LOCATION CHEQUAMEGON WI
Established Series
ALV-DJH
06/2011
CHEQUAMEGON SERIES
The Chequamegon series consists of very deep, moderately well drained soils which are deep to a densic contact. They formed in loess or silty lacustrine deposits and in the underlying dense sandy loam till on drumlins or ground moraines. Permeability is moderate in the silty mantle, slow or moderately slow in the till subsoil, and very slow in the densic material. Slopes range from 2 to 30 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 30 inches. Mean annual air temperature is about 42 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Alfic Oxyaquic Haplorthods
TYPICAL PEDON: Chequamegon silt loam - on a convex 3 percent slope in a forested area at an elevation of about 1,675 feet. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Oa--0 to 2 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) highly decomposed plant material; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many fine and medium roots and common coarse roots; very strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 3 inches thick)
E--2 to 7 inches; dark reddish gray (5YR 4/2) silt loam, pinkish gray (5YR 6/2) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; many fine and medium roots and common coarse roots; about 1 percent gravel and 3 percent cobbles; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (1 to 6 inches thick)
Bs1--7 to 13 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) silt loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine and medium roots and few coarse roots; about 1 percent gravel and 3 percent cobbles; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bs2--13 to 17 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) silt loam; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine and medium roots; about 1 percent gravel and 3 percent cobbles; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (combined thickness of the Bs horizon ranges from 6 to 20 inches)
E--17 to 23 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) silt loam, very pale brown (10YR 7/3) dry; weak medium platy structure; friable; few fine and medium roots; about 5 percent gravel and 2 percent cobbles; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick)
E/B--23 to 32 inches; about 60 percent brown (10YR 5/3) silt loam (E), very pale brown (10YR 7/3) dry; weak medium platy structure; friable; extends as tongues into or surrounds remnants of brown (7.5YR 4/4) silt loam (Bt); moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few distinct dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) clay films on faces of peds; few fine and medium roots; common fine and medium distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation; about 5 percent gravel and 2 percent cobbles; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary.
2B/E--32 to 36 inches; about 70 percent brown (7.5YR 4/4) sandy loam (Bt); moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common faint dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) clay films on faces of peds; penetrated by tongues of brown (10YR 5/3) fine sandy loam (E), very pale brown (10YR 7/3) dry; weak thick platy structure; friable; few fine and medium roots; common medium distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation and common medium distinct grayish brown (10YR 5/2) iron depletions; about 10 percent gravel and 1 percent cobbles; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (The glossic horizon ranges from 8 to 24 inches thick.)
2Bt--36 to 50 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) sandy loam; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine and medium roots; common faint dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) clay films on all faces of peds; common medium distinct yellowish red (5YR 4/6) masses of iron accumulation and common fine and medium prominent pinkish gray (7.5YR 6/2) iron depletions; about 12 percent gravel and 2 percent cobbles; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (5 to 30 inches thick)
2BCd--50 to 80 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) sandy loam; massive, tending to part along horizontal cleavage planes inherited from the parent material; firm; common faint dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) clay films on top faces of peds; about 12 percent gravel and 2 percent cobbles; moderately acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Price County, Wisconsin; about 15 miles east of Phillips; 2,000 feet south and 1,925 feet west of the northeast corner, sec. 35, T. 37 N., R. 3 E. Thunder Creek USGS quadrangle; lat. 45 degrees 39 minutes 10 seconds N. and long. 90 degrees 04 minutes 18 seconds W.; NAD27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of silty mantle ranges from 12 to 36 inches. Depth to the base of the argillic horizon and to densic contact ranges from 40 to 60 inches. Content of clay averages from 7 to 17 percent in the particle-size control section and content of fine sand or coarser averages 15 to 70 percent. Volume of gravel ranges from 0 to 10 percent in the silty mantle and from 5 to 35 percent in the till. Volume of cobbles ranges from 0 to 3 percent in the silty mantle and from 0 to 5 percent in the till. Volume of stones ranges from 0 to 1 percent in the silty mantle and from 0 to 3 percent in the till. Surface stones have coverage ranging from 0 to 3 percent. Reaction ranges from extremely acid to slightly acid in the solum, except that it ranges to neutral in the Ap horizon where the soil is limed. Reaction ranges from strongly acid to neutral in the substratum. Redoximorphic features are below the spodic horizon, but are within 40 inches. Saturation occurs within a depth of 40 inches at some time in most years.
The O horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 1 to 3. The O horizon is a mat of slightly to highly decomposed forest litter.
