LOCATION CRESKEN IAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Hapludolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Cresken clay loam - with a southwest-facing convex slope of 3 percent on upland ridgetop - cultivated. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 7 inches; black (10YR 2/1) clay loam (28 percent clay), dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; weak fine granular structure; friable; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary.
A1--7 to 12 inches; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) clay loam (30 percent clay), gray (10YR 5/1) dry; continuous black (10YR 2/1) coatings on faces of peds; weak fine granular structure; friable; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary.
A2--12 to 16 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) clay loam (30 percent clay), grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry; discontinuous very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) coatings on faces of peds; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizons is 10 to 20 inches.)
BA--16 to 20 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) clay loam (30 percent clay); discontinuous dark brown (10YR 3/3) coatings on faces of peds; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; a thin pebble band in the lower part consisting of pebbles .5 to 2 inches in diameter; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 5 inches thick)
2Bw1--20 to 25 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) clay loam (32 percent clay); weak fine subangular blocky structure; firm; few pebbles; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary.
2Bw2--25 to 30 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) clay loam (30 percent clay); continuous grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) silt coatings on faces of peds; few fine faint strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) mottles; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; very firm; few pebbles; few fine yellowish red (5YR 5/8) concretions (iron oxides); medium acid; clear smooth boundary.
2Bw3--30 to 39 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) clay loam (30 percent clay); continuous grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) silt coatings on faces of peds; few fine faint yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) mottles; moderate fine prismatic structure parting to moderate fine subangular blocky; very firm; few pebbles; few fine yellowish red (5YR 5/8) concretions (iron oxides); medium acid; clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the 2Bw horizons is 15 to 27 inches.)
2BC--39 to 45 inches; mottled strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) and grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) clay loam (28 percent clay); weak medium prismatic structure; very firm; few pebbles; few fine black (10YR 2/1) concretions (manganese oxides); few thin silt coatings; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick)
2C1--45 to 55 inches; mottled strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) and gray (10YR 6/1) loam (25 percent clay); massive; very firm; few pebbles; few fine very dark brown (10YR 2/2) and few medium red (2.5YR 4/6) concretions (iron and manganese oxides); slightly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (8 to 16 inches thick)
2C2--55 to 60 inches; mottled yellowish brown (10YR 5/4), yellowish brown (10YR 5/6), and grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) loam (24 percent clay); massive; very firm; few pebbles; few fine yellowish red (5YR 4/6) concretions (iron oxides); common fine soft lime accumulations; few thin soft lime threads; strong effervescence; mildly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Delaware County, Iowa; about 2 miles west and 2 miles north of Ryan; 792 feet west and 686 feet south of the northeast corner of sec. 3, T. 87 N., R. 6 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 40 to 60 inches, and depth to carbonates ranges from 45 to 65 inches. The friable, loamy upper material ranges from 12 to 25 inches in thickness. A stone line or pebble band typically is at the lower boundary.
The Ap horizon typically is black (10YR 2/1) or very dark brown (10YR 2/2). The A horizon has hue of 10YR with value of 2 or 3 and chroma of 1 to 3. The Ap and A horizons typically are clay loam but are loam in some pedons. The A horizon ranges from neutral to medium acid. An AB horizon is in some pedons.
The BA horizon is brown (10YR 4/3), dark brown (10YR 3/3), or, less commonly, dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4). It typically is clay loam, but the lower part ranges to include thin layers of sandy loam near the glacial till boundary.
The 2Bw horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 4 through 8. The part of the 2Bw horizon below about 25 inches has continuous grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) or light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) coatings on faces of peds. Mottles in the 2Bw horizon are few or common and have hue of 5YR through 5Y, value of 4 through 8, and chroma of 1 through 8. The 2Bw horizon is strongly acid to slightly acid. Clay content of the 2Bw horizon typically is about 30 to 32 percent but ranges from 28 to 33 percent.
The 2BC and 2C horizons commonly have a mottled matrix with hue of 7.5YR through 5Y, value of 4 through 6, and chroma of 1 through 8. Reaction in the 2BC and 2C horizons ranges from medium acid to mildly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Arbor, Aredale, Bode, Clarion, Everly, Farrar, Frontenac, Garmore, Kenyon, Liscomb, Moland, Ocheyedan, Ostrander, and Rossfield series of the same family and the Bassett, Cresco, Lourdes, and Protivin series. Arbor soils lack the very firm consistence and the grayish coatings on faces of peds in the 2B horizon. Aredale soils are friable in the 2B horizon and formed in a thicker layer of loamy sediments over the glacial till. Bode soils formed in glacial or lacustrine sediments overlying till and contain more clay and less sand in the A horizon. Clarion and Garmore soils have a solum formed entirely in glacial till, have a more friable B horizon, and lack the two story materials of the Cresken soils. Everly soils have carbonates at shallower depths and have a thinner solum. Farrar soils have lower clay and higher sand content in the A horizon and upper part of the B horizon. Frontenac soils have channery loam 2C horizons within depths of 20 to 40 inches. Kenyon soils lack the very firm consistence and the continuous grayish coatings on faces of peds in the 2B horizons and typically contain less clay in the 2B horizon. Liscomb soils typically average less than 27 percent clay in the B horizon. Moland soils typically contain more silt in the A horizon and upper part of the B horizon and have a friable or very friable, less acid 2B horizon dominated by light olive brown colors. Ocheyedan soils lack a solum formed in two story materials, lack gravel size and coarser materials in the solum, and have a friable B horizon. Ostrander soils are friable or very friable in the lower part of the 2B horizon, are more stratified in the lower part of the 2B horizon and lack mottles having chroma of 2 or less within depths of 40 inches. Rossfield soils have residuum from limestone within a depth of 40 inches. Bassett and Lourdes soils lack a mollic epipedon. Cresco soils have an argillic horizon that typically contains about 35 percent clay. Protivin soils have colors of lower chroma in the upper part of the B horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Cresken soils are on long smooth convex ridgetops and side slopes on upland divides. The slope gradient typically is 2 to 5 percent but ranges to 9 percent. The Cresken soils formed in surficial loamy sediments and clay loam glacial till. The mean annual temperature ranges from 45 to 49 degrees F, and mean annual precipitation ranges from 30 to 34 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Bassett and Kenyon soils and the Clyde, Donnan, Floyd, and Olin soils. Bassett soils are on higher convex ridgetops and interfluvial divides. Kenyon soils are on similar landscapes but commonly are downslope and are on steeper slopes. Clyde and Floyd soils are in swales and drainageways downslope, are wetter and have grayer colors in the B horizon. Donnan soils have more clayey 2B horizons and commonly are upslope from the Cresken soils. Olin soils are sandy loam in the upper part of the solum. They are on similar landscape positions as the Cresken soils.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained. Surface runoff is medium. Permeability is moderate in the upper part of the solum and moderately slow in the lower part and in the underlying material.
USE AND VEGETATION: Corn, soybeans and legume hay are the major crops. Native vegetation was tall prairie grasses.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern Iowa. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Indianapolis, Indiana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Delaware County, Iowa, 1984.
REMARKS: The Cresken soils were included with the Cresco series in previous surveys.