LOCATION ELLIOTT IL+IN OH WI

Established Series
Rev. JBF-JWS-EJE-DEC
12/2015

ELLIOTT SERIES

The Elliott series consists of very deep, somewhat poorly drained soils on till plains. They formed in up to 51 cm (20 inches) of loess or other silty material and in the underlying silty clay loam till. Slope ranges from 0 to 7 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 914 mm (36 inches), and mean annual air temperature is about 10 degrees C (50 degrees F).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, illitic, mesic Aquic Argiudolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Elliott silt loam - on a west-facing slope with less than a 1 percent gradient in a cultivated field at an elevation of 215 meters (704 feet) above mean sea level. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)

Ap--0 to 15 cm (0 to 6 inches); black (10YR 2/1) silt loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; moderate fine granular structure; friable; common fine roots; moderately acid; abrupt smooth boundary.

A--15 to 28 cm (6 to 11 inches); black (10YR 2/1) silty clay loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; moderate fine granular structure; friable; common fine roots; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary. [Combined thickness of the A horizon is 25 to 51 cm (10 to 20 inches).]

Bt1--28 to 41 cm (11 to 16 inches); light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) silty clay; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine roots; few distinct black (10YR 2/1) organic oatings on faces of peds; many distinct dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) clay films on faces of peds; neutral; clear smooth boundary. [0 to 25 cm (0 to 10 inches) thick]

2Bt2--41 to 58 cm (16 to 23 inches); light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) silty clay loam; moderate fine prismatic structure parting to moderate fine angular blocky; friable; few fine roots; common distinct dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) clay films on faces of peds; few fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) masses of oxidized iron in the matrix; few fine distinct grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) iron depletions in the matrix; 1 percent gravel; neutral; clear smooth boundary.

2Bt3--58 to 71 cm (23 to 28 inches); grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) silty clay loam; moderate fine prismatic structure parting to moderate fine angular blocky; friable; few fine roots; common distinct dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) clay films on faces of peds; common fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) masses of oxidized iron in the matrix; 1 percent gravel; neutral; clear smooth boundary.

2Bt4--71 to 89 cm (28 to 35 inches); olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) silty clay loam; moderate fine prismatic structure parting to moderate fine angular blocky; firm; few fine roots; many distinct dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) clay films on faces of peds; few fine black (7.5YR 2.5/1) very weakly cemented iron-manganese concretions throughout; few medium white (10YR 8/1) moderately cemented calcium carbonate concretions throughout; few fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) masses of oxidized iron in the matrix; 1 percent gravel; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary.

2Bt5--89 to 104 cm (35 to 41 inches); olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) silty clay loam; weak fine prismatic structure parting to moderate medium angular blocky; firm; few fine roots; common distinct gray (5Y 6/1) clay films on faces of peds; few fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) masses of oxidized iron in the matrix; 2 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. [Combined thickness of the 2Bt horizon is 25 to 104 cm (10 to 28 inches).]

2Cd--104 to 152 cm (41 to 60 inches); olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) silty clay loam; massive; very firm; common fine prominent gray (5Y 5/1) iron depletions in the matrix; 3 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Livingston County, Illinois; about 2 miles east of Emmington; 690 feet south and 2,436 feet west of the center of sec. 21, T. 29 N., R. 8 E.; USGS Cullom topographic quadrangle; lat. 40 degrees 58 minutes 12 seconds N. and long. 88 degrees 19 minutes 19 seconds W., NAD 83; UTM Zone 16, 388762 easting and 4536262 northing, NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Thickness of the mollic epipedon: 25 to 51 cm (10 to 20 inches)
Depth to the base of soil development: 51 to 114 cm (20 to 45 inches)
Depth to densic contact: 51 to 114 cm (20 to 45 inches)
Depth to carbonates: 43 to 102 cm (17 to 40 inches)
Average clay content of the particle-size control section: 35 to 45 percent

