LOCATION BLOOMING MNEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Mollic Hapludalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Blooming silt loam, on a convex, south-facing slope of 4 percent, in a cultivated field, at an elevation of about 390 meters above sea level. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 20 centimeters; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) silt loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; weak fine granular structure; friable; slightly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (14 to 24 centimeters thick)
BE--20 to 38 centimeters; brown (10YR 4/3) silt loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) coats on peds; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; friable; few faint clay films on faces of peds; few clean sand particles on faces of peds; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 20 centimeters thick)
2Bt1--38 to 48 centimeters; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) loam high in content of silt, brown (10YR 4/3) coats on peds; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; friable; few faint clay films on faces of peds; about 5 percent rock fragments; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary.
2Bt2--48 to 64 centimeters; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) sandy clay loam, brown (10YR 5/3) coats on peds; weak medium prismatic structure parting to weak medium subangular blocky; friable; few distinct clay films in pores; about 5 percent rock fragments; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary.
2Bt3--64 to 90 centimeters; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) loam; weak medium prismatic structure; friable; few distinct clay films in pores and on faces of peds; about 5 percent rock fragments; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary.
2Bt4--90 to 122 centimeters; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) loam; weak medium and coarse prismatic structure; friable; few distinct clay films in pores and thin clay films on vertical faces of peds; few fine prominent brown (7.5YR 4/4) masses of iron accumulations; about 5 percent rock fragments; slightly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of 2Bt horizon is 50 to 125 centimeters.)
2C--122 to 152 centimeters; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) loam; massive; friable; few fine prominent brown (7.5YR 4/4) masses of iron accumulations; about 5 percent rock fragments; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Major Land Resource Area (MLRA) 103 Central Iowa and Minnesota Till Prairies; Steele County, Minnesota subset; about 2 miles west of southwest Blooming Prairie; located about 2,200 feet south and 50 feet east of the northwest corner of section 35, T. 105 N., R. 19 W.; USGS Blooming Prairie topographic quadrangle; lat. 43 degrees 51 minutes 25 seconds N. and long. 93 degrees 05 minutes 07 seconds W., NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to glacial till--35 to 60 centimeters
Depth to carbonates--90 to 165 centimeters
Clay content in the particle-size control section (weighted average)--24 to 30 percent
Sand content in the particle-size control section (weighted average)--15 to 35 percent, fine sand and sand coarser than fine sand
Special feature--some pedons have a thin stone line, 2 to 13 centimeters thick with up to 10 percent rock fragments at the base of the silty or loamy sediments
Ap or A (when present) horizon:
Hue--10YR
Value--2 or 3
Chroma--1 or 2
Texture--loam or silt loam
Clay content--18 to 27 percent
Sand content--10 to 40 percent
Rock fragment content--0 to 2 percent, mixed lithology
Reaction--moderately acid or slightly acid
AE horizon (when present):
Hue--10YR
Value--3 or 4
Chroma--2
Texture--loam or silt loam
Clay content--18 to 27 percent
Sand content--10 to 40 percent
Rock fragment content--0 to 2 percent, mixed lithology
Reaction--moderately acid or slightly acid
Thickness--0 to 10 centimeters
BE horizon (when present):
Hue--10YR
Value--4 or 5
Chroma--3 or 4
Texture--silt loam, silty clay loam, loam or clay loam
Clay content--24 to 32 percent
Sand content--10 to 40 percent
Rock fragment content--0 to 2 percent, mixed lithology
Reaction--moderately acid or slightly acid
2Bt horizon:
Hue--10YR or 2.5Y
Value--4 or 5
Chroma--3 to 5
Texture--sandy clay loam, loam or clay loam
Clay content--20 to 30 percent
Sand content--30 to 60 percent
Rock fragment content--2 to 15 percent, mixed lithology
Reaction--strongly acid to neutral
B/A clay ratio--1.2 to 1.4
2C horizon:
Hue--10YR or 2.5Y
Value--4 or 5
Chroma--4 to 6
Texture--loam, fine sandy loam or sandy loam
Clay content--18 to 27 percent
Sand content--45 to 70 percent
Rock fragment content--2 to 15 percent, mixed lithology
Reaction--neutral to slightly alkaline
Moist bulk density--1.5 to 1.7 gm/cc
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Angus,
Argyle,
Bassett,
Caleb,
Cortland,
Gara,
Koronis,
Lester,
Newcomer,
Orwood,
Racine,
Sebbo,
Taopi,
Waucoma, and
Winneshiek series.
