LOCATION BEAVERTAIL MIEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, carbonatic, frigid Histic
Humaquepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Beavertail muck on a 1 percent slope in a forested area. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Oa--0 to 8 inches; black (N 2/0) broken face and rubbed muck (sapric material); about 10 percent fiber; less than 5 percent rubbed; moderate medium granular structure; friable; many very fine to coarse roots; about 5 percent gravel; moderately alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary. (8 to 10 inches thick)
Bw--8 to 16 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) very gravelly fine sandy loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine prominent brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) iron accumulations throughout; common very fine and fine and few medium roots; about 40 percent gravel and 15 percent cobbles; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (4 to 9 inches thick)
Cg--16 to 29 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) very gravelly fine sandy loam; weak medium subangular blocky fragments; firm; common fine prominent brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) iron accumulations throughout; few very fine to medium roots; about 40 percent gravel and 15 percent cobbles; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 15 inches thick)
Cd--29 to 60 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) very gravelly fine sandy loam; massive; firm; few fine prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) iron accumulations throughout; about 40 percent gravel and 15 percent cobbles; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Chippewa County, Michigan; about 1/4 miles south of Lincoln location, on Drummond Island; 500 feet south and 400 feet east of the northwest corner of Sec. 11, T. 41 N., R. 6 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum depth ranges from 13 to 19 inches. The control section contains greater than 40 percent carbonates by weight. Rock fragments are dominantly limestone. The surface horizon has 0 to 10 percent gravel, cobbles, and stones. The B and C horizons have 25 to 45 percent gravel and 5 to 15 percent stones and cobbles. Total rock fragment ranges from 35 to 50 percent in the Bw and C horizons.
The Oa horizon has hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y or is neutral, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 0 to 1.
Some pedons have an A horizon below the muck surface layer with hue of 10YR or is neutral, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 0 to 2. It is 2 to 4 inches thick and has textures similar to the Bw and Cd horizon. Reaction is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
The Bw and Cd horizons have hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 2 to 4. Textures are very gravelly analogs of fine sandy loam, sandy loam or loam. Reaction of the Bw and Cd horizons are slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series. Closely related is the Hessel series. Hessel soils have mollic epipedons, average less than 35 percent rock fragments in the particle size control section and have mixed mineralogy.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Beavertail soils are in nearly level to depressional areas on till plains, ground moraines and glacial lake benches. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 28 to 32 inches, and mean annual temperature ranges from 41 to 43 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Markey, Posen and Shelter soils. Markey soils have 16 to 50 inches of organic material over sand and are on similar landscape positions. Posen soils are well drained and are on higher landscape positions. Shelter soils are somewhat poorly drained and are on higher landscape positions.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained and very poorly drained. This soil has a seasonal high water table that is perched on the dense till contact. The water table ranges from 1 foot above the surface to 1 foot below the surface at times during the period from October to June. Surface runoff is very slow or ponded. Permeability is very slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of this soil are forested. Vegetation consists of northern whitecedar, quaking aspen, balsam fir, paper birch, black spruce and tag alder.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Chippewa County, Michigan 1989.
REMARKS: The somewhat poorly drained member of this catena was sampled and contained greater than 40 percent carbonates by weight. Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: Histic epipedon - the zone from 0 to 8 inches (Oa horizon); cambic horizon - the zone from 8 to 16 inches; aquic moisture regime - the zone from 0 to 8 inches (Histic epipedon) (Oa horizon).
ADDITIONAL DATA: Soil Interpretation Record No.: MI0535