LOCATION ASSININS MIEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, active, frigid Argic Endoaquods
TYPICAL PEDON: Assinins sand - on a 2 percent slope under northern hardwoods and conifers. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Oe--0 to 2 inches; black (5YR 2/1) partially decomposed leaf litter; strong medium granular structure; very friable; many fine and medium roots; very strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)
E--2 to 8 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/2) sand; many medium faint dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) and light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) mottles; weak fine subangular blocky structure parting to weak medium granular; very friable; many fine and medium roots; about 5 percent gravel; very strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (6 to 15 inches thick)
Bs1--8 to 13 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/3) sand; weak fine subangular blocky structure parting to weak medium granular; very friable; common fine and medium roots; about 5 percent gravel; strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary.
Bs2--13 to 22 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) sand; common fine distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) and many medium distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) mottles; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; common fine roots; about 5 percent gravel; strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bs horizon ranges from 12 to 26 inches.)
2B/E--22 to 31 inches; reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) sandy clay loam (Bt); occupies about 75 percent of the horizon completely surrounded by or penetrated by fingers of pinkish gray (5YR 6/2) loamy sand (E); many fine and medium distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) and (strong brown) 5/8) mottles; weak medium subangular blocky structure; firm; few fine roots; common pores; reddish brown (5YR 5/3) clay flows in pores; about 5 percent gravel; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary. (6 to 27 inches thick)
2C--31 to 62 inches; reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) sandy loam; few fine distinct pinkish gray (5YR 6/2) mottles; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; about 5 percent gravel; moderately acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Baraga County, Michigan; about 1 1/2 miles west and 3 miles north of Baraga; 660 feet north and 50 feet east of the center of sec. 17, T. 51 N., R. 33 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the sandy material ranges from 20 to 30 inches. The weighted average of the particle size control section is less than 70 percent fine sand or coarser. Thickness of the solum ranges from 26 to 55 inches, but is commonly 26 to 42 inches. The solum ranges from very strongly acid to moderately acid. Pebbles and cobbles range from 1 to 10 percent in the solum.
Some pedons have a 1 to 3 inch A horizon with hue of 5YR, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of l or 2.
The E horizon has hue of 5YR, 7.5YR, or 10YR; value of 5 or 6; and chroma of 2 or 3. It is sand or loamy sand.
The Bs horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 3 or 4, and chroma of 3 to 6. It is sand or loamy sand.
The E part of the 2B/E has hue of 5YR, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 2 or 3. It is sand, loamy sand, or sandy loam. The Bt part has hue of 2.5YR or 5YR, value and chroma of 4. It is sandy loam or sandy clay loam. Some pedons have an E and Bt as separate horizons. The upper part of the B/E horizons has weak fragipan-like characteristics in some pedons.
The 2C horizon has hue of 2.5YR or 5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 3 or 4. It is sandy loam or fine sandy loam. It ranges from very strongly acid to moderately acid.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Gaastra, Gastrow and Zeba series and the closely related Belding, Charlevoix, Coral, Richter, Robago and Worchester soils.. All except the Richter soils have less than 70 percent fine sand or coarser material in the Bs horizons. In addition, the Zeba soils are underlain by bedrock at depths of 20 to 40 inches The Richter soils have reaction more alkaline than slightly acid and textural stratification in the C horizon. The Belding, Charlevoix, Coral and Richter soils have lower activity clay mineralogy in the particle size control section. The Robago and Worchester soils have higher activity clay mineralogy in the particle size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Assinins soils are in slightly depressional areas and drainageways on till plains. Slope gradients range from 0 to 4 percent. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 26 to 33 inches, and mean annual temperature ranges from 41 to 44 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the moderately well drained Munising and Yalmer soils and the somewhat poorly drained Skanee soils. All of these soils have fragipans. Also associated are the poorly drained Gay soils.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained. Surface runoff is negligible. Permeability is rapid in the sandy upper solum and moderate or moderately slow in the underlying loamy material.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of this soil are forested with northern hardwoods and aspen.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western and Central Upper Peninsula of Michigan. This series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Baraga County, Michigan, 1984.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
ochric horizon - 0 to 8 inches (Oe and E horizon)
albic horizon - 2 to 8 inches (E horizon);
spodic horizon - 8 to 22 inches (Bs1 and Bs2 horizons); argillic horizon - 22 to 31 inches (B part of the B/E horizon);
glossic horizon 22 to 31 inches.