LOCATION HORSEHEAD MI

Established Series
Rev. WLM-THP-MLK
08/2012

HORSEHEAD SERIES

The Horsehead series consists of very deep, somewhat excessively drained soils formed in gravelly and sandy glaciofluvial deposits on outwash plains, outwash channels, river and stream terraces, eskers, kames, deltas, and moraines. Slope ranges from 0 to 70 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 762 mm (30 inches), and mean annual temperature is about 5.6 degrees C (42 degrees F).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy-skeletal, mixed, frigid Arenic Hapludalfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Horsehead sand, on a west-facing, 3 percent slope under mixed hardwoods at an elevation of 381 meters (1,250 feet) above mean sea level. (Colors are for moist soils unless otherwise stated.)

A--0 to 5 cm (2 inches); very dark gray (10YR 3/1) sand, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; weak medium granular structure; very friable; many very fine and fine, and common medium roots; about 1 percent gravel and 1 percent cobbles; strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. [0 to 10 cm (4 inches) thick]

Bw1--5 to 25 cm (2 to 10 inches); dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) gravelly sand; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; many very fine to coarse roots; 25 percent gravel and 2 percent cobbles; moderately acid; abrupt wavy boundary.

Bw2--25 to 48 cm (10 to 19 inches); yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) gravelly sand; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; many very fine and fine, and common medium and coarse roots; 25 percent gravel and 2 percent cobbles; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary.

Bw3--48 to 69 cm (19 to 27 inches); yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) gravelly sand; weak fine to coarse subangular blocky structure; very friable; few fine and very fine roots; 30 percent gravel and 3 percent cobbles; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary. [Combined thickness of the Bw horizon is 41 to 66 cm (16 to 26 inches).]

2Bt--69 to 91 cm (27 to 36 inches); dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) very gravelly loamy sand; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; many very fine and fine, and common medium roots; discontinuous clay bridging between sand grains; 55 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; neutral; abrupt wavy boundary. [15 to 46 cm (6 to 18 inches) thick]

2C--91 to 203 cm (36 to 80 inches); light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) very gravelly sand; single grain; loose; few very fine and fine roots; 46 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; slightly alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Montmorency County, Michigan; about 2.5 miles southeast of the village of Lewistown; 1,500 feet south and 2,650 feet west of the northeast corner of sec. 36, T. 29 N., R. 1 E; USGS Comstock Hills, Michigan 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; lat. 44 degrees 51 minutes 56 seconds N. and long. 84 degrees 15 minutes 45 seconds W.,NAD 27

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to the argillic horizon: 51 to 91 cm (20 to 36 inches)
Thickness of the solum: typically is 66 to 99 cm (26 to 39 inches) but ranges to 114 cm (45 inches)
Depth to carbonates: typically is 66 to 99 cm (26 to 39 inches) but ranges to 114 cm (45 inches)
Particle-size control section: averages 35 to 60 percent rock fragments

Some pedons have an Oe horizon:
Thickness: 2.5 to 5 cm (1 to 2 inches)
Hue: 5YR to 10YR
Value: 2 or 2.5
Chroma: 1 or 2

A horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 2 or 3
Chroma: 1
Texture: dominantly sand, but includes loamy sand or the gravelly analogs of these textures
Rock fragment content: 0 to 34 percent gravel and 0 to 5 percent stones
Reaction: strongly acid

E horizon, where present above the Bw horizon:
Thickness: 2.5 to 13 cm (1 to 5 inches)
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 or 6
Chroma: 2 or 3
Texture: sand
Reaction: very strongly acid to moderately acid

Bw horizon:
Hue: 5YR to 10YR
Value: 4 to 6
Chroma: 4 to 8
Texture: dominantly sand, but includes loamy sand, gravelly sand, or very gravelly sand
Rock fragment content: 0 to 59 percent gravel and 0 to 5 percent stones
Reaction: strongly acid to slightly acid

2Bt horizon:
Hue: 5YR to 10YR
Value: 3 or 4
Chroma: 4 to 6
Texture: gravelly loamy sand, very gravelly loamy sand, or extremely gravelly loamy sand
Rock fragment content: 15 to 65 percent gravel, 0 to 20 percent cobbles, and 0 to 5 percent stones
Reaction: moderately acid to neutral

2C horizon:
Hue: 7.5YR or 10YR
Value: 5 or 6
Texture: stratified sand, gravelly sand, very gravelly sand, or extremely gravelly sand
Rock fragment content: 0 to 65 percent gravel, 0 to 20 percent cobbles, and 0 to 5 percent stones
Reaction: slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline

COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in the same family.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Horsehead soils are on outwash plains, outwash channels, river and stream terraces, eskers, kames, deltas, and moraines. Slope ranges from 0 to 70 percent. The Horsehead soils formed in gravelly and sandy glaciofluvial deposits. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 711 to 787 mm (28 to 31 inches). Mean annual temperature ranges from 4.4 to 6.7 degrees C (40 to 44 degrees F).

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Graycalm, Grayling, Klacking, Millersburg, Croswell, Au Gres, Deford, Lupton and Tawas soils. The very poorly and poorly drained Lupton, Tawas, and Deford soils occur in adjacent depressions and drainageways. The somewhat poorly drained Au Gres soils and moderately well drained Croswell soils occur on lower landscape positions. The well drained Klacking and Millersburg soils, the somewhat excessively drained Graycalm soils, and the excessively drained Grayling soils occur on similar landscape positions.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Somewhat excessively drained. Potential surface runoff is negligible to low. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is high or very high. Permeability is rapid or very rapid.

USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are forested. Forest vegetation consists chiefly of northern red oak, bigtooth aspen, quaking aspen, red maple, white oak, red pine and white ash. A small part is in permanent pasture and idle land.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRA 94A in northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan. The series is of moderate extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: AMHERST, MASSACHUSETTS

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Montmorency County, Michigan, 1993.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in the pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: from the surface to a depth of 5 cm (2 inches) (A horizon).
Cambic horizon: from a depth of 5 to 69 cm (2 to 27 inches) (Bw1, Bw2, and Bw3 horizons).
Argillic horizon: from a depth of 69 to 91 cm (27 to 36 inches) (2Bt horizon).

ADDITIONAL DATA: Characterization data is available from the National Soil Survey Laboratory (S93MI119001). Soil Interpretation Record No.: MI0754.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.