LOCATION CORMANT MN+ND WI
Established Series
Rev. DDB-TAG-ROP
02/2011
CORMANT SERIES
The Cormant series consists of very deep, poorly and very poorly drained soils that formed in sandy glacial lacustrine or outwash sediments on glacial lake plains, glacial lake plain deltas, and outwash plains. These soils have rapid permeability. They have slopes of less than 1 percent in most areas but range to 3 percent. Mean annual temperature is about 37 degrees F. Mean annual precipitation is about 22 inches.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Mixed, frigid Mollic Psammaquents
TYPICAL PEDON: Cormant loamy fine sand with a level linear slope on a glacial lake plain in a meadow field. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 6 inches; black (10YR 2/1) loamy fine sand, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; weak very fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; common roots; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
Cg1--6 to 10 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) fine sand; single grain; loose; common roots; neutral; gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
Cg2--10 to 20 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) fine sand; few fine distinct light olive brown (2.5Y 5/6) mottles; single grain; loose; few roots; neutral; gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 22 inches thick)
Cg3--20 to 33 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) fine sand; many fine distinct light olive brown (2.5Y 5/6) mottles; single grain; loose; neutral; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 20 inches thick)
Cg4--33 to 40 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) fine sand; few fine faint olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) mottles; single grain; loose; neutral; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 15 inches thick)
Cg5--40 to 60 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) sand; single grain; loose; neutral.
TYPE LOCATION: Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota; about 2 miles east and 3 miles south of Williams; 175 feet east and 60 feet south of northwest corner of sec. 32, T. 161 N., R. 33 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The depth to free carbonates ranges from 36 to 80 inches. The texture in the 10 to 40 inch depth zone typically is fine sand, but ranges to sand. It does not contain rock fragments and contains 0 to 25 percent medium and coarse sand in the 10 to 40 inch control particle-size section. Some pedons have an 0 horizon as much as 4 inches thick.
Uncultivated soils have an A horizon that ranges from 4 to 10 inches in thickness.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 1 or 2. Texture is loamy fine sand, fine sand, loamy sand, or sand. Sandy loam or fine sandy loam textures are permitted if the A horizon is less than 6 inches thick. It has enough organic matter in some pedons to be identified as mucky. Reaction is slightly acid or neutral.
The C horizon has a matrix with hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 1 or 2. Mottles are in part to all of the C horizon, and the part of the C horizon above depths of 20 inches has mottles in most parts. Thin darker colored strata are in the C horizon of some pedons. The texture is fine sand, sand, loamy sand or loamy fine sand. Thin strata with finer textures occur below 40 inches in some pedons. Reaction is slightly acid or neutral in the upper part and neutral or slightly alkaline in the lower part.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Roscommon and
Wheatley series. Roscommon soils contain 25 to 60 percent medium or coarse sand. Wheatley soils contain rock fragments in the 10 to 40 inch particle-size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: These soils have linear or slightly concave slopes typically with gradients of less than 1 percent on glacial lake plains, glacial lake plain deltas, and outwash plains. In a few areas slopes range to 3 percent. They formed mostly in deep sandy sediments of the Des Moines lobe of the Late Wisconsinan Age. Mean annual temperature is 36 to 43 degrees F. Mean annual precipitation is 19 to 30 inches. Frost-free days range from 88 to 140. Elevation ranges from 785 to 1600 feet.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Hiwood,
Poppleton, and
Redby soils which formed in similar sediments, are better drained, and are on adjacent higher lying or more sloping terrain.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly and very poorly drained. Surface runoff is slow, very slow or ponded. Permeability is rapid. Depth to apparent water table is .5 to 2.5 feet at some time from April to June in most years for the poorly drained phase. Depressional areas have an apparent water table as high as +1.0 to 1.0 feet at some time from January to December in most years.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most of these soils are forested or are used for pasture. A small portion is cropped to small grains. Native vegetation primarily is mixed prairie and deciduous forest. Common trees are quaking aspen and balsam poplar.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern Minnesota and eastern North Dakota primarily the Glacial Lake Agassiz Plain and possibly northern Wisconsin. Moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: 1972 in Pembina County, North Dakota.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features in this pedon are: ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface to 6 inches (Ap); mollic subgroup - the Ap horizon has color value similar to mollic epipedon but does not meet thickness requirement; aquic moisture regime. 2/9/2011-TYPE LOCATION error was corrected.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Refer to MAES Central File Code No. 1195 for results of some laboratory analysis of the typifying pedon and to No. 1199 for an additional pedon
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.