LOCATION DEERTON MI+WIEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy, mixed, frigid Typic Haplorthods
TYPICAL PEDON: Deerton sand - on a 4 percent north-facing slope in a forested area. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
0a--0 to 1 inch; well decomposed black (5YR 2.5/1) and very dark gray (N 3/0) leaf litter; extremely acid. (0 to 3 inches thick)
E--1 to 9 inches; pinkish gray (5YR 6/2) sand; weak fine granular structure; very friable; extremely acid; abrupt irregular boundary. (3 to 12 inches thick)
Bhs--9 to 10 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/2) loamy sand; weak subangular blocky structure; very friable; very strongly acid; abrupt irregular boundary. (1 to 20 inches thick)
Bs--10 to 25 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) sand; single grain; loose; 10 percent weakly cemented chunks of ortstein; very strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (6 to 20 inches thick)
2Cr--25 to 39 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) and very pale brown (10YR 8/3) highly weathered and fractured sandstone; moderately acid. (0 to 25 inches thick)
2R--39 inches; consolidated sandstone bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Alger County, Michigan; 200 feet south of M-28 and 75 feet west of side road; NE 1/4, SE 1/4; sec. 27, T. 47 N., R. 20 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness is typically 20 to 30 inches and depth to the lithic or paralithic contact with sandstone ranges from 20 to 40 inches. Total volume of rock fragments ranges from 0 to 35 percent as a weighted average in the particle-size control section. Rock fragments are dominantly sandstone but include some igneous and metamorphic fragments. Volume of gravel and sandstone channers ranges from 0 to 30 percent. Volume of cobbles and flagstones ranges from 0 to 20 percent. Volume of stones ranges from 0 to 5 percent. The texture of the solum is sand, loamy sand or the channery or flaggy analogs of these textures. Reaction ranges from extremely acid to moderately acid throughout.
The Oa horizon has hue of 5YR or is neutral, value of 2 or 3 and chroma of 0 to 2.
Some pedons have an A horizon with hue of 5YR or 7.5YR or are neutral, value of 2 or 3 and chroma of 0 or 1.
The E horizon has hue of 5YR, 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 to 6; and chroma of 2.
The Bhs horizon has hue of 2.5YR to 7.5YR, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 2 or 3.
The Bs horizon has hue of 2.5YR to 7.5YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 4 to 6. Weakly cemented chunks of ortstein are in some pedons, but the volume is less than 30 percent.
Some pedons have a Bw or BC horizon with hue of 2.5YR to 10YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 4 to 6.
Some pedons have a thin C horizon, with hue of 2.5YR to 10YR, value of 3 to 8, and chroma of 3 or 4.
The Cr horizon has hue of 2.5YR to 10YR, value of 2.5 to 8, and chroma of 2 to 4.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Furlong, Kalkaska, Liminga, McMillan (T), Omega, Pence and Springlake series and the closely related Adams and Duxbury soils. None of these soils except Furlong have a lithic or paralithic contact at a depth of 20 to 40 inches. In addition, the Adams and Duxbury soils have isotic mineralogy. Furlong soils do not have a paralithic contact, have limestone fragments in the solum and are underlain by limestone at 20 to 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Deerton soils are on sandstone bedrock benches and bedrock controlled ground moraines along Lake Superior. Bedrock is primarily of Upper Precambrian and Cambrian age. Slope gradients are commonly less than 8 percent but range from 0 to 35 percent. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 26 to 33 inches, mean annual temperature from about 39 to 45 degrees F. The frost free period ranges from 90 to 130 days. Elevation ranges from 600 to 1200 feet.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Burt, Chippeny, Deford, Keweenaw, Munising, and Onota soils. The poorly or very poorly drained Burt, Chippeny, and Deford soils are in lower positions in the landscape. The well drained Keweenaw and the moderately well drained Munising soils are very deep and occupy higher landscape positions. The well drained, loamy Onota soils are in similar landscape positions to the Deerton soils.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Surface runoff is negligible to low, dependent on slope. Permeability is rapid or moderately rapid. Internal drainage is impeded by the sandstone bedrock.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of the Deerton soils are used for woodland, with mixed northern hardwoods being the dominant forest type.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Upper Peninsula of Michigan and northern Wisconsin. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Delta County, Michigan, 1969.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 9 inches (Oa and E horizons); albic horizon - the zone from 1 to 9 inches (E horizon); spodic horizon - the zone from 9 to 25 inches (Bhs and Bs horizon); paralithic feature - weathered sandstone from 25 to 39 inches (Cr horizon); lithic feature - hard sandstone at 39 inches (R horizon).
ADDITIONAL DATA: