LOCATION BEARVILLE MNEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy over clayey, mixed over smectitic, superactive, frigid Typic Albaqualfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Bearville loamy sand on a plane slope of about 1 percent in aspen forest. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 2 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) loamy sand, gray (10YR 5/1) dry; weak medium granular structure; very friable; many roots; strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 5 inches thick)
E1--2 to 10 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loamy sand; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; very friable; many roots; few fine distinct light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) Fe concentrations; strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary.
E2--10 to 16 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) sand; weak very coarse subangular blocky structure; very friable; many roots; many large prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) Fe concentrations; strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of E horizons ranges from 8 to 20 inches.)
2Btg1--16 to 25 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) sandy clay loam; moderate coarse angular blocky structure; firm; many moderately thick dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) clay bridges between sand grains; few thin clay films on faces of peds; few roots; many medium prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) and few fine prominent yellowish red (5YR 5/6) Fe concentrations; moderately acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 18 inches thick)
3Btg2--25 to 28 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) clay; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure that parts to strong fine and very fine subangular blocky; firm; many thin dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) clay films on faces of peds; few roots; common medium prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) Fe concentrations; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
3Btg3--28 to 35 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) clay; weak coarse blocky structure that parts to moderate fine and very fine subangular blocky; firm; few thin dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) clay films on faces of peds; few roots; few medium distinct light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) Fe concentrations; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 18 inches thick)
3BCg--35 to 60 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) and light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) clay; weak very coarse subangular blocky structure that parts to moderate fine and very fine subangular blocky; friable; common medium distinct light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) Fe concentrations; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Itasca County, Minnesota; about 1/2 mile north of Bear River; 2,500 feet south and 200 feet west of the northeast corner, sec. 12, T. 61 N., R. 22 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The sandy mantle is 10 to 20 inches thick. Most pedons have free carbonates in the 3BC horizon. Rock fragments content ranges from 0 to 2 percent by volume throughout the profile. They are mostly fine gravel. Material 3 in at least the upper part commonly contains 60 to 75 percent clay, but the range includes pedons with clay content minimally qualifying as contrasting.
Some pedons have a thin O horizon of forest litter as much as 2 inches thick.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 2 to 4, and chroma of 1 or 2. Dry value is 3 to 6. It is loamy sand, loamy fine sand, loamy coarse sand, fine sand, sand, or coarse sand. It is strongly acid to neutral.
The E horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 2 or 3. It is loamy sand, loamy fine sand, loamy coarse sand, fine sand, sand, or coarse sand. It is strongly acid to neutral.
The 2Btg horizon has hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 1 or 2. It is sandy clay loam, clay loam, or loam, but some pedons have thin subhorizons of sandy loam or coarse sandy loam in the upper part of the horizon. It is moderately acid to neutral.
A 3Btg horizon has hue of 5Y or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 1 or 2. It is clay or silty clay. It has prominent to faint redox features. It is neutral to moderately alkaline.
The 3BCg or 3Cg horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 1 or 2. It typically is clay or silty clay, but some pedons have subhorizons of silty clay loam or clay loam. It is neutral to moderately alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Bearville soils are on plane to slightly concave surfaces on the margins and deltas of lake plains and outwash terraces within lake plains. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent. They formed in a sandy mantle of outwash or beach deposits and a layer of loamy sediments overlying clayey glaciolacustrine sediments. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 36 to 40 degrees F. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 23 to 28 inches. The frost-free period ranges from 90 to 120 days. Elevation above sea level is 1000 to 1600 feet.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Alango(T), Indus, Morcom(T), Meehan, Taylor and Thistledew series. The poorly drained Indus, somewhat poorly drained Alango and moderately well drained Taylor soils do not have a sandy mantle. Somewhat poorly drained Morcom and moderately well drained Thistledew soils are on higher positions. Somewhat poorly drained Meehan soils are on slightly higher positions and formed in very deep sandy sediments.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained. Surface runoff is negligible or very low. Permeability is rapid in the sandy mantle and very slow in the underlying clayey material. Perched saturation is at a depth of 0 to 1 foot at sometime during April through June and October through November in most years.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most of this soil is forested. Some is cleared and used for forage and small grain production. Major trees include balsam fir, paper birch, quaking aspen, and white spruce. Native vegetation is mixed deciduous coniferous forest.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRA-88. North-central Minnesota; The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Itasca County, Minnesota, 1982.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 16 inches (A, E1, and E2 horizons); argillic horizon - the zone from 16 to 28 inches (2Btg1 and 3Btg2 horizons); aquic moisture regime based upon low chroma in argillic horizon; contrasting family with a texture break at 25 inches.