LOCATION GAY MIEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, active, nonacid, frigid Aeric Endoaquepts
TYPICAL PEDON: From an area of Skanee-Gay complex, 0 to 3 percent slopes - on a 1 percent northwest facing slope in forested area at an elevation of 798 feet. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Oe--0 to 2 inches; black (7.5YR 2.5/1) broken face, very dark brown (7.5YR 2.5/2) rubbed muck; about 45 percent fiber, about 25 percent fiber rubbed; strong fine granular structure; very friable; many very fine to coarse roots; extremely acid; clear smooth boundary.
Oa--2 to 6 inches; black (7.5YR 2.5/1) broken face and rubbed muck; about 12 percent fiber, 4 percent fiber rubbed; moderate medium and fine subangular blocky parting to strong fine granular structure; very friable; many very fine to coarse roots; extremely acid; abrupt wavy boundary; (O horizons are 0 to 7 inches in combined thickness)
A--6 to 8 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) sandy loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; friable; many fine to coarse roots; common fine prominent light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) masses of iron accumulations; 3 percent gravel; extremely acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
Eg--8 to 11 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/2) sandy loam, light gray (10YR 7/2) dry; moderate medium subangular structure; friable; common very fine to medium roots; common coarse prominent brown (7.5YR 5/4) masses of iron accumulations; 3 percent gravel; extremely acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
Bw--11 to 22 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) sandy loam; moderate medium and coarse structure; friable; common very fine and fine roots; many coarse prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulations; 5 percent gravel, 2 percent cobbles; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (4 to 11 inches thick)
BC--22 to 35 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/3) sandy loam; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; friable; many coarse prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulations; 6 percent gravel, 2 percent cobbles; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 15 inches thick)
C--35 to 80 inches; reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) sandy loam; massive; friable; few very fine roots; 7 percent gravel, 1 percent cobbles; strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Keweenaw County, Michigan; 2325 feet south and 2600 feet west of the northeast corner of Sec. 16, T. 57 N., R. 30 W., Eagle Harbor Township; USGS Deer Lake 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; lat. 47 degrees 20 minutes 17.54 seconds N. and long. 88 degrees 7 minutes 13.41 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 15 to 30 inches. Volume of cobbles and stones ranges from 0 to 25 percent in O, A, and Eg horizons and from 0 to 10 percent in the lower part of the pedon. Volume of gravel ranges from 0 to 15 percent. The solum ranges from extremely acid to slightly acid and the substratum is moderately acid to neutral.
The O horizon has hue of 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR, or is neutral, value of 2 to 3, and chroma of 0 to 2. The O horizon is absent in some pedons. Texture is muck or mucky peat.
The A horizon has hue of 5YR, 7.5YR, or 10YR, value of 2 to 4, and chroma of 1 or 2. Texture is mucky loamy sand, loamy sand, mucky sandy loam, mucky fine sandy loam, sandy loam, fine sandy loam or loam.
The Eg horizon has hue of 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR, 2.5Y, or neutral; value of 5 or 6; and chroma of 0 to 2. Texture is loamy sand or sandy loam.
The Bw horizon has hue of 5YR, 7.5YR, or 10YR; value of 4 or 5; and chroma of 3 or 4. Texture is fine sandy loam, sandy loam or sandy clay loam.
The BC horizon has hue of 2.5YR, 5YR or 7.5YR; value of 4 to 6 and chroma of 3 or 4. Texture is fine sandy loam, sandy loam or sandy clay loam.
The C horizon has hue of 2.5YR or 5YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 2 to 4. Texture is sandy loam or sandy clay loam.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Chazy, Jacobsville, Minnow (T), Mino and Peasleeville series. The Chazy and Jacobsville soils have a lithic contact within 40 inches of the surface. The Minnow soils have a lithic contact between 40 and 60 inches below the surface. The Mino and Peasleeville soils have hues yellower than 7.5 YR in the substratum.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: These soils are in depressions on ground moraines and till floored lake plains. Slope gradients range from 0 to 3 percent. These soils formed in loamy deposits. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 26 to 33 inches, and mean annual temperature is estimated to range from 40 to 45 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: Gay soils are the poorly drained member of a drainage sequence that includes the well drained Frohling soils, the moderately well drained Munising soils and the somewhat poorly drained Skanee soils. The Cathro and Tacoosh soils are commonly associated very poorly drained soils.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained or very poorly drained. Permeability is moderate. Runoff is negligible to low.
USE AND VEGETATION: Forested with red maple, aspen, cedar, balsam fir, yellow birch, elm, black spruce, and alder. A few small areas are used as pasture.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western and Central Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Baraga County, Michigan, 1984.
REMARKS: Classification was changed to Aeric endoaquepts as a result of the Keweenaw County, Michigan final correlation. Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 8 inches (Oe, Oa and A horizons); albic horizon - the zone from 8 to 11 inches (Eg horizon); cambic horizon - the zone from 11 to 22 inches (Bw horizon); aquic soil moisture regime.