LOCATION CANOSIA MNEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, isotic, nonacid, frigid Typic Epiaquepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Canosia loam with a nearly level slope on a moraine under a stand of balsam fir, aspen, birch, and black ash. Elevation is about 433 meters. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 13 centimeters; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to weak medium granular; friable; many fine, medium and coarse roots; about 4 percent gravel, 1 percent cobbles and 3 percent stones; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (5 to 13 centimeters thick)
Bw1--13 to 28 centimeters; brown (7.5YR 4/4) loam; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; friable; many fine and very fine roots and common medium and coarse; few fine distinct strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) Fe concentrations; about 4 percent gravel, 1 percent cobbles and 3 percent stones; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Bw2--28 to 64 centimeters; brown (7.5YR 4/4) sandy loam; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine roots and few medium; few fine distinct brown (7.5YR 4/2) Fe depletions and common fine distinct strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) and prominent yellowish red (5YR 4/6) Fe concentrations; about 8 percent gravel, 2 percent cobbles and 1 percent stones; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bw horizons is 46 to 97 centimeters)
2BC--64 to 86 centimeters; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) gravelly sandy loam; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine and very fine roots; few fine prominent brown (7.5YR 4/2) Fe depletions and common fine distinct yellowish red (5YR 4/6) and few fine prominent dark red (2.5YR 3/6) Fe concentrations; about 16 percent gravel, 2 percent cobbles and 2 percent stones; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 41 centimeters thick)
2BCd1--86 to 147 centimeters; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) gravelly sandy loam; moderate very coarse and extremely coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate fine and medium platy, few 2 to 3 millimeter oblique fractures 15 centimeters to 1 meter apart; very firm; few horizontally elongated coarse prominent gray (5YR 5/1) Fe depletions with fine prominent reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) Fe concentration perimeters and few fine prominent dark red (2.5YR 3/6) and common fine distinct yellowish red (5YR 4/6) Fe concentrations throughout; about 20 percent gravel, 3 percent cobbles and 2 percent stones; neutral; gradual wavy boundary.
2BCd2--147 to 203 centimeters; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) gravelly sandy loam; very coarse and extremely coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate fine and medium platy, few 2 to 3 millimeter oblique fractures 15 centimeters to 1 meter apart; very firm; few fine distinct reddish brown (5YR 4/4) Fe concentrations; about 18 percent gravel, 3 percent cobbles and 3 percent stones; neutral.
TYPE LOCATION: Major Land Resource Area (MLRA) 93A-Superior Stony and Rocky Loamy Plains and Hills, Western Part, St. Louis County (Duluth Part), Minnesota; about 5 miles north of Hermantown; located about 350 feet east and 1,850 feet south of the northwest corner of section 15, T. 51 N., R. 15 W.; USGS Fredenberg Quadrangle, latitude 46 degrees 54 minutes 13.81 seconds N. and longitude 92 degrees 14 minutes 11.55 seconds W., NAD 27.(GPS)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Thickness of the loamy drift and depth to the 2BCd horizon (densic contact)--75 to 150 centimeters
Depth to free carbonates--more than 203 centimeters
Some pedons have a thin O horizon (duff layer).
A horizon:
Hue--10YR
Value--2 or 3
Chroma--1 or 2
Texture--loam, fine sandy loam, very fine sandy loam, or silt loam
Rock fragment content--total; 0 to 14 percent; with 0 to 12 percent gravel, 0 to 5 percent cobbles, and 0 to 3 percent stones and boulders
Reaction--very strongly acid to moderately acid
Some pedons have a thin E horizon.
Bw horizon:
Hue--5YR or 7.5YR
Value--3 or 4
Chroma--3 or 4
Texture--loam, sandy loam, fine sandy loam, very fine sandy loam, silt loam or their gravelly analogues
Rock fragment content--total 0 to 20 percent; with 0 to 18 percent gravel, 0 to 7 percent cobbles, and 0 to 3 percent stones and boulders
Reaction--very strongly acid to moderately acid
Some pedons have a Bg horizon.