Angus--have carbonates within depths of 61 to 137 centimeters and have a sand content of 30 to 45 percent throughout the series control section
Argyle--have matrix hues of 5YR or redder in the lower half of the series control section
Bassett--have a moist bulk density of more than 1.75 gm/cc in the lower third of the series control section
Caleb--do not have carbonates within a depth of 165 centimeters
Cortland--do not have carbonates within a depth of 165 centimeters and are in areas that have a mean annual air temperature range of 10 to 12 degrees C
Gara--have an average clay content of 32 to 35 percent in the particle-size control section
Koronis--have carbonates within depths of 40 to 90 centimeters and have an average clay content of 18 to 24 percent in the particle-size control section
Lester--have carbonates within depths of 50 to 138 centimeters, have an average sand content of 30 to 45 in the particle-size control section and do not have a frequently saturated zone within a depth of 1.8 meters in normal years
Newcomer--have a paralithic contact with sandstone within a depth of 102 centimeters
Orwood--do not have rock fragments in the series control section
Racine--have a moist bulk density of more than 1.75 gm/cc in the lower third of the series control section and do not have a frequently saturated zone within a depth of 1.8 meters in normal years
Sebbo--do not have carbonates within a depth of 165 centimeters and have 0 to 15 percent sandstone channers and chert gravel throughout the series control section
Taopi--have carbonates within depths of 50 to 102 centimeters and have soft limestone or siltstone rock fragment content of 10 to 40 percent in the lower third of the series control section
Waucoma--have a lithic contact with limestone within a depth of 152 centimeters
Winneshiek--have a lithic contact with limestone within a depth of 102 centimeters
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material--35 to 60 centimeters of silty or loamy sediments and the underlying calcareous, loamy glacial till, sediments are Late Wisconsinan in age
Landform--convex slopes on ground moraines and end moraines
Slope--1 to 18 percent
Elevation--305 to 427 meters
Mean annual air temperature--7 to 11 degrees C
Mean annual precipitation--700 to 820 millimeters
Frost-free period--120 to 180 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Havana,
Maxcreek, and
Newry soils which are members of a hydrosequence with Blooming soils.
Havana--are at lower landscape positions on linear and concave slopes and are frequently saturated at the soil surface during the wettest portions of normal years
Maxcreek--are at lower landscape positions on linear and concave slopes, are frequently saturated at the soil surface during the wettest portions of normal years, and have a mollic epipedon
Newry--are at slightly lower landscape positions on slightly convex and linear slopes and have a frequently saturated zone within a depth of 0.75 meter in normal years
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class--well drained--a frequently saturated zone occurs within a depth of 1 meter during April to June in normal years, and is considered apparent
Saturated hydraulic conductivity--4.23 to 14.11 micrometers per second (moderately high)
Surface runoff potential--negligible to medium
USE AND VEGETATION:
Most areas are cultivated. The principal crops are corn and soybeans. The native vegetation is primarily deciduous forest, mostly oak and hazel.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Physiographic Division--Interior Plains
Physiographic Province--Central Lowland
Physiographic sections--Western lake section and Dissected till plains
MLRAs--Central Iowa and Minnesota Till Prairies (103) and Eastern Iowa and Minnesota Till Prairies (104)
LRR M; southeastern Minnesota and possibly northern Iowa
Extent--moderate
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Indianapolis, Indiana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Steele County, Minnesota, 1972.
REMARKS:
Particle-size control section--the zone from a depth of 38 to 88 centimeters (2Bt1, 2Bt2, and 2Bt3 horizons);
series control section--the zone from the surface to a depth of 150 centimeters (Ap, BE, 2Bt1, 2Bt2, 2Bt3, 2Bt4, and 2C horizons).
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon include:
ochric epipedon--the zone from the surface to a depth of 20 centimeters (Ap horizon);
argillic horizon--the zone from a depth of 38 to 122 centimeters (2Bt1, 2Bt2, 2Bt3, and 2Bt4 horizons);
udic moisture regime.
In parts of MLRA 103 this drainage class is called moderately well drained based on the Soil Survey Manual. Drainage class is a state interpretation.
Cation-exchange activity class is inferred from lab data from similar soils in the surrounding area.
Taxonomy version--Keys to Soil Taxonomy, ninth edition, 2003.