LOCATION KEENAN MNEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy over loamy, isotic, frigid Oxyaquic Eutrudepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Keenan fine sandy loam, on a 3 percent slope, on a glacial lake plain. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 4 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) fine sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry; weak medium granular structure; very friable; many fine roots; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (1 to 6 inches thick)
Bw1--4 to 12 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) loamy fine sand; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; common fine roots; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary.
Bw2--12 to 32 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) fine sand; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; few fine roots; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bw horizon is 18 to 36 inches.)
2Bw3--32 to 54 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) silt loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine roots; common medium prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) Fe concentrations and common medium distinct gray (5Y 5/1) Fe depletions; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary. (12 to 24 inches thick)
2C--54 to 80 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) silt loam; massive; friable; common medium prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) Fe concentrations and common medium distinct gray (2.5Y 5/1) Fe depletions; moderately acid.
TYPE LOCATION: St. Louis County, Minnesota; 10 miles south and 2 miles east of Kinney; located about 550 feet north and 600 feet west of the southeast corner of section 31, T. 57 N., R. 18 W.; USGS Casco topographic quadrangle; lat. 47 degrees 22 minutes 25 seconds N. and long. 92 degrees 40 minutes 00 seconds W., NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The sandy mantle contains 0 to 5 percent rock fragments, that are mostly less than 5 millimeters in diameter. The depth to carbonates is greater than 60 inches. The depth to loamy sediments is 20 to 40 inches.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 2 or 3 and chroma of 2 or 3. Texture is fine sandy loam, loamy fine sand, loamy sand, sandy loam or loamy very fine sand. Reaction is very strongly acid to moderately acid.
The E horizon (when present) is as much as 8 inches thick. It has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 1 or 2. Texture is loamy fine sand, loamy sand, loamy coarse sand, fine sand, sand or coarse sand. Reaction is very strongly acid to moderately acid.
The Bw horizon has hue of 2.5Y, 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 to 6 and chroma of 3 to 6. Texture is loamy fine sand, loamy sand, loamy coarse sand, fine sand, sand or coarse sand. Reaction is strongly acid to slightly acid.
The 2Bw horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 3 to 6. Texture is silt loam, silty clay loam, or very fine sandy loam. Thin subhorizons or strata of fine sandy loam, loamy fine sand, loamy very fine sand or loam commonly occur. Reaction is moderately acid or slightly acid.
The 2C or 2Cg horizon has hue of 7.5YR, 10YR, 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 1 to 4. Texture is silt loam, silty clay loam or very fine sandy loam. Thin strata or subhorizons of loamy fine sand, loamy very fine sand, fine sandy loam or loam commonly occur. Reaction is moderately acid to slightly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: No other series are in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Keenan soils are on convex to linear surfaces of glacial lake plains. Slopes range from 1 to 6 percent. They formed in eolian sand, outwash or glaciolacustrine sand and underlying glaciolacustrine loamy sediments. Mean annual air temperature is 38 to 41 degrees F. Mean annual precipitation is 25 to 28 inches. The frost-free period is 95 to 125 days. Elevation is 1250 to 1400 feet above sea level.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Barber, Kapla, Vasso, Wabuse, and Westoo series. The somewhat poorly drained Vasso, poorly drained Wabuse and very poorly drained Kapla soils form a hydrosequence with the Keenan soils. Somewhat poorly drained Barber, and moderately well drained Westoo soils do not have loamy material in the lower part of the series control section.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Moderately well drained. Runoff is low. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderate. Keenan soils have seasonal high saturation at a depth of 2.5 feet at some time from April through June and October through November in normal years.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are forested. Some areas are used for hayland or pastureland. Principal trees are aspen, balsam fir, white spruce, black spruce, and jack pine. Native vegetation is mixed coniferous and deciduous forest.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern Minnesota, MLRA 88. Small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: St. Louis County, Minnesota 2005.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon include: ochric epipedon--the zone from the surface to a depth of 4 inches (A horizon); cambic horizon--the zone from 32 to 54 inches (2Bw horizon).