LOCATION ELDES MNEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Typic Epiaqualfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Eldes loam, on a slight concave of 1 percent slope, on a ground moraine in a forest at an elevation of 381 meters. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 10 cm; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2); moderate fine granular structure; very friable; many medium, fine, and very fine roots throughout; 1 percent cobbles and 5 percent gravel; very strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 13 cm thick)
Bw--10 to 38 cm; brown (10YR 4/3) loam; moderate medium platy structure; very friable; many fine and very fine roots throughout; many medium distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) concentrations; 1 percent cobbles and 5 percent gravel; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 25 cm thick)
2Bt1--38 to 51 cm; brown (7.5YR 4/4) loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few discontinuous faint dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) clay films on vertical faces of peds; many fine and very fine roots throughout; many medium prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) Fe concentrations; 1 percent cobbles and 8 percent gravel; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary.
2Bt2--51 to 127 cm; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) loam; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; friable; common medium prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) Fe concentrations; 1 percent cobbles and 8 percent gravel; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the 2Bt horizons is 51 to 127 cm.)
2BC--127 to 152 cm; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common coarse prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) Fe concentrations; 1 percent cobbles and 8 percent gravel; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 76 cm thick)
3BCd--152 to 203 cm; reddish brown (5YR 4/3) 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 cm to 1 meter apart; very firm; 1 percent cobbles and 20 percent gravel; moderately acid.
TYPE LOCATION: St. Louis County, Minnesota; about 6 miles north by northwest of Knife River; 2400 feet east and 2300 feet south of the northwest corner of section 35, T. 53 N., R. 12 W.; USGS McCarthy Creek Minnesota Quadrangle; latitude 47 degrees 02 minutes 02 seconds N. and longitude 91 degrees 49 minutes 37 seconds W., NAD 27..
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the mantle and depth to fine loamy till ranges from 0 to 41 cm. The depth to dense till ranges from 152 to 203 cm. Depth to free carbonates is greater than 203 cm. Volume of rock fragments throughout the upper mantle and fine loamy till ranges from 1 to 12 percent with 1 to 10 percent gravel, 0 to 1 percent cobbles and 0 to 1 percent stones and boulders. Rock fragment content in the dense till ranges from 8 to 25 percent with 8 to 25 percent gravel, 0 to 10 percent cobbles and 0 to 5 percent stones and boulders. The mantle averages less than 18 percent clay. The argillic horizon ranges from 18 to 25 percent clay. The fine-loamy till ranges from 16 to 22 percent clay and contains less than 45 percent sand. The dense till ranges from 3 to 10 percent clay and contains less than 72 percent sand.
The A or Ap horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 2 or 3 and chroma of 1 to 2. Dry color has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 2 or 3. It is loam, fine sandy loam, or silt loam. Reaction is very strongly to moderately acid.
Some pedons have an E, E/B or B/E horizon that does not meet the criteria for a glossic horizon. The E has a hue of 7.5YR or 5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 2 or 3. The Bt has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 2 or 3. It is very fine sandy loam, silt loam, fine sandy loam, or loam. Reaction is very strongly acid to strongly acid. (0 to 6 inches thick)
The Bw horizon when present has a hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 2 to 4. It is loam, fine sandy loam, very fine sandy loam or silt loam. The Bw horizon typically has distinct to prominent Fe concentrations and depletions. Reaction is very strongly to moderately acid.
The 2Bt horizon has a hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 4, and chroma of 3 or 4. It is loam, clay loam or silt loam. This horizon has redoximorphic features in most pedons. Reaction is strongly acid to moderately acid.
The 2BC horizon has a hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 4, and chroma of 3 or 4. It is loam or silt loam. Reaction is moderately acid to slightly acid.
The 3BCd horizon has a hue of 2.5YR or 5YR and value and chroma of 3 or 4. It is sandy loam, fine sandy loam or their gravelly analogues. Rock fragment content ranges from 8 to 25 percent with 8 to 25 percent gravel, 0 to 10 percent cobbles and 0 to 5 percent stones and boulders. It is moderately acid to neutral.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Hellwig and Schisler series. The poorly drained Hellwig soils have textures of loamy fine sand or coarser in the upper third of the series control section. The poorly drained Schisler soils have stratified material in the upper third of the series control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: These soils have plain or concave slopes of 0 to 1 percent on moraines. This soil formed in a mantle of eolian or water laid sediments and the underlying friable till and the underlying dense till. The till is from the Superior Lobe of the Late Wisconsinan glaciation. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 4 to 7 degrees C. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 625 to 750 mm. The frost free season ranges from 120 to 140 days. The elevation ranges from 300 to 500 meters above sea level.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Augustana, Forbay, Hegberg, and Wahbegon soils. The moderately well drained Augustana soil occurs on backslopes and summits. The well drained Forbay soil occurs on shoulders and backslopes. The somewhat poorly drained Hegberg soil occurs on footslopes and summits. The very poorly drained Wahbegon soil occur in depressions.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Poorly drained. Surface runoff is negligible to low. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is 4.23 to 42.34 micrometers per second (0.60 to 6 inches per hour) in the upper mantle, 1.41 to 14.11 micrometers per second (0.20 to 2.0 inches per hour) in the middle part and .01 to .042 micrometers per second (0.0015 to 0.006 inches per hour) in the lower part. The Eldes soils have perched seasonal high saturation as high as the surface during spring in normal years.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas have native vegetation of lowland hardwoods and aspen or have a cover of sedges and willows. Some areas are in pasture.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRA-90A. Northeastern Minnesota. Moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: St. Louis County, (Duluth subset), Minnesota 2007.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon include: ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface to a depth of 10 cm (A horizon); cambic horizon - the zone from 10 to 38 cm (Bw horizon); argillic horizon - the zone from 38 to 127 cm (2Bt horizons); Epi saturation - based on restricted saturated hydraulic conductivity at the densic contact; densic contact - 152 cm (3BCd horizon)
The designation of the 3BCd horizon is based on fractures and platy structure in the densic material. Clay and silt translocation can be seen between the horizontal plates when broken apart.
This reddish parent material does not show low chroma colors typical of reducing conditions.