LOCATION ESPELIE MNEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy over clayey, mixed over smectitic, frigid Typic Epiaquolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Espelie fine sandy loam with a slightly concave level slope in a plowed field at 1,031 feet elevation. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated)
Ap--0 to 9 inches; black (10YR 2/1) fine sandy loam; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; weak fine granular structure; very friable; about 3 percent gravel; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. (7 to 16 inches thick)
Bw1--9 to 13 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loamy fine sand; common medium distinct dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) redoximorphic concentrations; weak fine granular structure; very friable; about 2 percent gravel; neutral; clear wavy boundary.
Bw2--13 to 24 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) fine sand; common medium distinct light olive brown (2.5Y 5/6) and olive yellow (2.5Y 6/6) redoximorphic concentrations and few fine faint gray (10YR 6/1) redoximorphic depletions; single grain; loose; about 3 percent gravel; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (Combined Bw horizons 10 to 34 inches thick)
2Bg--24 to 37 inches; dark gray (5Y 4/1) clay; common fine prominent light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) and light olive brown (2.5Y 5/6) redoximorphic concentrations; moderate medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium angular blocky; firm; about 5 percent gravel; slight effervescence; slightly alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 30 inches thick)
2Cg1--37 to 68 inches; gray (5Y 5/1) clay; common fine distinct olive (5Y 5/4) and pale olive (5Y 6/4) redoximorphic concentrations; massive; firm; about 5 percent gravel; strong effervescence: moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary.
2Cg2--68 to 80 inches; olive gray (5Y 5/2) clay; common medium distinct light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) and common fine prominent light olive brown (5Y 5/6) redoximorphic concentrations; massive; firm; about 3 percent gravel; few masses of carbonates; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Pennington County, Minnesota; 3 miles south and 6 miles west of St. Hilaire; 100 feet north and 1,700 feet east of the southwest corner sec. 18, T. 152 N., R. 44 W. USGS Red Lake Falls quadrangle Lat. 47 degrees 57 minutes 58 seconds N. Long. 96 degrees 21 minutes 5 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mollic epipedon ranges from 7 to 16 inches thick. The depth to the contrasting material ranges from 20 to 40 inches. The depth to free carbonates ranges from 16 to 40 inches. The upper sediments have up to 10 percent rock fragments and the clayey sediments contain as much as 10 percent rock fragments by volume. Some pedons have a gravelly layer at the base of the upper sediment.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y or neutral, value of 2 or 3 and chroma of 0 to 2. Texture is fine sandy loam, loamy fine sand, sandy loam, or loam. It may have faint or distinct redoximorphic features in the lower part.
The Bw horizon has hue of 10YR, 5Y, or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 1 or 2. It typically is loamy fine sand, loamy sand, fine sand, or sand. It has distinct or prominent redoximorphic features. Reaction is neutral or slightly alkaline.
Some pedons have a Cg horizon. Where present, it has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 1 or 2. It is fine sand, sand, loamy sand, or loamy fine sand. It has distinct or prominent redoximorphic features. It is neutral or slightly alkaline.
The 2Bg and 2Cg horizons have hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 1 or 2. Texture is clay, silty clay, clay loam, or silty clay loam with more than 35 percent clay. In some pedons these horizons have thin varves or stratifications of silt loam or very fine sandy loam. Redoximorphic features commonly are distinct or prominent. Reaction is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
Some pedons have a 2Bkg horizon. Some pedons do not have a 2Cg horizon.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Espelie soils are on nearly level or slightly concave positions on glacial lake plains and glacial lake plains. They formed in 20 to 40 inches of lacustrine sediments over clayey till or glaciolacustrine sediments. These materials are of late Wisconsian age. Mean annual precipitation is 19 to 24 inches and mean annual air temperature ranges from 37 to 42 degrees F. Frost-free days range from 90 to 135. Elevation ranges from 800 to 1250 feet above sea level.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Clearwater, Hilaire, Huot, Thiefriver, and Wyandotte soils. The poorly drained Clearwater soils are clayey throughout. Hilaire and Huot soils are on higher, better drained positions. The poorly drained Thiefriver and Wyandotte soils are on similar positions, but have a calcic horizon within 16 inches of the surface.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly and very poorly drained. Runoff is negligible. Permeability is moderately rapid in the upper sediments and slow in the clayey material. Depth to a perched seasonal high water table is as high as 0.5 to 1.5 feet at some time from April through June in most years.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most of these soils are cultivated to small grain, sunflowers, and corn with small areas in pasture. Native vegetation is tall grass prairie mixed with aspen and oak.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwest Minnesota and southeastern North Dakota. This series is not extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Pennington County, Minnesota, 10/81.
REMARKS: The Espelie soils in the past, were mapped as Kratka or Hamar, clayey substratum.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: mollic epipedon - surface to 9 inches (Ap horizon); aquic moisture regime - low chroma below the mollic epipedon; contrasting family - texture change at 24 inches.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Refer to MN Agr. Exp. Sta. CFC No. 3238 for results of laboratory analysis.