LOCATION BERNER MNEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, euic, frigid Terric Haplosaprists
TYPICAL PEDON: Berner muck on a slope of less than 1 percent in a cultivated field. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated)
Oa1--0 to 18 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) broken face, very dark brown (10YR 2/2) rubbed and pressed muck (sapric material); about 20 percent fiber, about 5 percent rubbed; weak medium platy structure; very friable primarily herbaceous fibers; neutral; gradual wavy boundary.
Oa2--18 to 28 inches; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) broken face, black (10YR 2/1) rubbed and pressed muck (sapric material); about 5 percent fiber; about 1 percent rubbed; weak medium platy structure; very friable; primarily herbaceous fibers; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (Combined Oa horizons 24 to 45 inches thick)
A--28 to 31 inches; very dark grayish brown (2.5Y 3/2) sandy loam; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
Bg--31 to 44 inches; light olive gray (5Y 6/2) sand; single grain; loose; common medium prominent olive yellow (5Y 6/8) and yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) redoximorphic concentrations; about 5 percent gravel; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 20 inches thick)
2CBkg--44 to 66 inches; olive gray (5Y 5/2) loam; massive; friable; common medium prominent olive yellow (5Y 6/8) and yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) redoximorphic concentrations; common medium irregularly shaped seams and masses of carbonates; about 5 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary.
2CBkg--66 to 80 inches; olive gray (5Y 4/2) olive gray (5Y 5/2) clay loam; massive; firm; many coarse prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6), common medium distinct olive (5Y 4/4), and common fine prominent strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) redoximorphic concentrations; light gray (5Y 7/1) common medium irregularly shaped seams and masses of carbonates; about 3 percent gravel and 1 percent cobbles; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Clearwater County, Minnesota; about 2 miles north and 3 miles west of Berner; 1,300 feet west and 500 feet north of the southeast corner of sec. 5, T. 150 N., R. 38 W.; USGS Gully, MN topographic quadrangle; NAD27; latitude 47 degrees 50 minutes 5 seconds N, longitude 95 degrees 32 minutes 34 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The organic material ranges from 16 to 50 inches thick. Fibers are dominantly herbaceous and fiber content ranges from 5 to 40 percent unrubbed and less than 10 percent when rubbed. The organic material does not contain free carbonates. In some pedons it contains up to 15 percent by volume wood fragments. Depth to the loamy till or lacustrine sediments ranges from 30 to 55 inches. Rock fragments of mixed lithology range from 0 to 20 percent in the upper mantle (A and Bg horizons).
The Oa horizons have hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, or are neutral, value of 2 to 4 and chroma of 0 to 3. They are dominantly sapric material, but some pedons may contain as much as 10 inches of hemic material in the surface or subsurface tiers. Reaction is moderately acid to neutral.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y or is neutral, value of 2 to 4 and chroma of 2 or less. It is sandy loam, loamy fine sand, fine sandy loam, or their gravelly analogues. Reaction slightly acid or neutral.
The Bg horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 4 to 6 and chroma of 1 or 2. It is sand, fine sand, loamy sand, or loamy fine sand, or their gravelly analogues. Reaction slightly acid to slightly alkaline. Some pedons have Bkg horizons instead of Bg horizons. It has colors and textures similar to the Bg horizon.
The 2CBkg horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 4 to 6 and chroma of 1 or 2. Reaction slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline. Some pedons have 2Cg horizons that have colors and textures similar to the 2CBkg horizon.
The 2CBkg or 2Cg horizons in the Percy till phase have textures of sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam or silt loam. They have 12 to 18 percent clay and more than 15 percent fine sand and coarser sand. They have 2 to 10 percent rock fragments. Calcium carbonate equivalent ranges from 20 to 40 percent. Moist bulk density ranges from 1.75 to 2.00 g/cc.
The 2CBkg or 2Cg horizons in the Des Moines till phase have textures of loam, clay loam or silty clay loam. They have 18 to 35 percent clay and more than 15 percent fine sand and coarser sand. They have 2 to 10 percent rock fragments. Calcium carbonate equivalent ranges from 10 to 25 percent. Moist bulk density ranges from 1.35 to 1.60 g/cc.
Where formed in silty calcareous glacial lacustrine sediments, the 2CBkg and 2Cg horizons have textures of very fine sandy loam, loam, silt loam or silty clay loam. Total clay averages less than 35 percent. The sediments are free of rock fragments and may be finely stratified or laminated with clay.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bullwinkle, Cathro, Nidaros and Wonsqueak series. None of these soils have sandy sediments between the organic material and the loamy till. In addition, Nidaros soils do not have loamy till within 60 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Berner soils are on nearly level lake plains. Slopes are plane and are 2 percent or less. These soils formed in organic material overlying stratified loamy and sandy lacustrine deposits underlain by loamy calcareous till or lacustrine sediments of Late Wisconsin Age. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 36 to 45 degrees F. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 24 to 28 inches. The frost free period ranges from 88 to 135 days. The elevation above sea level ranges from 785 to 1,350 feet.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Cathro soils in adjacent peatlands; the poorly drained, mineral Grygla, Chilgren, Kratka, Roliss, Smiley and Strathcona soils on the adjacent uplands; and the very poorly drained Markey, Northwood and Seelyeville soils in adjacent peatlands. Markey soils are underlain entirely by sandy sediments. Northwood soils formed in thinner organic deposits and Seelyeville soils formed entirely in organic materials.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: This soil is very poorly drained. Runoff is very low or ponded. Permeability is moderate in the organic material, rapid in the sandy sediments, and moderately slow in the underlying material. An apparent water table is as high as from 1 foot above to 0.5 feet below the soil surface at some time during November to June in most years. It is as high as the surface to 0.5 feet below the surface during January to December in most years for the wet phase occurring in seeps.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most of this soil is in native vegetation of alder, reeds, sedges, and willow. Small areas are drained and used for the production of hay and pasture. Some areas are wooded with black spruce, tamarack, and northern white cedar as principle species.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern Minnesota on the Glacial Lake Agassiz plain. This soil is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Clearwater County, Minnesota, 1994.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: sapric material - from surface to 28 inches (Oa1, Oa2 horizon); terric feature - mineral soil at 28 inches (A, Bg, and 2CBkg horizons); aquic moisture regime.
This soil may replace some areas of Markey on the Glacial Lake Agassiz plain in several counties where the surrounding mineral uplands indicate the presence of loamy till in their profiles. It will also replace soils mapped as Markey, loamy substratum.