LOCATION BALKAN MNEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Mollic Glossaqualfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Balkan loam in a shallow drainageway on a moraine under mixed deciduous and coniferous forest. Elevation of about 450 meters. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 15 centimeters; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) loam; dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; moderate medium granular structure; friable; 2 percent gravel; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary. (10 to 20 centimeters thick)
Eg1--15 to 20 centimeters; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam, light gray (10YR 7/2) dry; moderate medium platy structure; firm; common medium distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) Fe concentrations; moderately acid; 2 percent gravel; clear smooth boundary.
Eg2--20 to 36 centimeters; light gray (10YR 7/2) and light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) sandy loam, very pale brown (10YR 8/2) dry; weak thick platy structure; firm; common coarse distinct brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) Fe concentrations; 2 percent gravel; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Eg horizons is 10 to 41 centimeters)
B/E--36 to 79 centimeters; 80 percent grayish brown (10YR 5/2) clay loam (Btg), 20 percent light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) sandy loam (Eg); moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm; common dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) clay films on faces of peds; many medium distinct brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) Fe concentrations; 2 percent gravel; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary. (15 to 51 centimeters thick)
Btg1--79 to 104 centimeters; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) clay loam; weak medium platy structure parting to moderate fine and very fine subangular blocky; firm; common dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) clay films on faces of peds; many medium distinct brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) and many medium prominent light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) Fe concentrations; 2 percent gravel; slightly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Btg2--104 to 173 centimeters; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) clay loam; moderate medium platy structure parting to moderate fine and very fine subangular blocky; firm; common grayish brown (10YR 5/2) clay films on faces of peds; common medium distinct light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) and common medium prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) Fe concentrations; 2 percent gravel; slightly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of Btg horizons is 41 to 112 centimeters)
BCd--173 to 203 centimeters; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) loam; strong very coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium platy; very firm; few grayish brown (10YR 5/2) clay films on vertical faces of peds; common medium distinct grayish brown (10YR 5/2) Fe depletions and common medium distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) Fe concentrations; 5 percent gravel; 1 percent cobbles; slightly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Major Land Resource Area (MLRA) 57-Northern Minnesota Gray Drift, St. Louis County, Minnesota (Virginia subset); about 4 miles north of Chisholm; 800 feet west and 1150 feet north of the southeast corner of section 36, T. 59N., R. 21W; USGS Dewey Lake Quadrangle; latitude 47 degrees 32 minutes 48 seconds N. and longitude 92 degrees 56 minutes 15 seconds W. NAD27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to carbonates--more than 127 centimeters
Depth to contact with densic materials--152 to 203 centimeters
Rock fragment content--total 1 to 15 percent throughout; with 1 to 15 percent gravel and 0 to 5 percent combined cobble, stone and/or boulder-sized content
Some pedons may have a thin layer of local colluvial/alluvial material on the surface.
A horizon:
Hue--10YR, or is neutral
Value--1 to 3
Chroma--0 to 2
Texture--loam, silty clay loam, or clay loam. The very poorly drained phase may have textures with a mucky modifier.
Reaction--strongly acid to slightly acid
Eg horizon:
Hue--10YR, 2.5Y or 5Y
Value--5 to 7
Chroma--1 or 2
Texture--loam, fine sandy loam, sandy loam, clay loam, or silty clay loam
Reaction--very strongly acid to moderately acid
The B/E or E/B horizon has properties similar to the Eg horizon described above and the Btg horizon described below.
Btg horizon:
Hue--10YR, 2.5Y or 5Y
Value--4 to 6
Chroma--1 or 2 in the upper part and 2 to 4 in the lower part
Texture--clay loam, loam, or silty clay loam
Reaction--strongly acid to slightly acid
Some pedons have a BC horizon.
BCd horizon:
Hue--10YR, 2.5Y or 5Y
Value--4 to 6
Chroma--1 to 4
Texture--typically loam or clay loam, but some pedons are silty clay loam
Consistence is firm or very firm
Reaction--slightly acid to moderately alkaline
Bulk density ranges from 1.75 to 1.95 gm/cc
This horizon commonly has fractures.
COMPETING SERIES: No other series is in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material--loamy till
Landform--concave and linear slopes in depressions and drainageways, or on flats, on moraines and till plains
Slope--0 to 2 percent
Elevation--300 to 500 meters above sea level
Mean annual air temperature--3 to 6 degrees C
Mean annual precipitation--585 to 735 millimeters
Annual freeze-free period--120 to 175 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Near the type location, these are the
Greatscott,
Nashwauk and
Keewatin soils. They form a hydroseqence with the Balkan soils
Greatscott--are on higher and more sloping landscape positions and are in the Haplic Glossudalfs subgroup
Nashwauk--are on higher landscape positions and are in the Oxyaquic Glossudalfs subgroup
Keewatin--are on slightly higher landscape positions and are in the Aquic Glossudalfs subgroup
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class--Poorly drained and very poorly drained--these soils have seasonal high saturation at the surface during spring and fall in normal years
Saturated hydraulic conductivity--1.00 to 10.00 micrometers per second in the surface layer, 0.10 to 10.00 micrometers per second in the subsurface layer and in the subsoil, and 0.01 to 1.00 micrometers per second in the underlying dense till
Ponding--the very poorly drained phase ponds water following periods of heavy rainfall
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are forested. Principal trees are aspen, white spruce, black ash and balsam fir. A few areas are used for pastureland and hayland. Native vegetation is mixed deciduous and coniferous forest.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Physiographic Division--Interior Plains
Physiographic Province--Central Lowlands
Physiographic section--Western Lake section
MLRA--Northern Minnesota Gray Drift(57)
LRR K; north-central Minnesota
Extent--small
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: St. Louis County, Minnesota (Virginia subset) 2006.
REMARKS:
Particle-size control section--the zone from a depth of 36 to 86 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 36 centimeters (A and Eg horizons);
albic horizon--the zone from 15 to 36 centimeters (Eg horizons);
argillic horizon--the zone from 36 to 173 centimeters (B/E, Btg1 and Btg2 horizons);
glossic horizon--the zone from 36 to 79 centimeters (B/E horizon);
densic contact at depth of 173 centimeters.
Taxonomy version--Keys to Soil Taxonomy, tenth edition,2006.