LOCATION FREESOIL                MI

Established Series
Rev. EPJ-WEF-MLK
01/2017

FREESOIL SERIES

The Freesoil series consists of very deep, somewhat poorly drained soils on lake plains and glacial deltas. These soils formed in stratified glaciofluvial and glaciolacustrine deposits. Slope ranges from 0 to 3 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 787 mm, and mean annual temperature is about 8 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, semiactive, mesic Aquic Eutrudepts

TYPICAL PEDON: Freesoil loamy very fine sand, 0 to 3 percent slopes, in a cultivated field. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)

Ap--0 to 20 cm; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) loamy very fine sand, brown (10YR 4/3) dry; weak medium granular structure; very friable; slightly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (15 to 23 cm thick)

Bw--20 to 127 cm; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very fine sandy loam with strata every 5 to 10 cm of loamy very fine sand, very fine sand, and silt loam ranging from 6 mm to 2.5 cm thick; weak medium granular structure; friable; many medium distinct brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) masses of oxidized iron; few fine distinct light gray (10YR 7/2) iron depletions; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (79 to 114 cm thick)

Cg--127 to 152 cm; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) very fine sand with 5 cm (2 inch) thick strata of silty clay loam; massive; friable; few fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) masses of oxidized iron; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Mason County, Michigan; about 8 miles southeast of the town of Ludington; 2,000 feet west and 50 feet north of the southeast corner of sec. 28, T. 17 N., R. 17 W., Riverton Township; USGS Wiley, MI 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; lat. 43 degrees 49 minutes 59 seconds W. and long. 86 degrees 20 minutes 44 seconds W.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Thickness of the solum: 51 to 137 cm
Depth to carbonates: 18 to 96 cm
Rock fragment content: 0 to 1 percent gravel throughout

Ap horizon:
Hue: 10YR or is neutral
Value: 2, 2.5, or 3
Chroma: 0 to 3
Texture: loamy fine sand or loamy very fine sand
Reaction: slightly acid to moderately alkaline

E horizon, where present:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 5 or 6
Chroma: 3 or 4
Texture: loamy fine sand or loamy very fine sand

Bw horizon:
Hue: 5YR to 2.5Y
Value: 5 or 6
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: stratified very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam, very fine sand, loamy very fine sand, loamy fine sand, silt loam, or fine sand

Some pedons have a BC horizon.

C horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 5 to 7
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: stratified fine sand, very fine sand, loamy very fine sand, sand, silt, silt loam, with occasional strata of silty clay loam

COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in the same family.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Freesoil soils are on lake plains, and glacial deltas. Slope ranges from 0 to 3 percent. These soils formed in stratified glaciofluvial and glaciolacustrine deposits. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 720 to 960 mm. Mean annual temperature ranges from 8 to 10 degrees C.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: The Freesoil soils are in the same drainage sequence with the well drained Arkport soils and the poorly drained or very poorly drained Lamson soils. The moderately well drained Fern and Perrinton soils are also associated. The Perrinton soils are loamy throughout and the Fern soils are sandy over loamy. The somewhat poorly drained Pipestone soils are sandy throughout and the Wixom soils are sandy over loamy.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Somewhat poorly drained. Depth to the top of a seasonal high water table ranges from 15 to 46 cm between November and May in normal years. Potential for surface runoff is negligible to low. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high in the solum and ranges to high in the substratum.

USE AND VEGETATION: Cleared areas are used for small grains, corn, and truck crops. Wooded areas are in red maple, paper birch, quaking aspen and eastern white pine.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRAs 98 and 99 in southern Lower Peninsula of Michigan. The series is of small extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: AMHERST, MASSACHUSETTS

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Mason County, Michigan, 1991.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: from the surface to a depth of 20 cm (Ap horizon).
Cambic horizon: from a depth of 20 to 127 cm (Bw horizon).
Aquic conditions: iron depletions and reduced matrix below a depth of 20 cm (Bw and Cg horizons).

A phase with a surface layer of human transported materials has been correlated. This layer is less than 50 cm thick and of variable textures.

A dense substratum phase is recognized.

Areas of this soil in Michigan (St. Clair, Genesee, Macomb, Isabella and Livingston Counties) were previously correlated as Minoa (Coarse-loamy, mixed, active, mesic Aquic Dystric Eutrudepts). All of these areas contain carbonates at depths less than 100 cm and are within the range of the Freesoil series.

ADDITIONAL DATA: Soil Interpretation Record: MI0618.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.