LOCATION CHAMPION MI+WIEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Oxyaquic Fragiorthods
TYPICAL PEDON: Champion cobbly silt loam on a 1 percent slope - forested. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated).
Oe--0 to 1 inch; black (5YR 2/1) partially decomposed forest litter; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many roots; extremely acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 3 inches thick)
E--1 to 5 inches; reddish gray (5YR 5/2) cobbly silt loam; pinkish gray (5YR 7/2) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common roots; about 5 percent gravel and 20 percent cobbles; extremely acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 4 inches thick)
Bhs--5 to 7 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) cobbly silt loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common roots; about 5 percent gravel and 15 percent cobbles; extremely acid; clear broken boundary. (3 to 7 inches thick)
Bs1-7 to 18 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) fine sandy loam; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure, friable; many roots; about 5 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; extremely acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bs2--18 to 22 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) fine sandy loam; weak medium and fine subangular blocky structure; friable; few roots; about 5 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; extremely acid; abrupt broken boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bs horizons are 9 to 22 inches)
2Bx--22 to 54 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) gravelly sandy loam; weak coarse platy structure; firm; few roots; many pores; thin discontinuous yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) sand lenses; silt coatings on some gravel; about 25 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; common fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) mottles in upper 4 inches; extremely acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 40 inches thick)
2C--54 to 60 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly loamy sand; massive; friable; about 30 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; extremely acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Baraga County, Michigan. 200 feet east and 800 feet north of the center of sec. 20, T. 48 N., R. 31 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Unless otherwise stated depth ranges in the paragraph are measured from the mineral soil surface. The thickness of the eolian mantle ranges from 16 to 24 inches. Depth to the fragipan ranges from 14 to 24 inches. Thickness of the solum ranges from 30 to 70 inches. The soil ranges from extremely acid to moderately acid. Gravel content ranges from 0 to 10 percent in the A, E, and B horizons and from 5 to 35 percent in the 2B and 2C horizons. Cobble and stone content ranges from 0 to 35 percent in the A, E, and B horizons and from 0 to 15 percent in the 2B and 2C horizons. Stone cover ranges from less than 0.01 percent to 0.3 percent of the surface.
The 0 horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 2 and and chroma of 1 or is neutral with value of 2.
The A and E horizons are silt loam, very fine sandy loam, sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or cobbly analogues of these textures. The A horizon, where present, has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 2 to 4, and chroma of 1 to 2. The E horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 1 to 2.
The Bhs horizon has hue of 2.5YR to 7.5YR, value of 3, and chroma of 2 or 3. The Bs horizons have hue of 2.5YR to 10YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 3 or 4. A Bs3 horizon is in some pedons. It has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 4 or 6. The B horizons are silt loam, very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or cobbly analogs of these textures.
Some pedons have a 2Ex and/or a 2(B/E)x horizon. The 2Ex horizon and and E part of the 2(B/E)x horizon has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 2.
The 2Bx horizon and B part of the the 2(B/E)x horizons horizon has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 2 to 4. The 2Ex, 2(B/E)x and 2Bx horizons are gravelly sandy loam, gravelly fine sandy loam, gravelly loamy sand, or gravelly loamy fine sand. The lower 2B does not have enough clay to qualify as an argillic horizon.
The 2C horizon has hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 2 to 4. It is gravelly fine sandy loam, gravelly sandy loam, gravelly loamy sand, or gravelly loamy fine sand with pockets and lenses of gravelly sand in some pedons. The material contains abundant dark slates and schists. The 2C horizon averages less than 12 percent clay.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Trimountain and Worth soils. Closely related are the Kallio and Net soils. Trimountain soils have hues redder than 7.5YR in the substratum, and formed in till containing basalt and andesite amygdaloids and conglomerates. Worth soils are underlain by dense slowly permeable till (Cd horizons) within 40 to 65 inches. The Kallio soil has an argillic horizon and from 12 to 35 percent clay in the argillic horizon. The Net soil has mottles in the upper part of the B horizon and has a stony surface.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: These soils are on ground moraines and end moraines of Wisconsinan age. Slopes range from 0 to 70 percent. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 31 to 36 inches, and mean annual temperature ranges from 41 to 43 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the moderately well drained Kallio and well drained or moderately well drained Michigamme, well drained Amasa, somewhat poorly drained Net, and the poorly drained Witbeck soils. The Kallio, Michigamme, and Amasa soils are on similar landscape positions; the Net and Witbeck soils are in depressions and drainageways.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained and moderately well drained. The moderately well drained phase has a perched seasonal high water table from 1 ro 2 feet below the surface from November to May. Surface runoff is slow to rapid. Permeability is moderate in the upper
part, very slow in the fragipan, and moderate or moderately rapid in the lower part of the pedon.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are forested with sugar maple, yellow birch, eastern hemlock, quaking aspen, and balsam fir.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The west-central part of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Champion soils are of large extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Marquette County, Michigan, 1944.
REMARKS: Classification was adjusted to agree with ST Issue #17 on 6 Sept 94 by CLG. Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: albic horizon - the zone from 0 to 4 inches (E horizon); spodic horizon - the zone from 4 to 21 inches (Bhs, Bs1 and Bs2 horizons); fragipan feature - the zone from 21 to 53 inches (2Bx horizon). The loamy eolian mantle has been modified by windthrow action and post glacial erosion.