LOCATION GREENSTONE MIEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, isotic, frigid, shallow Fragiaquic Hapludalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Greenstone silt loam, on a 1 percent north-facing slope in a forested area at an elevation of 210 meters. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated)
Oa--0 to 5 centimeters; black (5YR 2.5/1) well decomposed leaf and twig litter; weak medium granular structure; very friable; many very fine to very coarse roots; very strongly acid (pH 4.7); abrupt smooth boundary. (2 to 8 centimeters thick)
Bw--5 to 15 centimeters; 90 percent reddish brown (5YR 4/3) and 10 percent brown (7.5YR 4/3) silt loam; light reddish brown (5YR 6/3) dry; common medium distinct yellowish red (5YR 5/6) masses of oxidized iron; few fine faint dark reddish gray (5YR 4/2) iron depletions; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; friable; common very fine to very coarse roots; about 5 percent gravel and 2 percent cobbles; extremely acid (pH 4.3); clear broken boundary. (0 to 15 centimeters thick)
Bt--15 to 30 centimeters; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) silt loam; common medium distinct yellowish red (5YR 5/6) masses of oxidized iron; few fine faint dark reddish gray (5YR 4/2) iron depletions; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few very fine and medium roots; few discontinuous faint reddish brown (5YR 4/4) clay films on vertical faces of peds; about 5 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; very strongly acid; (pH 4.8); clear wavy boundary. (13 to 20 centimeters thick)
Btx--30 to 46 centimeters; 90 percent reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) and 10 percent brown (7.5YR 5/4) cobbly silt loam; common coarse distinct yellowish red (5YR 5/8) masses of oxidized iron; few fine faint dark reddish gray (5YR 4/2) iron depletions; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; firm; few fine and medium roots; common discontinuous faint reddish brown (5YR 4/4) clay films on vertical faces of peds; few discontinuous distinct reddish brown (5YR 5/4) silt coats on vertical faces of peds; about 10 percent cobbles, 5 percent stones and 5 percent gravel; very strongly acid (pH 4.9); clear wavy boundary. (13 to 25 centimeters thick)
2Crt--46 to 53 centimeters; dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4) weathered siltstone; massive; firm to extremely firm; many discontinuous distinct reddish brown (5YR 4/4) clay films on rock fragments; strongly acid (pH 5.4); clear irregular boundary. (7 to 48 centimeters thick)
2R--53 centimeters; dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/3) siltstone bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Major Land Resource Area (MLRA 92) Superior Lake Plain, Ontonagon County Michigan Subset; about 3 miles east of Silver City; 975 feet south and 300 feet west of the northeast corner of Section 16, T51N, R41W; USGS White Pine, MI topographic quadrangle; lat. 46 degrees, 49 minutes, 18 seconds N., long. 89 degrees, 30 minutes, 16 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to paralithic material - 25 to 50 centimeters
Depth to bedrock - 50 to 152 centimeters
Gravel, channer, and paragravel content - 0 to 35 percent
Cobble content - 0 to 10 percent
Stone content (A and B horizons) - 0 to 5 percent
Total rock fragment content (particle-size control section) - less than 35 percent
Reaction - extremely acid to neutral (pH 3.5 to 7.3)
Oa, Oe, Oi horizons
Hue: 2.5YR to 7.5YR or neutral
Chroma: 1 or 2
A horizon (when present)
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Value: 2.5 or 3
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: silt loam, loam or the cobbly or the gravelly analogs
E horizon (when present)
Hue: 5YR to 10YR
Value: 4 or 5
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: silt loam, loam or the cobbly or the gravelly analogs
Bw horizon
Hue: 5YR or 7.5YR
Chroma: 3 or 4
Texture: silt loam, loam or the cobbly or the gravelly analogs
Bt horizon
Hue: 2.5YR or 5YR
Value: 3 to 5
Chroma: 3 or 4
Texture: very fine sandy loam, loam, silty clay loam, silt loam or the cobbly or gravelly analogs
Btx horizon
Hue: 2.5YR or 5YR
Value: 3 to 5
Chroma: 3 or 4
Texture: very fine sandy loam, loam, silty clay loam, silt loam or the cobbly or gravelly analogs
BC horizon (when present)
Hue: 2.5YR or 5YR
Value: 3 to 4
Chroma: 3 or 4
Texture: loam, silt loam or the cobbly or gravelly analogs
2Cr and 2Crt horizons
Hue: 2.5YR or 5YR
Value: 2.5 or 3
Texture: highly weathered siltstone or sandstone bedrock with lenses of silt loam
COMPETING SERIES: There are no soils in the same taxonomic family. Taxonomically related soils are the
Ensign,
Freda, and
Zeba series.
Ensign - are underlain by limestone and are in the Lithic Eutrudepts Subgroup
Freda - are in the Lithic Haplorthods Subgroup
Zeba - are underlain by acidic sandstone and are in the Argic Endoaquods Subgroup
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material loamy till
Landforms nearly level to depressional ground moraines overlying siltstone and sandstone on 1)bedrock structural benches and 2)post glacial lake shores.
Slope - 0 to 3 percent
Elevation - 180 to 305 meters
Mean annual precipitation - 760 to 860 millimeters
Mean annual air temperature - 4 to 7 degrees C.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Big Iron,
Flintsteel, and
Nonesuch soils.
Big Iron - are on adjacent landscape positions, deeper than 152 centimeters to bedrock, and in the Aquic Glossudalfs Subgroup
Flintsteel - are on adjacent landscape positions, deeper than 152 centimeters to bedrock, and in the Oxyaquic Glossudalfs Subgroup
Nonesuch - are on slightly higher landscape positions and in the Oxyaquic Fragiorthods Subgroup
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage - a seasonal zone of water saturation exists from a depth of 15 to 61 centimeters, perched above the siltstone bedrock, from October to June
(somewhat poorly drained). Internal drainage is impeded by the bedrock.
Surface runoff - low
Saturated hydraulic conductivity - moderate in the solum and moderately slow in the substratum.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are forested. Principal species are quaking aspen, red maple, sugar maple, green ash, yellow birch, hemlock, white pine, and white spruce. A few areas are used for pasture.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Physiographic Division
--Laurentian Upland
Physiographic Province
--Superior Upland
Land Resource Region
--Northern Lake States Forest and Forage Region (LRR K)
Major Land Resource Area
--Superior Lake Plain (MLRA 92)
The series is moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Major Land Resource Area 92 Superior Lake Plain; Ontonagon County Michigan Subset, January 2007. Proposed in Ontonagon County, Michigan, 2001. The name is derived from a waterfall in Ontonagon County.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features in the typical pedon include:
Ochric epipedon - 0 to 15 centimeters (Oa and Bw horizons)
Argillic horizon - 15 to 46 centimeters (Bt and Btx horizons)
Paralithic materials - 46 to 53 centimeters (2Crt horizon)
Lithic contact - 53 centimeters (2R horizon)
Aquic feature - iron accumulations at 5 centimeters and iron depletions at 15 centimeters
Fragipan feature - 30 to 46 centimeters (Btx horizon)
Shallow depth class - root limiting paralithic contact at 46 centimeters (2Crt horizon)
Greenstone is not in the Lithic Subgroup because the bedrock is deeper than 50 centimeters.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Refer to lab sample number S99MI-131-011 for Primary Characterization Data from NSSL, Lincoln, NE.