LOCATION GONGEAU MIEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Siliceous, acid, frigid, shallow Typic Psammaquents
TYPICAL PEDON: Gongeau muck, on a 1 percent slope, in a forested area, at an elevation of 702 feet. (Colors are for moist soils unless otherwise stated. When described on July 19, 2001 the soil was moist throughout).
Oa--0 to 13 centimeters; black (N 2.5/0) muck; weak very fine granular structure; very friable; many very fine to coarse roots; extremely acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 15 centimeters thick)
A--13 to 18 centimeters; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) mucky silt loam gray (10YR 5/1) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; many very fine to coarse roots; very strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 15 centimeters thick)
2C--18 to 46 centimeters; light gray (2.5Y 7/1) sand; single grain; loose; few very fine to medium roots; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (15 to 30 centimeters thick)
2Cr--46 to 74 centimeters; light gray (2.5Y 7/1) and yellow (10YR 7/8) weathered sandstone; massive; firm to very firm; very strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (5 to 30 centimeters thick)
2R--74 centimeters; light gray (10YR 7/2) and strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) sandstone bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Alger County, Michigan; about 600 feet north and 400 feet west of the southeast corner of sec. 30, T. 48 N., R. 17 W.; USGS Grand Portal Point topographic quadrangle; lat. 46 degrees 31 minutes 21.85 seconds N. and long. 86 degrees 28 minutes 18.73 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: (Unless otherwise stated, depth ranges in this paragraph are measured from the top of the mineral surface to the designated depth.) Depth to paralithic contact ranges from 25 to 51 centimeters and depth to lithic contact ranges from 51 to 76 centimeters. Gravel content, which consists mainly of weathered sandstone fragments ranges from 0 to 5 percent. Reaction ranges from extremely acid to very strongly acid.
The Oa horizon has hue of 10YR or is neutral, value of 2 to 3, chroma of 0 or 1.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 2 or 3, chroma of 0 to 2. It is silt loam, sandy loam, loamy sand, sand or the mucky analogues of these textures.
The 2C horizons have hue of 10YR, 5Y or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 7, chroma of 1 to 3. It is sand or coarse sand.
The 2Cr horizon has hue of 2.5Y, 5YR to 10YR, values of 3 to 7, chroma of 2 to 8. Reaction is very strongly acid to moderately acid.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Jeske series and the closely related Burt series. Jeske soils have representative wet soil moisture status that ranges from the surface to 46 centimeters below the surface at times during the period from October to May. The Burt series have a lithic contact at 25 to 51 centimeters.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Gongeau soils are in depressions, drainageways and on seepy side slopes of sandstone benches. Slope ranges from 0 to 12 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 860 millimeters. Mean annual air temperature is about 6 degrees C. Elevation ranges from 198 to 305 meters.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Au Train, Deerton, Jeske, and Trout Bay soils. These soils are in a drainage catena with the Gongeau soils. Deerton soils are moderately deep, well drained and are on knolls, ridges and on shoulders of seepy bedrock sideslopes. Au Train soils are shallow, moderately well drained soils on summits and low knolls, and on backslopes of seepy bedrock sideslopes. Jeske soils are shallow, somewhat poorly drained soils on summits and on footslopes and toe slopes of seepy bedrock sideslopes. Trout Bay soils are very poorly drained organic soils over bedrock and are on landscape positions similar to the Gongeau soils.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Poorly drained. The depth to perched representative wet soil moisture status ranges from the surface to 30 centimeters below the surface at times during the period from October to May. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is high and very high in horizons above the bedrock, moderately high in the Cr horizon, and very low in the bedrock. Surface runoff is very low.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of this soil are forested. Common trees are eastern hemlock, red maple, yellow birch, eastern white cedar and balsam fir. Common ground plants are spinulose wood fern, wild lily-of-the-valley, goldthread, bunchberry, starflower, wood sorrel, and shining clubmoss.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Major Land Resource Areas 93B and 94B. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota; MLRA SSO 10-8 (Marquette, Michigan).
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Alger County, Michigan, 2007. Source of the name is a creek in Alger County.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in the pedon are: Lithic feature - hard sandstone bedrock at 74 centimeters.
Only series status, responsibility, and scrivener's errors changed - 3/09.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Refer to S00M9I-003-5 FOR NSSL data on reference pedon.