LOCATION ALVIN                   IL+IA IN MI MN MO

Established Series
Rev. GVB-BGN-AAC
03/2013

ALVIN SERIES

The Alvin Series consists of very deep, well drained soils formed in wind or water-deposited loamy and sandy materials on outwash plains, dunes, hills, terraces, or high flood-plains steps. Slope ranges from 0 to 60 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 991 millimeters (39 inches), and mean annual temperature is about 11.1 degrees C (52 degrees F).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Hapludalfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Alvin fine sandy loam - on an east-facing slope of 3 percent in a cultivated field at an elevation of 201 meters (660 feet) above mean sea level. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)

Ap--0 to 20 centimeters (0 to 8 inches); brown (10YR 4/3) fine sandy loam, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) dry; weak fine granular structure; very friable; moderately acid; abrupt smooth boundary. [15 to 25 centimeters (6 to 10 inches) thick]

BE--20 to 28 centimeters (8 to 11 inches); dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) fine sandy loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; few distinct grayish brown (10YR 5/2) silt coats on faces of peds; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary. [0 to 25 centimeters (0 to 10 inches) thick]

Bt1--28 to 38 centimeters (11 to 15 inches); dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) fine sandy loam; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; friable; few distinct brown (10YR 4/3) clay films on faces of peds; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary.

Bt2--38 to 64 centimeters (15 to 25 inches); dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) fine sandy loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common distinct brown (10YR 4/3) clay films on faces of peds; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. [Combined thickness of the Bt horizon is 30 to 114 centimeters (12 to 45 inches).]

E and Bt--64 to 188 centimeters (25 to 74 inches); yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) loamy fine sand (E); weak medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; strongly acid; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) fine sandy loam (Bt); 3 to 10 percent of volume; occurs as common to many thin lamellae; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common distinct brown (10YR 4/3) clay films on faces of peds; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. [0 to 150 centimeters (0 to 60 inches) thick]

C--188 to 203 centimeters (74 to 80 inches); 80 percent brown (10YR 4/3) and 20 percent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) stratified fine sandy loam; massive; friable; moderately acid.

TYPE LOCATION: Vermilion County, Illinois; about 11 kilometers (7 miles) north of Danville; 707 meters (2,320 feet) south and 536 meters (1,760 feet) east of the northwest corner of sec. 32, T. 21 N., R. 11 W.; USGS Danville NE topographic quadrangle; lat. 40 degrees 14 minutes 08 seconds N. and long. 87 degrees 36 minutes 58 seconds W.; UTM Zone 16, 447588 easting and 4454089 northing; NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to the base of the argillic horizon, including lamella: 102 to more than 203 centimeters (40 to more than 80 inches); the upper part of the argillic horizon is continuous for 30 centimeters (12 inches) or more.
Particle-size control section: averages between 15 and 18 percent clay and between 45 and 70 percent sand
Series control section, upper part: the total sand content averages from 55 to 70 percent. The fine sand plus very fine sand content averages between 35 and 60 percent (absolute) and between 60 and 85 percent of the sand fraction.
Series control section, lower part: averages from 65 to 85 percent sand. The sand fraction percentages are similar to the upper part of the series control section.

Ap or A horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 3 or 4
Chroma: 1 to 4
Texture: very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam, or sandy loam, and less commonly loamy sand or loamy fine sand.
Reaction: very strongly acid to neutral, depending upon liming history

E, EB, or BE horizon (where present):
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 6
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam, sandy loam, or loamy fine sand
Reaction: very strongly acid to neutral, depending on liming history

Bt horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR; clay films have hue as red as 5YR
Value: 4 to 6
Chroma: 3 to 6
Texture: very fine sandy loam, loam, fine sandy loam, or sandy loam, and includes thin layers of sandy clay loam
Rock fragment content: 0 to 5 percent
Reaction: neutral to very strongly acid

E and Bt horizon, where present:
E part:
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 6
Chroma: 2 to 6
Texture: sandy loam, loamy sand, or sand, and the fine or very fine analogs
Bt part: consists of bands or lamellae of variable thickness
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 6
Chroma: 3 to 6
Texture: sandy loam, loamy sand, or loam, or the fine or very fine analogs
E and Bt parts:
Rock fragment content: 0 to 5 percent
Reaction: strongly acid to neutral

C or BC horizon, where present:
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 6
Chroma: 3 to 6
Texture: sandy loam, loamy sand or sand, or the fine and very fine analogs.
Rock fragment content: 0 to 5 percent, except the gravelly substratum phase ranges from 15 to 45 percent
Reaction: strongly acid to moderately alkaline
Other features: In some pedons it is stratified both in colors and textures.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Burnsville, Council, and Lamont soils. The Burnsville soils are less than 102 centimeters (40 inches) to the base of the argillic horizon. Council soils average more than 40 percent silt in the particle-size control section. Lamont soils average less than 15 percent clay in the particle-size control section.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Alvin soils are on outwash plains, dunes, hills, stream terraces, and high flood plains. Slope commonly is between 3 and 10 percent but ranges from 0 to 60 percent. These soils formed in wind or water-deposited loamy and sandy material of mixed mineralogy. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 6.1 to 13.9 degrees C (43 to 57 degrees F), mean annual precipitation ranges from 711 to 1,143 millimeters (30 to 45 inches), frost free period ranges from 140 to 210 days, and elevation ranges from 104 to 427 meters (340 to 1,400 feet) above sea level.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Ayrshire, Bloomfield, Camden, Chelsea, Lamont, Princeton, Uniontown, and Whitaker soils. The somewhat poorly drained Ayrshire soils are on interdunal areas. Bloomfield and Lamont soils are on similar parts of the landscape nearby and in some places are closely associated. Camden and Uniontown soils contain more clay and silt, and less sand in the sola and are on outwash plains or stream terraces nearby. Chelsea soils contain more sand in the series control section and have a Bt horizon that consists only of bands or lamella. They are on similar parts of the landscape nearby. The somewhat poorly drained Whitaker soils average more than 18 percent clay in the upper 51 centimeters (20 inches) of the argillic horizon. The somewhat poorly drained Whitaker soils are on lower lying swells of outwash plains and treads of stream terraces nearby.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained. The potential for surface runoff is low or medium. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is high (14.11 to 42.34 micrometers per second). Permeability is moderately rapid.

USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are used to grow corn, soybeans, small grain, and pasture. Native vegetation is hardwood trees.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, and Iowa. The series is of large extent (over 50,181 hectares or 124,000 acres correlated). This series is within several MLRAs, including 98, 104, 105, 108A, 108B, 110, 111A, 111C, 111D, 113, 114A, 114B, 115A, 115B, 115C, 120A and 120B. The type location is in MLRA 110.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Indianapolis, Indiana

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Vermilion County, Illinois, 1931.

REMARKS: A gravelly substratum phase and a flooded phase of the Alvin series are recognized. These phases will be evaluated and may be proposed as new series. The correlated extent of this series in many MLRAs will be evaluated in future investigations.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 28 centimeters (11 inches) (Ap and BE horizons); argillic horizon - the zone from 28 to 64 centimeters (11 to 25 inches) (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons) and from 64 to 152 centimeters (25 to 60 inches) (the Bt part of the E and Bt horizon).

ADDITIONAL DATA: Pedon descriptions and laboratory data for several pedons of Alvin from counties in Illinois are on file in the Illinois NRCS state office or are published in Soil Survey Investigations Report No. 19. Also lab data is available for several pedons in Indiana and are on file at the Major Land Resource Area office (MO11) at Indianapolis.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.