LOCATION ELIZABETH IL+WI
Established Series
Rev. RAT-SLE-AAC
01/2015
ELIZABETH SERIES
The Elizabeth series consists of shallow and very shallow, somewhat excessively drained soils formed in 18 to 51 centimeters (7 to 20 inches) of loamy material weathered from dolomitic limestone. These soils are on gently sloping to very steep ridges and side slopes on uplands. Slope ranges from 4 to 65 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 838 millimeters (33 inches). The mean annual air temperature is about 11 degrees C (52 degrees F).
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Lithic Hapludolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Elizabeth silt loam, on a northwest-facing, linear convex slope of 14 percent, in a pasture, at an elevation of about 229 meters (750 feet0 above mean sea level. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)
A1--0 to 15 centimeters (0 to 6 inches); very dark gray (10YR 3/1) silt loam, gray (10YR 5/1) dry; moderate medium granular structure; friable; many fine and very fine roots; less than 10 percent limestone cobbles; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary.
A2--15 to 25 centimeters (6 to 10 inches); very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) cobbly silt loam; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry; moderate medium subangular blocky structure parting to moderate medium granular; friable; many fine and very fine roots; about 25 percent limestone cobbles; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary.
A3--25 to 48 centimeters (10 to 19 inches); dark brown (10YR 3/3) extremely cobbly loam; brown (10YR 5/3) dry; moderate medium granular structure; friable; few fine and very fine roots; about 90 percent limestone cobbles (7 to 16 centimeters in the smallest dimension); slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline; diffuse wavy boundary. [Combined thickness of the A horizon is 18 to 51 centimeters 7 to 20 inches).]
2R--48 centimeters; fractured dolomitic limestone bedrock; upper 5 to 15 centimeters (2 to 6 inches) has dark colored silt loam in the fractures.
TYPE LOCATION: Major Land Resource Area (MLRA) 105-Northern Mississippi Valley Loess Hills, Jo Daviess County, Illinois subset; located about 1,900 feet west and 560 feet south of the northeast corner of section 10, T. 27 N., R. 2 E.; USGS Hanover topographic quadrangle; lat. 42 degrees 21 minutes 16 seconds N. and long. 90 degrees 15 minutes 57 seconds W. NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to lithic contact of limestone--18 to 51 centimeters (7 to 20 iches)
Content of clay in the particle-size control section (weighted average)--18 to 35 percent
Content of sand in the particle-size control section (weighted average)--less than 15 percent
A horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 2 or 3, moist--3 to 5, dry
Chroma: 1 to 3
Texture: silt loam, loam, clay loam, or silty clay loam or the cobbly, very cobbly, extremely cobbly, channery, very channery, extremely channery, flaggy, very flaggy, or extremely flaggy analogues of these textures
Clay content: 18 to 30 percent
Sand content: 10 to 45 percent
Rock fragment content in the upper part: less than 15 percent, lower part-35 to more than 90 percent, rock fragment content increases rapidly with depth
Reaction: slightly acid to moderately alkaline
Some pedons do not contain carbonates above the bedrock
Some pedons have a thin Cr horizon
2R horizon:
Fractured dolomitic limestone but in some places it is solid level-bedded limestone
Some pedons have silty or clayey material, properties similar to A horizon, interbedded between the slabs of rock within depths of 5 to 50 centimeters of the rock contact
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Knobby and
Moko series. Knobby soils have a clay content that averages 5 to 18 percent in the particle-size control section. Moko soils have a rock fragment content of 35 to 90 percent throughout the series control section
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Elizabeth soils are on gently sloping to very steep ridges and side slopes on uplands. Slope ranges from 4 to 65 percent. Elizabeth soils formed in 18 to 51 cm (7 to 20 inches) of loamy material weathered from dolomitic limestone. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 737 to 914 mm (29 to 36 inches), and mean annual air temperature 8.9 to 12.2 degrees C (48 to 54 degrees F). Elevation ranges from 180 to 430 meters (590 to 1410 feet) above mean sea level. Frost-free period ranges from 145 to 180 days.days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Dubuque,
Fayette,
Lacrescent, and
Palsgrove soils.
Dubuque soils are on slightly higher landscape positions on ridges and side slopes and have a lithic contact with limestone within a depth of 51 to 102 centimeters 920 to 40 inches).
Fayette soils are on higher landscape positions on interfluves and side slopes and do not have a lithic contact within the series control section.
Lacrescent soilsare on lower landscape positions on valley sides, have mollic epipedons 25 to 51 centimeters (10 to 20 inches) thick and do not have a lithic contact within the series control section.
Palsgrove soils are on slightly higher landscape positions on ridges and side slopes and have a lithic contact with limestone within a depth of 102 to 152 centimeters (40 to 60 inches).
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Somewhat excessively drained. the potential for surface runoff is low to high. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high to high (4.23 to 14.11 micrometers per second) in the loamy material and low to moderately high (0.01 to 4.23 micrometers per second) in the limestone bedrock depending on the amount of weathered rock. Permeability is moderate in the loamy material and moderately slow to very slow in the limestone bedrock depending on the amount of weathered rock. Saturation does not occur within a depth of 1.8 meters (6 feet) during the wettest periods of normal years.
USE AND VEGETATION:
Most areas are pastured or forested. The native vegetation is mixed prairie grasses and deciduous trees.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Physiographic Division--Interior Plains
Physiographic Province--Central Lowland
Physiographic sections--Eastern lake section, Western lake section, Wisconsin driftless section, Dissected till plains, Till plains
MLRAs 95B, 103, 104, 105, 108B, and 115C of LRR K and M in northwestern Illinois, northeastern Iowa, southeastern Minnesota, and southwestern Wisconsin. It is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Jo Daviess County, Illinois, 1987.
REMARKS:
Particle-size control section--the zone from a depth of 25 to 48 centimeters(10 to 19 inches) (A3 horizon);
series control section--the zone from the surface to a depth of 48 centimeters 19 inches) (A1, A2, and A3 horizons).
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
mollic epipedon--the zone from the surface to a depth of 48 centimeters (19 inches) (A1, A2, and A3 horizons);
lithic contact-- the contact with limestone bedrock at 48 centimeters (19 inches);
udic moisture regime.
Cation-exchange activity class is inferred from lab data from similar soils in the surrounding area.
Taxonomy version--Keys to Soil Taxonomy, ninth edition, 2003.
These soils were previously identified as the Sogn series in mapping. The classification of Sogn series was changed to Haplustolls.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.