mean of annual precipitation
Spencer--are on slightly higher landscape positions and have a frequently saturated zone between depths of 0.75 to 1 meter during the wettest periods of years when precipitation is within one standard deviation of 30 year mean of annual precipitation
Withee--are on landscape positions similar to those of the Almena soils and have a sand content that averages 15 to 65 percent in the particle-size control section
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class--somewhat poorly drained--a frequently saturated zone occurs between depths of 0.15 and 0.75 meter during the wettest periods of years when precipitation is within one standard deviation of 30 year mean of annual precipitation, this saturation is considered perched
Saturated hydraulic conductivity--4.00 to 14.00 micrometers per second in the loess or silty alluvium and 0.42 to 14.00 micrometers per second in the till
USE AND VEGETATION:
Most areas are cultivated. The principal crops are corn, small grain, and hay. Some areas are pastured. Large areas are forested. The native vegetation is mixed deciduous and coniferous forest. Common trees are red maple, sugar maple, American basswood, and quaking aspen.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Physiographic division--Interior Plains
Physiographic Province--Central Lowland
Physiographic section--Western Lake section
MLRAs--Wisconsin and Minnesota Thin Loess and Till, Northern Part (90A) and Wisconsin and Minnesota Thin Loess and Till, Southern Part (90B)
LRR K; north-central and northwestern Wisconsin
Extent--large
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota; MLRA SSO 10-9 (Rhinelander, Wisconsin).
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Barron County, Wisconsin, 1950.
REMARKS:
Particle-size control section--the zone from a depth of 33 to 83 centimeters; series control section--the zone from the surface to a depth of 150 centimeters.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this soil are:
ochric epipedon--the zone from the surface to a depth of 33 centimeters (Ap and E/B horizons);
albic horizon--the zone from a depth of 23 to 33 centimeters (E part of the E/B horizon);
glossic horizon--the zone from a depth of 23 to 53 centimeters (E/B and B/E horizons);
argillic horizon--the zone from a depth of 33 to 107 centimeters (B/E, Bt1, and Bt2 horizons);
lithologic discontinuity--the upper boundary of the 2C horizon at depth of 107 centimeters;
udic moisture regime.
Cation-exchange activity class is supported by laboratory data (NSSL).
Taxonomy version--Keys to Soil Taxonomy, tenth edition, 2006.
ADDITIONAL DATA:
Laboratory data--National Soil Survey Laboratory, Lincoln, Nebraska-user pedonids 60WI119001, 89WI019044, and 90WI119013 (http://ssldata.sc.egov.usda.gov/).