LOCATION DEFORD             MI+NY WI
Established Series
Rev. NWS-WEF-LMC
10/2006

DEFORD SERIES


The Deford series consists of very deep, poorly drained and very poorly drained soils formed in sandy glaciofluvial deposits on outwash plains, lake plains, stream terraces and deltas. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is high or very high. Slope ranges from 0 to 2 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 30 inches, and mean annual air temperature is about 44 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Mixed, frigid Typic Psammaquents

TYPICAL PEDON: Deford fine sand - with a slope of 1 percent in an area used for pasture. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)

A--0 to 4 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) and dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) fine sand, gray (10YR 5/1) and light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) dry; weak fine granular structure parting to single grain; very friable; many very fine and fine and few medium roots; neutral; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 5 inches thick)

C1--4 to 18 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) (uncoated sand grains)fine sand; single grain; loose; few medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) and strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) iron accumulations in root channels; few fine roots; slightly alkaline; gradual wavy boundary.

C2--18 to 32 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) (uncoated sand grains) fine sand; single grain; loose; few medium prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) iron accumulations in root channels; slightly alkaline; gradual wavy boundary.

Cg--32 to 60 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) (uncoated sand grains) fine sand; single grain; loose; slightly alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Chippewa County, Michigan; 600 feet south and 200 feet west of the northeast corner of sec. 8, T. 41 N., R. 3 E.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to carbonates ranges from 25 to greater than 60 inches. Mean annual soil temperature is 39 to 47 degrees F. Gravel content ranges from 0 to 10 percent throughout. Texture within the particle-size control section includes fine sand, loamy fine sand, sand or loamy sand.

The A horizon has hue of 10YR, 7.5YR, or 5YR; value of 2 to 4 moist, 4 to 6 dry; and chroma of 0 to 2, moist or dry. Texture is fine sand, sand, loamy sand, loamy fine sand, or the mucky analogs of these textures. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid to slightly alkaline.

Some pedons have a surface layer of muck that is as much as 8 inches thick.

Some pedons have an Eg horizon.

Some pedons have a Bg, Bw, or BCg horizon with weak structure above the C horizon.

The C horizon has hue of 5Y, 2.5Y, 10YR, 7.5YR, or 5YR; value of 4 to 7; and chroma of 1 to 4. Texture is fine sand, loamy fine sand, sand, or loamy sand. Some pedons have black organic stains or streaks in the C horizon. Content of very coarse and coarse sand is 0 to 15 percent. Content of fine sand is 15 to 90 percent. Some pedons have thin layers of silt or very fine sand below 40 inches. Cobbles range from 0 to 3 percent. Reaction ranges from strongly acid to moderately alkaline.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bantry, Betsy Bay, Gunbarrel, Minnewaukan, and Spidercreek series. Bantry soils are in areas receiving from 16 to 20 inches of mean annual precipitation, and have colder temperatures. Betsy Bay soils have a lithic contact between 40 and 60 inches. Gunbarrel soils are moderately alkaline to very strongly alkaline in the upper part of the control section. Minnewaukan soils have free carbonates above 25 inches. Spidercreek soils have greater than 15 percent very coarse and coarse sand and less than 15 percent fine sand in the C horizon.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Deford soils are on flats or in depressions of outwash plains, lake plains, stream terraces and deltas. Slope ranges from 0 to 2 percent. These soils formed in sandy glaciofluvial deposits. Elevations are 600 to 1,000 feet. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 28 to 33 inches and the mean annual temperature ranges from 37 to 45 degrees F. The frost free period is 100 to 140 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Au Gres, Burleigh, Rousseau, Rubicon, Wainola and Wakeley soils. The somewhat poorly drained Au Gres and Wainola soils and the well drained Rousseau soils are in a drainage sequence with Deford soils. Burleigh, Roscommon and Wakeley soils are associated on some lake plains.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Poorly drained and very poorly drained. The representative depth to wet soil moisture status is at the surface to one foot below the surface at times during the period from September to June. The representative depth of ponding is from 0.2 to 0.5 foot at some time during the period from October to June. Surface runoff is negligible. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is high or very high. Flooded and drained phases are recognized.

USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are in forest, permanent pasture, or are idle. Only a small part is cultivated. The principal crops are small grain and hay. Some corn is also grown. The native vegetation was alder, quaking aspen, balsam fir, northern whitecedar, and red maple.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: The northern part of the Lower Peninsula and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, northeastern Wisconsin, northern Minnesota and northern New York. This series is of large extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Arenac County, Michigan, 1964.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: Ochric epipedon - from the surface to 5 inches (A horizon).Zone of aquic conditions (endosaturation) - from 4 to 60 inches (C1, C2, and Cg horizons). The matrix color results from uncoated sand grains. Particle-size control section - the zone from 10 to 40 inches (part of the C1, the C2, and part of the Cg horizon).


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.