LOCATION BELMANN IAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, calcareous, mesic Vertic Endoaquolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Belmann clay loam, on a 1 percent slope, in a cultivated field, at an elevation of about 396 meters above mean sea level. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 20 centimeters; black (10YR 2/1) clay loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; weak fine granular structure; friable; common very fine roots; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary.
A--20 to 41 centimeters; black (10YR 2/1) clay loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; weak medium granular structure; firm; common very fine roots; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizon is 25 to 60 centimeters.)
Bg1--41 to 61 centimeters; olive gray (5Y 4/2) clay loam; weak very fine subangular blocky structure; firm; common very fine roots; common distinct very dark gray (5Y 3/1) organic coats on faces of peds; common fine prominent light olive brown (2.5Y 5/6) and common fine faint olive (5Y 5/3) redoximorphic concentrations; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (15 to 25 centimeters thick)
2Bg2--61 to 81 centimeters; olive gray (5Y 5/2) silty clay; moderate very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; firm; common very fine roots; common distinct olive gray (5Y 4/2) organic coats on faces of peds; common fine distinct light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) and common fine prominent light olive brown (2.5Y 5/6) redoximorphic concentrations; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 40 centimeters thick)
2Bkg3--81 to 107 centimeters; olive gray (5Y 5/2) silty clay; moderate very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; firm; common very fine roots: few distinct dark gray (5Y 4/1) organic coat on faces of peds; common fine irregular very pale brown (10YR 8/2) calcium carbonate nodules; common fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) and light olive brown (2.5Y 5/6) redoximorphic concentrations; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline; gradual smooth boundary.
2Bkg4--107 to 132 centimeters; olive gray (5Y 5/2) silty clay; moderate very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; friable; few very fine roots; common fine irregular very pale brown (10YR 8/2) calcium carbonate nodules; many fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) redoximorphic concentrations; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the 2Bkg horizon is 15 to 75 centimeters.)
2BCg--132 to 155 centimeters; olive gray (5Y 5/2) silty clay loam; weak very fine prismatic structure parting to weak fine subangular blocky; friable; few very fine roots; many fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) redoximorphic concentrations; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 50 centimeters thick)
2Cg--155 to 200 centimeters; olive gray (5Y 5/2) silty clay; massive; friable; common medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) redoximorphic concentrations; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Major Land Resource Area (MLRA) 103-Central Iowa and Minnesota Till Prairies, Clay County, Iowa subset; about 1/2 mile northeast of Spencer; located about 93 feet west and 700 feet south of the northeast corner of section 5, T. 96 N., R. 36 W.; USGS Dickens topographic quadrangle; lat. 43 degrees 10 minutes 04 seconds N. and long. 95 degrees 06 minutes 46 seconds W., NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Thickness of mollic epipedon--25 to 60 centimeters
Depth to lacustrine material--50 to 100 centimeters
Depth to carbonates--0 to 25 centimeters
Electrical conductivity--0 mmhos/cm
Clay content of the particle-size control section (weighted average)--35 to 40 percent
Sand content of the particle-size control section (weighted average)--15 to 30 percent
A and Ap horizons:
Hue--10YR, 2.5Y, or is neutral
Value--2
Chroma--0 or 1
Texture--clay loam or loam
Clay content--25 to 38 percent
Sand content--15 to 45 percent
Reaction--moderately acid to neutral
Bg horizon:
Hue--2.5Y or 5Y
Value--4 or 5
Chroma--1 or 2
Texture--clay loam or silty clay loam
Clay content--27 to 40 percent
Sand content--15 to 45 percent
Reaction--moderately acid to neutral
2Bg and 2Bkg horizons:
Hue--5Y or 2.5Y
Value--4 or 5
Chroma--1 to 3
Texture--silty clay loam, silty clay, or clay
Clay content--27 to 60 percent
Sand content--2 to 20 percent
Reaction--moderately acid to neutral
2BCg and 2Cg horizon:
Hue--5Y or 2.5Y
Value--4 to 6
Chroma--2 or 3
Texture--silt loam, silty clay loam, silty clay, or clay
Clay content--20 to 45 percent
Sand content--2 to 20 percent
Reaction--moderately acid to neutral
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Brownton,
Egas,
Erd,
Herdcamp,
Nishna, and
Tieville series.
Brownton--have a sand content of more than 20 percent in the lower third of the series control section
Egas--have an electrical conductivity of more than 8mmhos/cm
Erd--have accumulations of salts in the lower half of the series control section
Herdcamp--have a sand content that averages less than 10 percent in the particle-size control section
Nishna--have a mollic epipedon 60 to 150 centimeters thick
Tieville--have a sand content that averages less than 10 percent in the particle-size control section
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material--50 to 100 centimeters of loamy sediments and in the underlying lacustrine sediments
Landform--flats and swales on glacial lake plains
Slope--0 to 2 percent
Elevation--300 to 400 meters above sea level
Mean annual air temperature--6 to 10 degrees C
Mean annual precipitation--585 to 890 millimeters
Frost free period--155 to 200 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Collinwood,
Fostoria,
Ocheyedan, and
Waldorf soils.
Collinwood--are on slightly higher landscape positions and have a sand content that averages less than 15 percent in the particle-size control section
Fostoria--are on slightly higher landscape positions on slightly convex slopes and have a frequently saturated zone between depths of 0.3 and 1 meter during the wettest periods of years when precipitation is within one standard deviation of the 30 year mean of annual precipitation
Ocheyedan--are on higher landscape positions and have a frequently saturated zone between depths of 1.2 and 1.8 meters during the wettest periods of years when precipitation is within one standard deviation of the 30 year mean of annual precipitation
Waldorf--are on landscape positions similar to those of the Belmann soils and have a sand content that averages less than 10 percent in the particle-size control section
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class--poorly drained--in an undrained condition, these soils are frequently saturated from the surface of the soil to a depth of 0.3 meter during the wettest periods of years when precipitation is within one standard deviation of the 30 year mean of annual precipitation
Saturated hydraulic conductivity--1.0 to 10.00 micrometers per second
USE AND VEGETATION:
Most areas are cultivated. The principal crops are corn and soybeans. The native vegetation is big bluestem, western wheatgrass, sedges, blue grama and other species of the tall grass prairie that are tolerant of excessive wetness.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Physiographic Division--Interior Plains
Physiographic Province--Central Lowland
Physiographic section--Western lake section
MLRA--Central Iowa and Minnesota Till Prairies (103)
LRR M; north-central Iowa
Extent--small
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Clay County, Iowa 1999
REMARKS:
Particle-size control section--the zone from a depth of 25 to 100 centimeters;
series control section--the zone from the surface to a depth of 155 centimeters.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon include:
mollic epipedon--the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 41 centimeters (Ap and A horizons);
cambic horizon--the zone from a depth of 41 to 155 centimeters (Bg1, 2Bg2, 2Bkg3, 2Bkg4, and 2BCg horizons)
aquic moisture regime.
This soil was formerly correlated as part of the Canisteo series.
A gypsic phase of Belmann soil is recognized.
Taxonomy version--Keys to Taxonomy, tenth edition, 2006.