2BC horizon (when present):
Hue--5YR
Value--3 or 4
Chroma--2 to 4
Texture--sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam or their gravelly analogues
Rock fragment content--total 8 to 25 percent; with 8 to 25 percent gravel, 0 to 10 percent cobbles, and 0 to 5 percent stones and boulders
Reaction--moderately acid to neutral
2BCd horizon:
Hue--2.5YR or 5YR
Value--3 or 4
Chroma--3 or 4
Texture--sandy loam, fine sandy loam or their gravelly analogues
Rock fragment content--total 8 to 25 percent; with 8 to 25 percent gravel, 0 to 10 percent cobbles, and 0 to 5 percent stones and boulders
Reaction--moderately acid to neutral
The 2BCd horizon typically has 1 to 3 millimeter oblique fractures spaced 10 centimeters to 3 meters apart.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Cable, Mishwabic(T) and
Nevens series.
Cable--have a 3Cd horizon typically comprised of sandy dense till
Mishwabic--have a paralithic contact at depths of 50 to 100 centimeters
Nevens--are underlain by very firm dense Rainy
Lobe till with hue of 10YR
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material--friable loamy drift and the underlying dense loamy Superior Lobe till of the Late Wisconsinan glaciation
Landform--in flats and concave footslopes and in drainageways on moraines, till plains and drumlins
Slope--0 to 2 percent
Mean annual air temperature--2 to 6 degrees C
Mean annual precipitation--710 to 790 millimeters
Annual frost free period--80 to 140 days
Elevation above sea level--200 to 600 meters
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS:
Near the type location, these are the
Ahmeek,
Cathro,
Giese,
Hermantown,
Normanna, and
Twig soils.
Ahmeek--are on higher lying or more sloping positions on the landscape and are in the Dystric Eutrodepts subgroup
Cathro--are at slightly lower positions on the landscape in depressions and are in the Terric Haplosaprists subgroup
Giese--are at slightly lower positions on the landscape in drainageways and depressions and are in the Typic Humaquepts subgroup
Hermantown--are on higher lying or more sloping positions on the landscape and are in the Aquic Dystric Eutrudepts subgroup
Normanna--are on higher lying or more sloping positions on the landscape and are in the Aquic Hapludolls subgroup
Twig--are at slightly lower positions on the landscape in drainageways and depressions and are in the Histic Humaquepts subgroup
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class--poorly drained--these soils have perched seasonal high saturation at the surface during the spring and fall in normal years
Saturated hydraulic conductivity--1.00 to 100.00 micrometers per second (moderately high or high) in the loamy mantle and 0.01 to 0.10 micrometers per second (low) in the underlying dense till
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are used mainly for timber production. Native vegetation is mixed deciduous and coniferous forest. Major tree species are quaking aspen, balsam fir, paper birch and black spruce. Major shrub species are tag alder, red osier dogwood and willow. Some areas are cropped to small grains and hay or are in pasture.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Physiographic Division--Interior Plains or Laurentian Upland
Physiographic Province--Central Lowlands or the Superior Uplands
Physiographic sections--Western Lake Section (if in the Central Lowlands Province) or undefined (if in the Superior Uplands Province)
MLRAs--Wisconsin and Minnesota Thin Loess and Till, Northern Part (90A) and Superior Stony and Rocky Loamy Plains and Hills, Western Part (93A)
LRR K; northeastern Minnesota and possibly northwestern Wisconsin
Extent--moderate
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: St. Louis County, Minnesota, 2007
REMARKS:
Particle-size control section--the zone from a depth of 25 to 100 centimeters
series control section--the zone from the surface to a depth of 111 centimeters
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon include:
ochric epipedon--the zone from the surface to a depth of 13 centimeters (A horizon);
cambic horizon--the zone from 13 to 64 centimeters (Bw horizons);
aquic condition--based on a presumed positive reaction with alpha,alpha-dipyridyl during some part of the year in normal years. The nature and color of the parent material of this series do not usually show the normal reduced matrix colors typically associated with saturation and reducing conditions.
Isotic mineralogy--based on 1500 kPa water to measured clay ratio of 0.6 or greater
The designation of the 2BCd horizon is based on fractures and platy structure in the densic material. Evidence of clay and silt translocation can be seen on faces between the horizontal plates when broken apart.
Taxonomy version--Keys to Soil Taxonomy, tenth edition, 2006.