LOCATION FAIRCHILD WI+MNEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy over loamy, siliceous, semiactive, frigid Ultic Epiaquods
TYPICAL PEDON: Fairchild sand (from an area of Fairchild-Elm Lake complex) - on a plane north facing 1 percent slope in a wooded area at an elevation of about 920 feet. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Oe--0 to 1 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) mucky peat (hemic material which is a mat of partially decomposed forest litter); about 40 percent fiber and 20 percent rubbed; weak thin platy structure; nonsticky; very strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 3 inches thick)
A--1 to 4 inches; black (10YR 2/1) sand, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; weak fine granular structure; very friable; common very fine, fine, and medium roots; extremely acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 4 inches thick)
E--4 to 12 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) sand, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) dry; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; very friable; common very fine, fine, and medium roots; extremely acid; abrupt irregular boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick)
Bhs--12 to 14 inches; dusky red (2.5YR 3/2) sand; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; common very fine and fine roots; very strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 5 inches thick)
Bs--14 to 19 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) sand; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; common very fine and fine roots; few fine distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation; very strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
Bw--19 to 27 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) sand; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; very friable; common very fine and fine roots; few fine prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) masses of iron accumulation and common medium faint grayish brown (10YR 5/2) iron depletions; about 1 percent sandstone channers; very strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (6 to 15 inches thick)
2Bt--27 to 33 inches; light olive gray (5Y 6/2) sandy clay loam; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; firm; common very fine and fine roots; few faint olive gray (5Y 5/2) clay films on faces of peds; common fine prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) masses of iron accumulation; about 14 percent sandstone channers; extremely acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (2 to 10 inches thick)
2Cr--33 to 60 inches; interbedded light gray (10YR 7/2) sandstone and light gray (5Y 7/2) shale.
TYPE LOCATION: Clark County, Wisconsin; about 5 miles south and 2 miles west of Columbia; about 1300 feet north and 2550 feet west of the southeast corner of sec. 28, T. 23 N., R. 3 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: (Unless otherwise stated, thickness and depth in this paragraph are measured from the top of the mineral soil.) Thickness of the solum and depth to the paralithic contact with interbedded sandstone and shale range from 20 to 40 inches. Thickness of the sandy alluvium and depth to residuum from interbedded sandstone and shale ranges from 15 to 39 inches. The thickness and arrangement of layers in the residuum is extremely variable. Base saturation (by sum of cations) is less than 35 percent throughout the argillic horizon. Coarse fragments are mostly sandstone channers but, in some places, these soils occur near higher lying glacial soils and igneous fragments are in the upper part of some pedons. Volume of gravel or sandstone channers ranges from 0 to 15 percent in the sandy mantle. Volume of sandstone channers ranges from 3 to 15 percent in the residuum. Reaction typically ranges from extremely acid to moderately acid in the sandy mantle, but it ranges to neutral in the upper part, where the soil is limed. Reaction ranges from extremely acid to strongly acid in the residuum. Redox concentrations are in the albic or spodic horizons within a depth of 20 inches. Saturation occurs within 20 inches at some time in most years.
The O horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR or is neutral in hue. Value is 2 or 3 and chroma is 0 to 2. The O horizon is a layer of partially decomposed litter.
The A horizon has value of 2 to 4 dry, 2 or 3 moist and chroma of 1 or 2. Cultivated pedons have an Ap horizon with hue of 10YR, value of 2 to 4, and chroma of 2 or 3. The A or Ap horizon is sand or loamy sand.
The E horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 2 or 3. It is sand, coarse sand, loamy sand, or loamy coarse sand.
The Bhs horizon has hue of 2.5YR, 5YR, or 7.5YR; value of 2 or 3; and chroma of 2 or 3. It is sand, coarse sand, loamy sand, or loamy coarse sand.
The Bs horizon has hue of 5YR, value of 3 to 6, and chroma of 4 to 6 or hue of 7.5YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 4. It has texture like the Bhs horizon.
The Bw horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 3 to 6. It is sand, coarse sand, loamy sand, or loamy coarse sand.
The 2Bt horizon has hue of 2.5YR, 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR, 2.5Y, or 5Y; value of 4 to 7; and chroma of 2 to 6. It is very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam, sandy loam, sandy clay loam, loam, clay loam, or silty clay loam. Thin subhorizons of coarser or finer texture are in some pedons.
The 2Cr horizon has hue of 2.5YR. 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR, 2.5Y, or 5Y; value of 4 to 7; and chroma of 2 to 6.
COMPETING SERIES: These are no competing series. Related soils are the Elm Lake and Ludington series. Elm Lake soils do not have a spodic or an argillic horizon. Ludington soils do not have redox features or saturation in the spodic horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: These soils are on pediments underlain by interbedded sandstone and shale (Eau Claire and Mt. Simon formations of the Elk Mound group). Slope gradients range from 0 to 3 percent. Fairchild soils formed in siliceous sandy alluvium and in loamy residuum from the underlying interbedded sandstone and shale. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 28 to 33 inches. Mean annual temperature ranges from 39 to 45 degrees F. The frost free period ranges from about 120 to 135 days. Elevation ranges from 700 to 1400 feet.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Elm Lake, Humbird, Ludington, Merrillan, and Rockdam soils. The moderately well drained Ludington soils and the poorly drained Elm Lake soils form a drainage sequence with the Fairchild soils. The moderately well drained Humbird soils and the somewhat poorly drained Merrillan soils form a drainage sequence in nearby areas where the sandy mantle is absent. The moderately well drained Rockdam soils are nearby where the sandy mantle is more than 5 feet thick.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained. Surface runoff is slow. Permeability is rapid or very rapid in the sandy alluvium, moderately slow or moderate in the loamy residuum, and very slow to moderately slow in the interbedded sandstone and shale. Fairchild soils have a perched seasonal high water table at a depth of 1 to 2 feet for 1 month or more per year at some time during the period of September to June in 6 out of 10 years.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of this soil are in second growth hardwood forest, principally red maple and paper birch with some jack pine and northern pin oak. Some areas are used for cropland or pastureland. Corn, small grains, and hay are the principal crops. Some areas have been planted to pine trees.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: West-central Wisconsin. These soils are of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Eau Claire County, Wisconsin, 1974.
REMARKS: The water table is perched on bedrock (2Cr). This water table technically fits neither the definition of epi-saturation nor of endo-saturation. We have suggested to the classification staff at NSSC that the definition of epi-saturation be expanded to include water tables perched on bedrock. Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: ochric epipedon - from 1 to 12 inches (A, E); albic horizon - from 4 to 12 inches (E); spodic horizon - from 12 to 19 inches (Bhs, Bs); argillic horizon - from 27 to 33 inches (2Bt); aquic feature - redox features and saturation in the spodic horizon within 20 inches; siliceous feature - less than 10 percent weatherable minerals in the sandy alluvium (0.2 to 20 mm fraction); ultic feature - base saturation (by sum of cations) less than 35 percent throughout the argillic horizon.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Soil Interpretation Record - WI0025. Refer to soil survey sample number S92WI-019-1 for NSSL data on the typical pedon.