LOCATION FAYAL MNEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, active, frigid Mollic Epiaqualfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Fayal mucky peat on a 1 percent slightly concave surface on a till plain. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Oe-- 0 to 5 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) mucky peat; massive; very friable; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 7 inches thick.)
A-- 5 to 9 inches; black (10YR 2/1) mucky silt loam; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; weak fine granular structure; very friable; common very fine and fine roots throughout; 1 percent stones; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick.)
Eg-- 9 to 17 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) clay loam; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) dry; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; firm; common very fine and fine roots throughout; many coarse prominent olive gray (5Y 4/2) iron-manganese stains; many medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) Fe concentrations and common fine to coarse distinct light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) Fe depletions throughout; 2 percent gravel; 1 percent cobbles; 1 percent stones; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick.)
2Btg--17 to 29 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) clay; strong medium subangular blocky structure; very firm; common grayish brown (10YR 5/2) clay films; many medium distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) and common fine prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) Fe concentrations and common medium distinct grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) Fe depletions; 2 percent gravel; 1 percent cobbles; 1 percent stones; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary. (10 to 25 inches thick.)
2BC-- 29 to 46 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) clay; strong coarse subangular blocky structure; very firm; common grayish brown (10YR 5/2) clay films; common medium prominent grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) Fe depletions; 2 percent gravel; 1 percent cobbles; 1 percent stones; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary.
2BCd1--46 to 62 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) clay; very coarse prismatic structure parting to medium platy; very firm; 2 percent gravel; 1 percent cobbles; 1 percent stones; neutral; gradual wavy boundary.
2BCd2--62 to 80 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) clay; extremely coarse prismatic structure; very firm; 2 percent gravel; 1 percent cobbles; 1 percent stones; neutral.
TYPE LOCATION: St. Louis County, Minnesota, about 8 miles south of Aurora; about 975 feet north and 1300 feet east of the southwest corner of Section 27, T. 57 N., R. 15 W. USGS Turpela Lake, Minnesota Quadrangle; latitude 47 degrees 23 minutes 19 seconds N. and longitude 92 degrees 14 minutes 03 seconds W., NAD27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The depth to free carbonates is greater than 50 inches. Rock fragment content is 1 to 8 percent by volume throughout the mineral part of the profile. Depth to dense till is 40 to 60 inches.
The O horizon has hue of 10YR or is neutral, value of 2 to 5 and chroma of 0 to 4. Texture is peat, mucky peat or muck. Reaction is very strongly acid to strongly acid.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or is neutral, value of 2 and chroma of 0 to 2. Texture is silt loam, loam or their mucky analogues. Reaction is very strongly acid to strongly acid.
The Eg horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 10YR, value of 4 to 6 and chroma of 1 or 2. Texture is clay loam, loam, or silt loam.
The 2Btg horizon has hue of 10YR, 7.5YR or 5YR, value of 4 to 6 and chroma of 1 or 2. Texture is clay or clay loam. Reaction is strongly acid to slightly acid.
The 2BC horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR and value and chroma of 3 or 4. Texture is clay or clay loam. Reaction is strongly acid to slightly acid.
The 2BCd horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 3 to 5 and chroma of 4 to 6. It is clay or clay loam. Reaction is moderately acid to slightly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Fayal soils are on concave to linear surfaces of till plains and moraines. Slopes range from 0 to 1 percent. They formed in a thin mantle of loess and underlying fine, dense glacial till deposited by the St. Louis sublobe of late Wisconsin age. Mean annual air temperature is 38 to 41 degrees F. Mean annual precipitation is 25 to 28 inches. The frost-free period is 95 to 125 days. Elevation above sea level is 1250 to 1600 feet.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Buhl, Daisybay, Dora, Hibbing, McQuade and Rifle soils. The moderately well drained Hibbing, somewhat poorly drained Buhl and poorly drained McQuade soils form a hydrosequence with Fayal soils. The very poorly drained Daisybay and Dora soils formed in organic materials over till. The very poorly drained Rifle soils occur in depressions and formed in organic materials.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Very poorly drained. Runoff is negligible. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is very slow. The Fayal soils have seasonal high saturation at the surface for some time between April through June and October through November in years of normal precipitation.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are forested. Principal vegetation is alder, willow, black ash, grasses, and sedges. Native vegetation is mixed coniferous, deciduous hydrophytic trees and shrubs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRA-88. Northeast Minnesota, Moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: St. Louis County, 2005.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: Mollic epipedon - the zone from 0 to 9 inches (Oi and A horizons); Albic horizon - the zone from 9 to 17 inches (Eg horizon); Aquic conditions with chroma of 2 and redoximorphic features in the upper part of the argillic (Btg horizon); Densic materials - the zone from 46 to 80 inches (2BCd horizons).
ADDITIONAL DATA: Refer to NSSL number 96MN137054 for
bulk density data.