LOCATION HILLET MNInactive Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-silty over sandy or sandy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid Typic Endoaquolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Hillet loam - cultivated field (Colors are for moist conditions unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 7 inches; black (10YR 2/1) loam high in very fine sand and silt; weak very fine subangular blocky structure; friable; slightly acid (pH 6.1); clear wavy boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)
A12--7 to 13 inches; black (10YR 2/1) loam higher in very fine sand and silt; common medium distinct dark gray (10YR 4/1) mottles; weak very thick platy structure parting easily to moderate very fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; vesicular; medium acid (pH 6.0); clear wavy boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick)
B1g--13 to 20 inches; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) silt loam; many fine prominent dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) and dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) mottles; weak medium platy structure parting easily to weak very fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; some darker colored coatings along root channels; vesicular; slightly acid (pH 6.2); clear wavy boundary. (5 to 8 inches thick)
B2g--20 to 28 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) silt loam; many medium prominent dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) and dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) mottles; weak medium platy structure parting to weak very fine subangular blocky structure; friable; vesicular; some darker coatings along root channels; slightly acid (pH 6.2); abrupt wavy boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
IIB3g--28 to 30 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) fine sandy loam; many coarse prominent dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) mottles; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; medium acid (pH 6.0); abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 5 inches thick)
IIC--30 to 54 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) gravelly coarse sand; single grained; loose; about 40 percent fine gravel; slightly acid (pH 6.2).
TYPE LOCATION: Benton County, Minnesota; 2100 feet west and 43 feet south of the NE corner of sec. 23, T. 36 N., R. 28 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the solum and depth to the IIB or IIC horizon ranges from 20 to 40 inches. The mollic epipedon ranges from 10 to 20 inches in thickness. Depth to free carbonates is 8 feet or more. The A and B horizons lack coarse fragments and the IIB and IIC horizons contain as much as 50 percent by volume of gravel of mixed lithology. The gravel is mostly of igneous rocks and commonly less than 1.0 cm.
i. diameter. Mean annual soil temperature is estimated to range from 42 to 47 degrees F. Mineralogy of the fine earth fraction is mixed. The upper materials below depths of 10 inches average between 12 and 18 percent clay and less acid through neutral. Some pedons have an 0 horizons as much as 6 inches thick.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y or 5Y, value or 2 or 3 and chroma of 1. It is black (N 2/0) or very dark gray loam. It has a weak or moderate, granular or subangular blocky, or platy structure.
The B horizon has hue of 10YR., 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 1 or 2. Mottles are mostly distinct or prominent and range from few to many. The B1 and B2 horizons are silt loam, loam, or very fine sandy loam. The B3 horizon is fine sandy loam, sandy loam, coarse sand loam, loamy coarse sand, loamy sand or loamy fine sand. The B horizon has weak platy or subangular blocky structure.
The C horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 5YR, value and chroma of 3 or 4. It is sand or coarse sand and contains as much as 50 percent gravel.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Adolph, Rib and Warman soils. Adolph soils have sandy loam IIC horizons at moderate depths. Rib soils lack mollic epipedons. Warman soils have less silt and very fine sand in the mollic epipedon and coarse loamy texture.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: These soils are on plane on concave positions in depressions, and drainageways on nearly level outwash plains and valley trains. Slope gradients are 1 percent or less. Hillet soils formed in a 20 to 40 inch silt layer over leached reddish or brownish sand and gravel of Late Wisconsin Age. The climate is humid continental with warm summers and cold winters. Mean annual temperature is about 40 to 45 degrees F., and mean annual precipitation is about 24 to 30 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: The Antigo, Ogilvie, and organic soils are the main ones. The Antigo soils are well drained and the Ogilvie soils are somewhat poorly to poorly drained.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Very poorly and poorly drained. Surface runoff is very slow or ponded. Permeability is moderate.
USE AND VEGETATION: Largely used for pasture or is idle. Farmed areas are in pasture or hay. Native vegetation was grasses, sedges, and scattered alder and willow.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central and east central Minnesota and perhaps northwestern Wisconsin. The series is moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Benton County, Minnesota, 1970.
REMARKS: The Hillet series was formerly classified as Humic-Gley soils. Soils now placed in the Hillet series formerly were included in the Warman series. The first draft of this series description had the name of Hillman.
Classification only was changed 5/94. Competing series and other updates will be made later.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Refer to MAES Central File No. 764 for some results of laboratory analysis of the typifying pedon.
OSED scanned by SSQA. Last revised by state on 1/71.