LOCATION ELMLAKE WI
Established Series
Rev. DTS-RMJ-HFG
01/2021
ELMLAKE SERIES
The Elmlake series consists of poorly drained soils which are moderately deep to a paralithic contact with interbedded sandstone and shale. These soils formed in siliceous sandy alluvium overlying loamy residuum from the underlying interbedded sandstone and shale on pediments. Permeability is rapid or very rapid in the sandy alluvium, moderately slow or moderate in the loamy residuum, and very slow to moderately slow in the interbedded sandstone and shale. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 30 inches. Mean annual temperature is about 40 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy over loamy, siliceous, semiactive, acid, frigid Humaqueptic Epiaquents
TYPICAL PEDON: Elmlake muck - on a plane level slope in a woodland at an elevation of about 915 feet. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Oa--0 to 3 inches--black (N 2/0) broken face and rubbed muck (sapric material), black (10YR 2/1) dry: about 25 percent fiber and less than 5 percent rubbed; weak fine granular structure; nonsticky; many fine and very fine and few medium roots; extremely acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 7 inches thick)
A--3 to 4 inches; black (N 2/0) mucky sand, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; weak fine granular structure; very friable; common very fine and fine roots; extremely acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 9 inches thick)
Bg-- 4 to 16 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) sand; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; very friable; few very fine and fine roots; the color is that of the uncoated sand grains with some organic staining; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 24 inches thick)
Cg--16 to 24 inches; light gray (10YR 7/2) sand; single grain; loose; few fine roots; the color is that of uncoated sand grains; strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (15 to 34 inches thick)
2Cg--24 to 36 inches; light olive gray (5Y 6/2) silty clay loam; massive; firm; common medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 6/8) masses of iron accumulation; about 5 percent sandstone channers; extremely acid; clear wavy boundary. (4 to 25 inches thick)
2Cr--36 to 60 inches; interbedded very pale brown (10YR 7/3) sandstone and red (2.5YR 4/6) and light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) shale.
TYPE LOCATION: Clark County, Wisconsin; about 5 miles south and 2 miles west of Columbia; 1350 feet north and 2350 feet east of the southwest corner of sec. 28, T. 23 N., R. 3 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to a paralithic contact with interbedded sandstone and shale ranges from 20 to 40 inches. Thickness of the sandy mantle and depth to loamy residuum range from 15 to 39 inches. Base saturation (by NH4OAc) is less than 50 percent at 40 inches. Base saturation (by sum of cations) is less than 35 percent in the loamy residuum. Coarse fragments typically are absent in the sandy mantle but the volume of gravel or sandstone channers ranges up to 15 percent in some pedons. Volume of sandstone channers ranges from 3 to 15 percent in the loamy residuum. Reaction ranges from extremely acid to moderately acid in the sandy mantle and from extremely acid to strongly acid in the loamy residuum. Saturation occurs at or near the surface much of the year in most years. Redox features are throughout the soil below the A horizon in some pedons.
The Oa horizon has hue of 5YR, 7.5YR, or 10YR or is neutral in hue. It has value of 2 or 3 and chroma of 0 to 2.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or is neutral in hue. Value is 2 or 3 and chroma is 0 to 2. Value dry is less than 5.5. The A horizon is loamy sand or mucky sand.
The Bg or B horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y, or 5Y; value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 1 to 3. Typically, it is the color of the uncoated sand grains with some organic staining. It is sand, coarse sand, loamy sand, or loamy coarse sand.
The Cg or C horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y, or 5Y; value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 1 to 3. The color is that of the uncoated sand grains. The Cg or C horizon is sand, coarse sand, loamy sand or loamy coarse sand.
The 2Cg or 2C horizon has hue of 2.5YR, 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR, 2.5Y, or 5Y; value of 4 to 7; and chroma of 1 to 6. It is silty clay loam, clay loam, sandy clay loam, loam, or sandy loam. Thin strata of coarser or finer texture are in some pedons. The 2Cg or 2C horizon averages 10 to 35 percent clay and 5 to 55 percent fine sand or coarser.
The 2Cr horizon has has color and texture like the 2Cg horizon described above. It is interbedded sandstone and shale.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series. Related soils are the
Fairchild,
Ludington, and
Veedum series. Fairchild and Ludington soils have spodic horizons. Veedum soils have a cambic horizon and are fine-loamy.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: These soils are in drainageways and depressions on pediments underlain by interbedded sandstone and shale (Eau Claire and Mt. Simon formations of the Elk Mound group). Slope gradients range from 0 to 2 percent. Elmlake soils formed in siliceous sandy alluvium over loamy residuum from the underlying interbedded sandstone and shale. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 28 to 33 inches. Mean annual temperature ranges from 38 to 42 degrees F. The frost free period ranges from about 90 to 130 days. Elevation ranges from 700 to 1400 feet.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Citypoint,
Fairchild,
Ludington, and
Veedum soils. The very poorly drained Citypoint soils are nearby in landscape positions similar to those of Elmlake soils where there is 16 to 51 inches of organic material over residuum from the underlying interbedded sandstone and shale. The moderately well drained Ludington soils and the somewhat poorly drained Fairchild soils form a drainage sequence with Elmlake soils. The poorly drained Veedum soils are nearby in landscape positions similar to those of Elmlake soils where there is 20 to 40 inches of loamy soil over interbedded sandstone and shale.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained. Surface runoff is very slow or ponded. Permeability is moderately rapid or rapid in the sandy mantle, moderately slow or moderate in the loamy residuum, and very slow to moderately slow in the interbedded sandstone and shale. Elmlake soils have a perched seasonal high water table at a depth from 1 foot above to 1 foot below the surface much of the time from September to June in most years.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are in woodland. Common trees are red maple, quaking aspen, black ash, and paper birch. Some areas are used for pastureland.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: West-central Wisconsin. These soils are of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Wood County, Wisconsin, 1971.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizon and features recognized in this pedon are: ochric epipedon - from 0 to 4 inches (Oa, A); aquic feature - saturation at or near the surface much of the year typically with low chroma below the A horizon (Color below the A horizon is typically that of uncoated sand grains); Humaqueptic feature - it is assumed that mixing the upper 6 inches will result in an Ap horizon with value moist of 3 or less and value dry of 5 or less and base saturation (by NH4OAc) at 40 inches is less than 50 percent; siliceous feature - less than 10 percent weatherable minerals in the sandy alluvium (0.2 to 20 mm fraction).
ADDITIONAL DATA - Soil Interpretation Record - WI0035
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.