LOCATION BROWNCHURCH WIEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Mollic Hapludalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Brownchurch sandy loam on a concave, northwest-facing slope of 22 percent, in a cultivated field, at an elevation of 286 meters. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.) About 6 percent of the surface is covered by channers. The fragments are dolostone and sandstone.
Ap--0 to 15 centimeters; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) sandy loam; brown (10YR 4/3) dry; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; common fine and medium roots; about 10 percent dolostone and 1 percent sandstone channers; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. (15 to 23 centimeters thick)
Bt1--15 to 25 centimeters; dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) sandy loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; common faint dark brown (10YR 3/3) clay films on faces of peds; common fine and medium roots; about 5 percent dolostone and 1 percent sandstone channers; neutral; gradual wavy boundary.
Bt2--25 to 61 centimeters; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) sandy loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; many faint dark brown (10YR 3/3) clay films on faces of peds; common fine and medium roots; about 4 percent dolostone and 1 percent sandstone channers; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bt3--61 to 76 centimeters; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) loam; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; friable; many faint dark brown (10YR 3/3) clay films on faces of peds; few fine and medium roots; about 2 percent dolostone and 1 percent sandstone channers; slightly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizons is 36 to 102 centimeters)
2Bt4--76 to 122 centimeters; brown (10YR 4/3) silt loam; weak medium prismatic structure; friable; common faint dark brown (10YR 3/3) clay films on faces of peds; few fine roots; about 1 percent dolostone and 1 percent sandstone channers; slightly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
2Bt5--122 to 157 centimeters; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silt loam; weak coarse prismatic structure; friable; few faint brown (10YR 4/3) clay films on faces of peds; few fine roots; about 2 percent dolostone and 2 percent sandstone channers; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary.(Combined thickness of the 2Bt horizons is 50 to 102 centimeters)
2BC--157 to 203 centimeters; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) silt loam; weak coarse prismatic structure; friable; few fine distinct brown (7.5YR 5/4) masses of iron accumulation; about 3 percent dolostone and 2 percent sandstone channers; moderately acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Richland County, Wisconsin; located about 1 mile northwest of Richland Center; about 1,420 feet east and 1,420 feet south of the northwest corner of sec. 7, T. 10 N., R. 1 E.; Richland Center USGS topographic quadrangle; latitude 43 degrees 21 minutes, 41 seconds N; longitude 90 degrees, 25 minutes, 28 seconds W. NAD 83.
Type location lat long was wrong, MLRA SS Leader sent a corrected lat long to the MO on 10/30/2008. However; that corrected location is in the woods on a southeast facing slope, so it seems that is still not correct so the MO used its historic type location which puts this pedon on a NW slope in a cultivated field.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to silty slope alluvium: 50 to 152 centimeters or more
Clay content in the particle-size control section (weighted average): 8 to 18percent
Clay content of the Bt: 8 to 18 percent
Clay content of the 2Bt: 18 to 30 percent
Kind of rock fragments: dolostone and sandstone
Volume of rock fragments: 0 to 15 percent channers in the loamy slope alluvium, and 0 to 10 percent channers and 0 to 5 percent flagstones in the silty slope alluvium
Soil reaction: strongly acid to slightly acid but ranges to neutral in the upper part, where limed
Ap or A horizon (when present):
Hue--10YR
Value--2 or 3
Chroma--1 to 3
Texture--sandy loam
E horizon (when present):
Hue--10YR
Value--4 or 5
Chroma--2 or 3
Texture--loamy sand, sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or the channery analogs
Bt horizon:
Hue--7.5YR or 10YR
Value--4 to 6
Chroma--3 to 6
Texture--sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam or the channery analogs
2Bt horizon:
Hue--10YR
Value--4 or 5
Chroma--3 to 6
Texture--silt loam or silty clay loam;
2BC horizon:
Hue--10YR
Value--4 to 6
Chroma--4 to 6
Texture--silt loam
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Backbone,
Billett,
Desker,
Kingsley,
Oronoco and
Ulster series.
Backbone-- have lithic contacts within a depth of 102 centimeters.
Billett-- have more than 70 percent sand in the lower part of the control section.
Desker-- have carbonates at 51 to 102 centimeters and are sandy in the lower part of the series control section.
Kingsley-- have more than 55 percent sand and are stratified in the lower part of the series control section.
Oronoco-- have carbonates at 122 to 210 centimeters and do not have any coarse fragments
Ulster-- have stratified sand, loamy sand, sandy loam and silt loam textures below a depth of 90 centimeters.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent Material--loamy slope alluvium over silty slope alluvium
Landform--hills in bedrock controlled uplands
Elevation--243 to 293 meters
Mean Annual Air Temperature: 9 to 11 degrees C
Mean Annual Precipitation: 762 to 864 millimeters
Frost Free Period: 135 to 160 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
These are the
Churchtown,
Gaphill, and
Rockbluff soils near the Type Location. The Churchtown soils are in similar positions on the landscape. The Churchtown soils are fine-silty. The Gaphill and Rockbluff soils are in the steeper backslope positions above the Brownchurch soils. The Gaphill soils have bedrock within 203 centimeters. The Rockbluff soils are sandy and have bedrock within 203 centimeters.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage--well drained--a saturated zone does not occur within a depth of 1.8 meters during April to June in normal years
Saturated hydraulic conductivity--4.23-42.34 micrometers per second (moderate to moderately rapid) in the loamy slope alluvium; 4.23-14.11 micrometers per second (moderate) in the silty slope alluvium
Runoff--low to medium
USE AND VEGETATION: The less sloping areas are used for cropland. Commonly grown crops are corn, small grain, and legume hay. The steeper slopes are commonly used for woodland. Native vegetation is deciduous trees.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Physiographic division--Interior Plains
Physiographic Province--Central Lowland
Physiographic sections--Wisconsin driftless section,
MLRAs--Northern Mississippi Valley Loess Hills (105)
LRR--M; southwestern Wisconsin
Extentsmall
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Richland County, Wisconsin, 2002. Source of the name is from a county road.
REMARKS:
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: The zone from 0 to 15 centimeters.
Argillic horizon: The zone from 15 to 157 centimeters.
Brownchurch soils are recognized below backslopes where the sandstone is a significant factor in creating the loamy slope alluvium. The Churchtown series occurs in the same landform position in nearby areas where the sandstone has less influence and are fine-silty. Redox features in the lower part of the profile are relict or an indicator of a zone of near saturation of short duration during wet periods. The internal drainage appears to be restricted by structure differences in the lower part of the argillic horizon and 2BC or 2C horizon. Brownchurch soils, however, are considered to be well drained.
ADDITIONAL DATA: None available.