LOCATION ELMVILLE MNEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy over clayey, mixed over smectitic, superactive, frigid Aeric Calciaquolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Elmville fine sandy loam on a plane, level glacial lake plain in a cultivated field. (Colors are for moist soils unless otherwise stated)
Ap--0 to 11 inches; black (10YR 2/1) fine sandy loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; weak very fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; slight effervescence; slightly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary.
Ak--11 to 14 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) very fine sandy loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; weak very fine granular structure; very friable; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (Combined A horizons 7 to 16 inches thick)
Bk1--14 to 21 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) very fine sandy loam; weak very fine granular structure; very friable; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary.
Bk2--21 to 26 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very fine sandy loam; few fine distinct light olive brown (2.5Y 5/6), olive yellow (2.5Y 6/6) and light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) redoximorphic concentrations; weak medium platy structure; very friable; violent effervescence; strongly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (Combined Bk horizons 6 to 20 inches thick)
C1--26 to 30 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) loamy fine sand; common fine and medium distinct light olive brown (2.5Y 5/6), olive yellow (2.5Y 6/6), and yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) redoximorphic concentrations; few fine prominent very dusky red (2.5YR 2/2) iron oxide concretions; single grain; loose; slight effervescence; strongly alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
2C2--30 to 60 inches; stratified very dark gray (5Y 3/1) and dark olive gray (5Y 3/2) clay; few fine prominent light olive brown (2.5Y 5/6) and olive yellow (2.5Y 6/6) redoximorphic concentrations; strong very fine angular blocky structure; sticky; few light gray (2.5Y 7/2) sandy coatings on vertical fractures; few limy masses; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Clay County, Minnesota; about 4 miles west and 2 miles north of Barnesville; 1,060 feet west and 100 feet south of the northeast corner of sec. 17, T. 137 N., R. 46 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mollic epipedon ranges from 7 to 16 inches in thickness. The calcic horizon begins within 16 inches of the surface. The upper sediment is 20 to 40 inches thick. It has a non-carbonate clay content of less than 18 percent and content of fine sand and coarser particles is typically 15 to 50 percent. The 2C horizon has 35 to 70 percent clay. Saline phases are recognized.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 2 or 3 and 3 to 5 dry, and chroma of 1 or 2 dry or moist. It typically is a fine sandy loam, loam, loamy very fine sand or very fine sandy loam but loamy fine sand and sandy loam are also in the range. It is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
The Bk horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 2 or 3. It usually has redoximorphic features in some to all parts. It is loamy fine sand, very fine sandy loam, loamy very fine sand, or fine sandy loam. It is moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline. It has 15 to 30 percent calcium carbonate equivalent.
The remaining part of the C horizon in the upper sediment has 10YR, 2.5Y or 5Y hue, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 2 to 4. It has redoximorphic features in some to all parts. It is very fine sand, fine sand, fine sandy loam, very fine sandy loam, loamy very fine sand, or loamy fine sand. It has thin strata with coarser texture in a few pedons. It is moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline.
The 2C horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 3 to 6, and chroma of 1 to 3. It has faint, distinct or prominent redoximorphic features. It typically is silty clay loam, silty clay or clay, but has thin strata of coarse texture in some pedons. It is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: No other series are in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Elmville soils have plane or slightly convex slopes on glacial lake plains. Slope gradients are 0 to 3 percent. They formed in calcareous glaciolacustrine sediments consisting of a 20 to 40 inch mantle of coarse-loamy sediments over clayey sediments. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 18 to 24 inches, and mean annual air temperature from 38 to 46 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: Elmville soils are the dominant soils in their region of occurrence. Donaldson, Wyndmere and Wheatville soils are associated in some areas. Donaldson soils do not have a calcic horizon within 16 inches of the surface. Wheatville soils have a coarse-silty upper mantle. Wyndmere soils do not have a clayey 2C horizon within a depth of 40 inches.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Somewhat poorly drained. Runoff is medium or slow. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately rapid in the upper material and slow in the clayey underlying sediments.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are under cultivation. Small grains, sugar beets, potatoes, corn, soybeans, hay, and pasture are the most common crops. Native vegetation was tall grass prairie.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: This series occurs mainly in the Red River Valley of west central and northern Minnesota and possibly in eastern North Dakota. It is moderate in extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Clay County, Minnesota, l980.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: mollic epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 14 inches (Ap and Ak horizon); calcic horizon - the zone from 11 to 26 inches (Ak, Bk1 and Bk2 horizons). Most areas of Elmville soils were previously included with the Grimstad or Wheatville soils in mapping.