LOCATION ELBAVILLE MN
Established Series
Rev. GAP-HRF-RAL
09/2014
ELBAVILLE SERIES
The Elbaville series consists of very deep, well-drained soils that formed in a mantle of loess and in underlying loamy-skeletal sediments from fragmented limestone or dolostone on shoulders, side slopes, and foot slopes of dissected uplands. Permeability is moderately slow or moderate in the mantle of loess and slow to moderate in the subsoil and moderate to rapid in the substratum. Their slopes range from 12 to 45 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 30 inches, and mean annual temperature is about 49 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Glossic Hapludalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Elbaville silt loam with a convex 20 percent north-facing slope in the dissected uplands in a deciduous forest. (Colors are for moist conditions unless otherwise stated.)
0e--0 to 1 inches; moderately decomposed plant material; neutral. (0 to 2 inches thick)
A--1 to 5 inches; black (10YR 2/1) silt loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry; weak very fine granular structure; very friable; neutral; abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 9 inches thick)
E1--5 to 8 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silt loam; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry; weak thin platy structure; very friable; many black (10YR 2/1) worm casts; neutral; clear irregular boundary.
E2--8 to 11 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) silt, light gray (10YR 7/2) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; neutral; clear irregular boundary. (Combined thickness of E horizons is 4 to 10 inches thick.)
B/E--11 to 17 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) silt loam (Bt), with many interfingerings of grayish brown (10YR 5/2) silt (E), light gray (10YR 7/2) dry; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; many very fine through medium tubular pores; neutral; clear irregular boundary. (2 to 10 inches thick)
Bt1--17 to 21 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) silty clay loam; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; friable; few faint clay films on faces of peds; many very fine to medium tubular pores; neutral; abrupt wavy boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
2Bt2--21 to 26 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/2) silty clay; strong very fine angular blocky structure; firm; few very fine and fine tubular pores; many faint dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) clay films on faces of peds; neutral; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
3Bt3--26 to 37 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) very flaggy silty clay loam; strong very fine angular blocky structure; friable; many distinct clay films on faces of peds; about 50 percent coarse fragments, mostly flagstones with some channers; slightly alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 18 inches thick)
3C--37 to 61 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) extremely flaggy sandy loam; massive; friable; about 70 percent coarse fragments, mostly flagstones with some channers; slight effervescence; slightly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Olmsted County, Minnesota; 5 miles north of Byron, Minnesota; 375 feet south and 800 feet east of northwest corner, sec. 8, T. 107 N., R. 15 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The thickness of solum is 30 to 60 inches. Depth to free carbonates in the fine-earth fraction ranges from 30 to 70 inches. Thickness of loess or loamy mantle is 15 to 30 inches. Coarse fragments typically are lacking in the upper part of the solum and they comprise 0 to 20 percent of the 2B horizon and 35 to 80 percent of the 3B and 3C horizons. They range from pebble through flagstone and cobblestone in size and are mostly limestone or dolomite.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 1 or 2. It is silt loam, loam, sandy loam, or fine sandy loam and ranges from strongly acid to neutral.
The E horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 2 or 3 with the 3 chroma primarily being in pedons with south- to west-facing slopes. It is silt loam, loam, or fine sandy loam and ranges from strongly acid to neutral. An EB or BE horizon is in some pedons.
The Bt horizon in the upper sediment has hue of 10YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 3 or 4. It is silt loam, loam, or silty clay loam. It is strongly acid through neutral.
The 2Bt horizon has hue of 5YR, 7.5YR, or 10YR; value of 4 or 5; and chroma of 2 through 4. It is a silty clay, silty clay loam, clay loam, or clay. It has common or many faint to prominent clay films on faces of peds. It is strongly acid to neutral.
The 3Bt horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 2 through 4. It is silty clay loam, clay loam, loam, silty clay, or clay in the fine-earth fraction. It is neutral or slightly alkaline and has free carbonates in some pedons.
The 3C horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 through 7, and chroma of 3 or 4. It has a fine-earth fraction of sand, fine sand, loamy sand, loamy fine sand, sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam, or silt loam.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Cazenovia,
Conesus,
Hilton,
Honeoye,
Lansing,
Lima,
Ontario,
Wampsville, and
Wassaic series in the same family and closely related
Collamer and
Dunkirk series. All of the other soils except Wassaic formed in glacial till or lacustrine sediments and do not have either the loess or loamy mantle or the loamy-skeletal material or both. The Wassaic soils have bedrock beginning within depths of 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Elbaville soils have concave through convex slopes with gradient of 12 to 45 percent slopes on upper back slopes, shoulders, and foot slopes in dissected uplands. Slopes are 50 to 600 feet in length. Slope aspect is mostly northwest to northeast in most broad valleys and includes southwest to southeast aspects in narrow ravines. Relative relief is l00 to 600 feet. They formed in a 15- to 30-inch mantle of loess or loamy sediments and in loamy-skeletal material from fragmented limestone or dolostone. In places this overlies sandy-skeletal material from fragmented limestone. Limestone or sandstone bedrock underlies this material at depths ranging from 60 to 120 inches or more. Mean annual precipitation is 27 to 35 inches, and mean annual temperature is 45 to 5l degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Brodale,
Frontenac, and LaCrescent soils. Brodale soils are downslope on steep and very steep south- to west-facing back slopes. They have a mollic epipedon and lack an argillic horizon. Frontenac soils have a mollic epipedon and are mostly on foot slopes. LaCrescent soils have a mollic epipedon but have similar landscape position.
Seaton soils are typically on summits and formed entirely in loess. All of these associated soils are freely drained.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Permeability is moderately slow or moderate in the mantle of loess and slow to moderate in the subsoil and moderate to rapid in the substratum.
USE AND VEGETATION: Elbaville soils are used principally for growing trees. Some areas are pastured. Native vegetation is mixed deciduous forest with northern red oak, white oak, burr oak, and aspen being the dominant species.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southeastern Minnesota and west-central Wisconsin; the series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Olmsted County, Minnesota, 1978.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features are: ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface to a depth of about 16 inches (A, E, and E/B horizons); argillic horizon - the zone from about 16 to 36 inches (Bt, 2Bt, and 3Bt horiozons); udic moisture regime.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Refer to Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station Central File Code No. 1556 for results of some laboratory analyses of the typical pedon. 1/20/2011-TYPE LOCATION error was corrected.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.