LOCATION AURELIUS                MI+IL

Established Series
Rev. RJE-NWS
08/2012

AURELIUS SERIES

The Aurelius series consists of very deep, very poorly drained soils formed in thin organic deposits overlying marly material that is underlain by loamy material. Aurelius soils are in depressional areas of lake plains, outwash plains, and till plains. Slope ranges from 0 to 2 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 813 mm (32 inches), and mean annual temperature is about 8.9 degrees C (48 degrees F).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, carbonatic, mesic Histic Humaquepts

TYPICAL PEDON: Aurelius muck, on a 1 percent slope in a cultivated field. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)

Oap--0 to 23 cm (9 inches); black (N 2.5/) muck; about 3 percent fiber less than 1 percent rubbed; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; few fine roots; slightly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. [20 to 41 cm (8 to 16 inches) thick]

Cg1 [IILco]--23 to 33 cm (9 to 13 inches); black (5YR 2/1) coprogenous material; weak thin platy structure; firm; hard; few fine roots; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. [0 to 30 cm (12 inches) thick]

Cg2 [IIILca]--33 to 76 cm (13 to 30 inches); grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) marly material; massive; friable; few medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6 and 5/8) and yellowish brown (10YR 5/6 and 5/8) masses of oxidized iron; few snail shells and shell fragments; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary. [41 to 81 cm (16 to 32 inches) thick]

2Cg3 [IVCg]--76 to 152 cm (30 to 60 inches); dark gray (5Y 4/1) stratified fine sandy loam, silt loam, and loamy fine sand; massive; friable; few medium prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6 and 5/8) masses of oxidized iron; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Ingham County, Michigan; 3 miles southwest of Mason or 2 miles northeast of Aurelius; 1,260 feet north and 150 feet east of the southwest corner of sec. 13, T. 2 N., R. 2 W.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to the loamy material: 61 to 102 cm (24 to 40 inches)
Mean annual soil temperature: about 8.3 to 11.1 degrees C (47 to 52 degrees F)

Oa or Oap horizon:
Hue: 5YR to 10YR, or is neutral
Value: 2 or 2.5
Chroma: 0 to 2
Structure: weak or moderate, fine subangular blocky or medium granular
Consistence: very friable to firm
Content of mineral material: 1 to 70 percent; some pedons there are alternating thin strata of organic material and marly material
Reaction: slightly acid to moderately alkaline

Cg horizon: that part in coprogenous material
Hue: 5YR to 5G
Value: 2 to 4
Chroma: 1
Structure: weak fine platy or is massive
Reaction: neutral to moderately alkaline

Cg horizon: that part in marly material
Hue: 2.5Y or is neutral
Value: 5 to 8
Chroma: 0 to 2
Consistence: friable or very friable
Special features: contains many shells and shell fragments in some pedons

2Cg horizon:
Hue: 10YR to 5Y, or is neutral
Value: 4 to 6
Chroma: 0 to 2
Texture: sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam, silt loam, or clay loam; strata of sand, loamy sand and loamy fine sand are present in some pedons
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Kjar and Martisco series. Kjar soils are moderately saline or strongly saline. Martisco soils lack loamy mineral horizons within the control section.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Aurelius soils are in depressional areas of lake plains, outwash plains, and till plains. They range in size from about 3 to 200 acres. Slope ranges from 0 to 2 percent. The climate is humid continental. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 610 to 889 mm (24 to 35 inches). Mean annual temperature ranges from 7.2 to 10.0 degrees C (45 to 50 degrees F).

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Colwood, Edwards, Houghton, Lamson, Martisco and Palms soils. Colwood and Lamson soils lack histic epipedons and marly materials. Edwards, Houghton and Palms soils have thicker organic layers. Martisco soils are deeper to mineral 2C horizons.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Very poorly drained. Potential for surface runoff is negligible. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high or high in the muck material; variable in the marly material and coprogenous material, and moderately high in the mineral substrata. Permeability is moderately slow to moderately rapid in the muck, variable in the marly material and coprogenous material, and moderate in the mineral substrata.

USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of Aurelius soils are drained and used for cultivated crops. Principal crops are corn, soybeans and specialty crops such as potatoes, carrots and onions. Some areas remain in native vegetation of hardwood forest consisting of ash, red maple, silver maple and cottonwood, water-tolerant shrubs or grasses and sedges.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRAs 98, 108A, and 110 in southern part of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan and in Illinois. The series is of small extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: AMHERST, MASSACHUSETTS

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Ingham County, Michigan, 1977.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Histic epipedon: muck from the surface to a depth of 23 cm (9 inches) (Oap horizon).
Aquic conditions: accumulation of organic material at the surface and redoximorphic features in all horizons below the histic epipedon.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.