LOCATION BELTRAMI MNEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Aquic Hapludalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Beltrami fine sandy loam with a slightly convex slope of 1 percent on a ground moraine in a cultivated field. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 6 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) fine sandy loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry; weak fine granular structure; friable; about 3 percent gravel; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 8 inches thick)
E--6 to 11 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) fine sandy loam; weak thin platy structure parting to weak very fine subangular blocky; friable; about 3 percent gravel; neutral; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 9 inches thick)
Bt1--11 to 18 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) sandy clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; many faint grayish brown (10YR 5/2) porous grainy coatings on faces of peds; few faint dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) clay films on faces of peds; about 5 percent gravel; slightly acid; abrupt wavy boundary.
Bt2--18 to 25 inches; olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) clay loam; few fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) Fe concentrations and light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) Fe depletions; strong medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; firm; few faint grayish brown (10YR 5/2) porous grainy coatings on faces of peds, mostly in upper part; many prominent very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) clay films on faces of peds; about 5 percent gravel; slightly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Bt3--25 to 34 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) sandy clay loam; common fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) Fe concentrations and distinct grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) Fe depletions; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common prominent very dark brown (10YR 2/2) clay films in old root channels; about 8 percent gravel; neutral; clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizon is 10 to 44 inches.)
Bk--34 to 60 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) loam; common fine distinct light olive brown (2.5Y 5/6) Fe concentrations; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine light gray (10YR 7/2) accumulations of calcium carbonates; few dark concretions; about 8 percent gravel and 1 percent cobbles; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Douglas County, Minnesota; about 7 miles north of Alexandria; 165 feet east and 37 feet north of the southwest corner of sec. 7, T. 129 N., R. 37 W.; USGS Alexandria West quadrangle; lat. 45 degrees 59 minutes 30 seconds N. and long. 95 degrees 23 minutes 40 seconds W., NAD27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The depth to free carbonates typically ranges from 20 to 40 inches. A thick solum phase is recognized where depth to carbonates is 40 to 60 inches or more. The profile contains 2 to 10 percent rock fragments of mixed lithology. The soil moisture control section is not dry in any part for as long as 90 cumulative days in most years.
The A or Ap horizons have value of 2 to 4 and chroma of 1 or 2. Texture is fine sandy loam, sandy loam, very fine sandy loam, or loam. It is slightly acid or neutral.
The E horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 1 or 2. Texture is loamy sand, loamy fine sand, loamy very fine sand, sandy loam, fine sandy loam or loam. It is strongly acid to neutral. It interfingers into the Bt horizon in some pedons but is less than 15 percent of the horizon.
Some pedons have BE horizons. The eluvial part is than 15 percent by volume.
The Bt horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 3 or 4. Chroma ranges to 2 in the lower part in some pedons. It has redox depletions with chroma of 2 or less within the upper 10 inches of the argillic horizon. It is loam, clay loam, or sandy clay loam. The particle size control section averages 18 to 35 percent clay and 30 to 45 percent sand. B/A clay ratios typically are 1.4 to 1.6. The B horizon is typically moderately acid to neutral but ranges to strongly acid in thick solum pedons.
The Bk horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 2 to 4. It is typically loam or clay loam, but thin subhorizons of fine sandy loam or sandy clay loam are in some pedons. It is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline. Calcium carbonate equivalent is 12 to 30 percent. Some pedons do not have a Bk horizon.
Some pedons have a C horizon with properties similar to the Bk. Some pedons also have a BC horizon.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bonduel, Garnes, Nary, and Wykeham series. Bonduel soils have a lithic contact beginning at a depth of 20 to 40 inches. Garnes soils are less than 20 inches deep to carbonates and contain more than 45 percent sand in the series control section. Nary and Wykeham soils have 45 to 65 percent fine sand or coarser in the series control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Beltrami soils have nearly level to gently undulating plane or slightly convex positions on glacial moraines. They formed in calcareous, loamy glacial till of Late Wisconsinan Age. Slopes range from 1 to 3 percent. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 38 to 45 degrees F. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 20 to 28 inches. The frost-free days range from 95 to 145. Elevation above sea level ranges from 1000 to 1700 feet.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bluffton, Nebish, and Shooker series which are members of a drainage sequence with Beltrami soils. Very poorly drained Bluffton soils are in depressions. Well drained Nebish soils have convex slopes and are on higher lying terrain. Poorly drained Shooker soils are on nearly level terrain. Organic soils are associated in many places.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained. Surface runoff is moderately low or moderately high. Permeability is moderately rapid or moderate in the upper part and moderate or moderately slow in the lower part. Depth to an apparent seasonal high water table is 1.5 to 2.5 feet at some time from November to June in most years.
USE AND VEGETATION: About one-half of these soils are cultivated. Small grain, corn, and hay are the principal crops. The remainder is in forest or is used for pasture. The native vegetation is mixed deciduous and coniferous forest, mainly of American basswood, balsam fir, eastern white pine, northern red oak, quaking aspen, sugar maple, and white spruce.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern Minnesota. Moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Hubbard County, Minnesota, 1930.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface to 11 inches (Ap and E horizons); albic horizon - the zone from 6 to 11 inches (E horizon); argillic horizon - the zone from 11 to 34 inches (Bt horizons); aquic subgroup - low chroma redox depletions in upper 10 inches of argillic horizon.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Refer to MAES Central File Code No. 945 for results of some laboratory analysis of the typifying pedon.