LOCATION GREATSCOTT MNEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Haplic Glossudalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Greatscott loam on a slope of 9 percent on a moraine in forest. (Colors are for moist soils unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 2 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry; weak medium granular structure; very friable; many fine roots; 2 percent gravel; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (1 to 3 inches thick)
E--2 to 4 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) loam, light gray (10YR 7/1) dry: weak medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; many fine roots; 2 percent gravel; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
Bw--4 to 8 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; common fine roots; 5 percent gravel; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
Ex--8 to 12 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) loam, very pale brown (10YR 8/2) dry; weak medium platy structure; very firm; common fine roots; 2 percent gravel, 2 percent cobbles; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary. (4 to 6 inches thick).
B/E--12 to 17 inches; 80 percent yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) clay loam (Bt) and 20 percent light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) loam (E); moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm; few fine roots; 2 percent gravel, 2 percent cobbles; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary. (2 to 20 inches thick)
Bt1--17 to 47 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure parting to weak thin platy; firm; few fine roots; common brown (7.5YR 5/4) and yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) clay films on faces of peds; 2 percent gravel, 2 percent cobbles; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Bt2--47 to 57 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) clay loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; firm; few brown (7.5YR 5/4) clay films on faces of peds; 2 percent gravel, 2 percent cobbles; slightly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of Bt horizons is 22 to 42 inches).
BCd--57 to 80 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) clay loam; moderate very coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium platy; very firm; few medium and fine roots between vertical ped faces; 2 percent gravel, 2 percent cobbles; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: St. Louis County, Minnesota; about 5 miles north of Chisholm; 300 feet south and 600 feet east of the northwest corner of section 26, T. 59N., R. 21W; USGS Dewey Lake Quadrangle; latitude 47 degrees 34 minutes 19 seconds N. and longitude 92 degrees 58 minutes 25 seconds W., NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The depth to carbonates is 40 inches or more. The depth to dense till is 40 to 60 inches. The content of rock fragments averages 1 to 15 percent, by volume, throughout the profile. They consist of gravel, cobbles, stones, and boulders.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or is neutral. Value is 2 or 3, and chroma is 1 or 2. Texture is loam, sandy loam or fine sandy loam. Reaction is strongly acid to slightly acid.
The E horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 1 to 3. Texture is loam, sandy loam or fine sandy loam. Reaction is very strongly acid to moderately acid.
The Bw horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 4 to 6. Texture is loam, sandy loam or fine sandy loam. Reaction is strongly acid to slightly acid.
The Ex horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 2 or 3. Texture is loam, sandy loam or fine sandy loam. Reaction is strongly acid to slightly acid. It is firm or very firm. Bulk density ranges from 1.75 to 1.95 gm/cc.
The B/E horizon has properties similar to the E and Bt respectively.
The Bt horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 3 or 4. Texture is loam, clay loam, or silty clay loam. Reaction is strongly acid to slightly acid.
Some pedons have BC horizons as much as 20 inches thick.
The BCd horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 3 or 4. Texture is loam, clay loam, or silty clay loam. Reaction is slightly acid to moderately alkaline. Bulk density ranges from 1.75 to 1.95 gm/cc. It is considered a densic contact.
A sandy substratum phase has a 2C horizon below a depth of 60 inches. The 2C horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6 and chroma of 3 or 4. Texture is sand, coarse sand, gravelly sand or gravelly coarse sand. Reaction is moderately acid to slightly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bamfield, Cushing, Duluth, Lozeau, Sol and Warba series. Bamfield soils have carbonates above a depth of 35 inches. The Cushing, Duluth, Sol and Warba soils do not have dense till C horizons with bulk density above 1.75 g/cc in the lower third of the series control section. Lozeau soils have sola terminated by welded tuff bedrock at depths of 20 to 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Greatscott soils are on convex or linear surfaces of drumlins and moraines. Slopes range from 8 to 45 percent. They formed in loamy, dense glacial till that was deposited by the Rainy Lobe. Mean annual air temperature is 36 to 40 degrees F. Mean annual precipitation is 24 to 28 inches. The frost-free period is 90 to 125 days. Elevation above sea level is 1200 to 1610 feet.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Balkan, Daybrook, Nashwauk, Keewatin, and Shenango series. Moderately well drained Nashwauk, somewhat poorly drained Keewatin and poorly and very poorly drained Balkan soils form a hydrosequence with Greatscott soils. Moderately well drained Daybrook and somewhat poorly drained Shenango soils have sandy mantle.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained. Runoff is high to very high. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is .01 to .42 micrometers per second (.0015 to .06 inches per hour).
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are forested. Principal trees are aspen, paper birch, red maple, balsam fir, jack pine, red pine, and white spruce. Native vegetation is mixed coniferous and deciduous forest.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRA-57. North-central Minnesota. Moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: St. Louis County, Minnesota (Virginia subset) 2006
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 4 inches (A and E horizons); Albic horizon - the zone from 2 to 4 inches and the zone from 8 to 12 inches (E and Ex horizons); Glossic horizon - the zone from 12 to 17 inches (B/E horizon); Argillic horizon - the zone from 12 to 57 inches (B/E and Bt horizons); densic contact at 57 inches.
The fragic nature of the Ex horizon has been verified by a University of Minnesota, PhD thesis on this catena of soils.
This soil was previously mapped as a well drained phase of the Nashwauk series.