Ap, A, and/or AB horizons:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 2 or 3 (4 or 5 dry)
Chroma: 1 to 3
Texture: silt loam, silty clay loam or loam
Rock fragment content: 0 to 5 percent
Reaction: moderately acid to neutral

BA, Bt, 2Bt, and/or 2Btg horizons:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 4 to 6
Chroma: 2 to 4. Redoximorphic features: have chroma of 1 to 8.
Texture: silty clay loam or silty clay, and less commonly clay and clay loam
Average clay content: 35 to 50 percent
Average sand content: 2 to 25 percent
Rock fragment content: 0 to 10 percent
Reaction: Moderately acid to neutral but is slightly alkaline in the lower part in some pedons.

2BC, 2BCg, 2Cd, and/or 2Cdg horizons:
Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y or 5Y
Value: 4 to 6
Chroma: 1 to 6. Redoximorphic features are commonly present
Texture: silty clay loam
Average clay content: 27 to 40 percent
Average sand content: 3 to 30 percent
Rock fragment content: 1 to 14 percent
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline
Moist bulk density: 1.7 to 1.9 gm/cc in the 2Cd or 2Cdg and is restricting to root and water penetration.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Chenoa, Clarence, Martinton, and Strole series. Chenoa soils average less than 8 percent fine sand and coarser in the upper part of the particle-size control section. Clarence and Strole soils average more than 45 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Martinton soils average less than 27 percent clay in some subhorizon in the lower part of the series control section. In addition, the sand fraction of the Martinton soil is predominantly fine or very fine.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Elliott soils are on relatively undissected parts of till plains of Wisconsinan Age. Slope gradients range from 0 to 7 percent. The soils typically formed in silty clay loam till with a surface mantle of loess or other silty material ranging from 0 to 51 cm (0 to 20 inches) thick. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 8 to 12 degrees C (46 to 54 degrees F), mean annual precipitation ranges from 787 to 1067 mm (31 to 42 inches), frost-free period ranges from 145 to 200 days, and elevation ranges from 165 to 311 meters (541 to 1020 feet) above mean sea level.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Ashkum, Beecher, Blount, and Varna soils. The moderately well drained Varna soils and the poorly drained Ashkum soils form a hydro-sequence with Elliott soils. Ashkum soils are on lower landform positions and Varna soils are on higher landform positions. The somewhat poorly drained Beecher and Blount soils form a biosequence with Elliott soils and are on similar parts of landforms. Blount soils have a light colored surface layer, and Beecher soils lack the required surface layer thickness for a mollic epipedon.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Somewhat poorly drained. The potential for surface runoff is low to high. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately low or moderately high (0.42 to 1.41 micrometers per second). Permeability is slow. An intermittent perched seasonal high water table is at a depth of 31 to 61 cm (1.0 to 2.0 feet) at some time between January and May in most years.

USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are cultivated. Corn, soybeans, small grain, and meadow are the principal crops. Native vegetation is prairie grasses.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern Illinois, southeastern Wisconsin, northern Indiana, and Ohio. The series is of large extent in MLRA's 95B, 108A, 110, 111B, and 111C. More than 300,000 acres have been correlated in the four states named.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Indianapolis, Indiana.

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Ford County, Illinois, 1929.

REMARKS: A bedrock substratum phase is recognized with limestone bedrock at depths of 152 to 203 cm (60 to 80 inches). This phase will need to be evaluated during future MLRA update activities.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
mollic epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 28 cm (11 inches) (Ap and A horizons);
argillic horizon - the zone from approximately 28 to 104 cm (11 to 41 inches) (Bt1, 2Bt2, 2Bt3, 2Bt4, and 2Bt5 horizons);
densic materials - the zone from approximately 104 to 200 cm (41 to 80 inches) (2Cd horizon);
udic moisture regime.

ADDITIONAL DATA: Refer to pedon number 85IL105034 from the University of Illinois Pedology Laboratory. This data is on file at the Illinois NRCS State Office and Indianapolis MLRA Region 11 Office.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.