Some pedons have an A horizon, up to 5 inches thick, with hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 1 to 3. Cultivated areas have an Ap horizon with hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 3 or 4, and chroma of 2 or 3. Texture is silt loam.
The E horizon has hue of 5YR, 7.5YR, or 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and a chroma of 1 to 3. Colors of 4/3 and 5/3 have value dry of 7 or more. The E horizon is silt loam or silt.
The Bs horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value and chroma of 3 or 4, or hue of 7.5YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 4. Texture is typically silt loam, but in some pedons is very fine sandy loam.
The E horizon has colors and textures like the E horizon described above.
Chequamegon soils have a glossic horizon. Horizonation has a wide range depending on the thickness of the silty mantle and the degree to which eluviation has occurred. Therefore, there can be E/B, B/E, 2E/B, or 2B/E horizons singly or in combination.
The E part of the E/B or B/E horizon has color and texture like the E horizon described above. The Bt part has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 4 to 6. Texture is silt loam.
Some pedons have a Bt horizon with color and texture like the Bt part described above.
The 2E part of the 2E/B or 2B/E horizons has hue of 5YR, 7.5YR, or 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 2 or 3. Colors of 4/3 or 5/3 have value dry of 7 or more. The 2E part is typically sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam, or their gravelly analogs, but in some pedons it is loamy sand or gravelly loamy sand. The 2Bt part has color and texture like the 2Bt horizon described below.
The 2Bt horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 4 to 6. It is typically sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam, or their gravelly analogs. Bulk density ranges from 1.65 to 1.85. Some pedons have pockets or strata of loamy sand or gravelly loamy sand.
The 2BCd horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 4 to 6. It is typically sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or their gravelly analogs. Clay content averages more than 7 percent. Bulk density ranges from 1.8 to 2.0 gm/cc. Some pedons have pockets or strata of loamy sand or gravelly loamy sand.
Some pedons have a 2Cd horizon with color and texture like the 2BCd horizon described above.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Annalake,
Beaverbay,
Loggerhead,
Padwood,
Sarwet,
Shoepac,
Spiderlake,
Stanberry and
Tipler series. The Annalake,
Gulliver, Loggerhead, Padwood, Sarwet, Shoepac, Spiderlake and Tipler soils do not have a densic contact within the series control section. Beaverbay and Stanberry soils average less than 7 percent clay in the dense till.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material: Formed in loess or silty lacustrine and in the underlying dense sandy loam till of Late Wisconsinan Age.
Landform: Drumlins and ground moraines.
Slope: 2 to 30 percent.
Elevation: 800 to 1950 feet.
Mean annual air temperature: 39 to 45 degrees F.
Mean annual precipitation: 28 to 33 inches.
Frost-free days: 120 to 135 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Capitola,
Magnor, and
Newood soils. The somewhat poorly drained Magnor and the very poorly and poorly drained Capitola soils are in a drainage sequence with Chequamegon soils. The moderately well drained Newood soils are on similar landscape positions where the silty mantle is less than 12 inches thick, or is absent.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained. Surface runoff is low to high. Permeability is moderate in the silty mantle, moderately slow or slow in the till subsoil, and very slow in the densic material. This soil has a perched seasonal high water table at a depth of 2 to 3.5 feet for 1 month or more at some time during the period of September to June in most years.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are used for woodland. Native vegetation is mostly deciduous forest with some conifers. Common trees are sugar maple, yellow birch, American basswood, white ash, black cherry, and eastern hophornbeam with some red pine and eastern white pine. Some areas are cleared and used for cropland. Common crops are corn, small grain, and hay.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North-central and northwestern Wisconsin. LRR K, MLRA 90A. This soil is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES PROPOSED: Price County, Wisconsin, 2004. Source of the name is derived from the Chequamegon National Forest.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Particle size control section - the zone from 10 to 40 inches.
Ochric epipedon - 0 to 7 inches (Oa, E).
Albic horizon - 2 to 7 inches (E), and the zone from 17 to 32 inches (E and E part of the E/B).
Spodic horizon - 7 to 17 inches (Bs1, Bs2).
Glossic horizon - 23 to 36 inches (E/B, 2B/E).
Argillic horizon - 32 to 50 inches (2B/E, 2Bt).
Densic contact - the contact with dense till (2BCd) at 50 inches.
Oxyaquic feature - redox features and saturation below the spodic horizon and within 40 inches for 1 month or more per year in most years.
Lithologic discontinuity - at the upper boundary of the 2B/E horizon at 32 inches.
This soil was formerly included with the Goodwit and Goodman series where the underlying material was not recognized as dense till.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.