LOCATION LAC LA BELLE MIEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy-skeletal, isotic, frigid Typic Fragiorthods
TYPICAL PEDON: Lac La Belle very stony loamy sand, on a 12 percent northeast facing slope, in a forested area. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Oa--0 to 1 inch; black (5YR 2.5/1) well decomposed forest litter; extremely acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 2 inches thick)
E--1 to 5 inches; reddish gray (5YR 5/2) very stony loamy sand, pinkish gray (5YR 6/2) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; many very fine to coarse roots; 25 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles, 6 percent stones, 2 percent boulders; extremely acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 6 inches thick)
Bhs--5 to 12 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) extremely stony loamy sand; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; many very fine to coarse roots; 35 percent gravel, 20 percent cobbles, 8 percent stones, 3 percent boulders; extremely acid; clear wavy boundary. (2 to 8 inches thick)
Bs1--12 to 19 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) extremely cobbly loamy sand; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; many very fine to coarse roots; 35 percent gravel, 25 percent cobbles, 8 percent stones, 3 percent boulders; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bs2--19 to 36 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) extremely cobbly loamy sand; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; common very fine to medium roots; 35 percent gravel, 25 percent cobbles, 8 percent stones, 3 percent boulders; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bs horizon is 15 to 26 inches thick.)
2(E/B)x--36 to 42 inches; about 60 percent brown (7.5YR 4/3) very cobbly loamy sand, brown (7.5YR 5/2) dry (E), and reddish brown (5YR 4/4) very cobbly sandy loam (Bt); moderate thick platy structure; very firm; few very fine and fine roots; common very fine vesicular pores; few fine prominent and few faint reddish brown (5YR 4/3) clay films on ped faces; 20 percent gravel, 20 percent cobbles, 5 percent stones, 2 percent boulders; very strongly acid; gradual irregular boundary. (5 to 30 inches thick)
2Btx--42 to 50 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) very cobbly loamy sand; moderate thick platy structure; very firm; few very fine vesicular pores; few fine prominent strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) masses of iron accumulation; few faint reddish brown (5YR 4/3) clay films on ped faces; 15 percent gravel, 20 percent cobbles, 5 percent stones, 2 percent boulders; very strongly acid; clear broken boundary. (4 to 16 inches thick)
2(B/E)x--50 to 62 inches; about 65 percent reddish brown (5YR 4/4) very cobbly sandy loam (Bt), and brown (7.5YR 4/3) very cobbly loamy sand, brown (7.5YR 5/2) dry (E); weak thick platy structure; firm; few very fine vesicular pores; few fine prominent strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) masses of iron accumulation; few faint reddish brown (5YR 4/3) clay films on ped faces; 15 percent gravel, 20 percent cobbles, 3 percent stones, 1 percent boulders; very strongly acid; gradual irregular boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
2C--62 to 80 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) very cobbly loamy sand; massive; firm; 15 percent gravel, 22 percent cobbles, 3 percent stones, 1 percent boulders; strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Keweenaw County, Michigan, about 1,380 feet east and 1,200 feet south of the northwest corner of Sec. 13, T. 58 N., R. 28 W., Grant Township; USGS Fort Wilkins 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; lat. 47 degrees 25 minutes 34.20 seconds N. and long. 87 degrees 48 minutes 30.26 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to the fragipan ranges from 20 to 40 inches. Thickness of the solum ranges from 35 to 80 inches. Gravel content ranges from 15 to 50 percent in the A and E horizons, 35 to 65 percent in the Bhs and Bs, and 15 to 65 percent in the rest of the profile. Cobble content ranges from 5 to 25 percent, and stones and boulders range from 0 to 15 percent. The control section averages less than 90 percent rock fragments by volume. Reaction ranges from extremely acid to moderately acid.
Some pedons have an A horizon.
The E horizon is cobbly, very cobbly, stony or very stony loamy sand, fine sandy loam and coarse sandy loam.
The Bhs and Bs horizons have hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value and chroma of 3 or 4. They are cobbly, very cobbly, extremely cobbly, stony, very stony or extremely stony loamy sand, fine sandy loam and coarse sandy loam.
The E part of the 2(E/B)x and 2(B/E)x horizon has hue of 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 3. It is cobbly or very cobbly loamy sand or loamy fine sand. The B part and 2(E/B), 2(B/E)x and Bt part of the 2Btx has hue of 5YR, value of 4, and chroma of 3 or 4. It is cobbly or very cobbly loamy sand, sandy loam and fine sandy loam.
The 2C horizon has hue of 5YR, value of 4, and chroma of 3 or 4. It is cobbly or very cobbly loamy sand, sandy loam and fine sandy loam.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series. Closely related soils are the Paavola, Porkies, and Trimountain series. Paavola soils are moderately well drained. The Porkies soils are loamy-skeletal. Trimountain soils are coarse-loamy.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Lac La Belle soils are on ground moraines and end moraines of Wisconsin age. They have formed in cobbly and gravelly drift over loamy or sandy till. The local climate is affected by Lake Superior causing high snowfall. Slope ranges from 15 to 60 percent. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 30 to 36 inches, and mean annual air temperature ranges from 40 to 45 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Michigamme, Montreal, Paavola, Trimountain, and Waiska soils. The moderately well drained Montreal and Paavola soils are in slightly lower landscape positions. Michigamme, Trimountain and the excessively drained Waiska soils are on landscape positions similar to those of the Lac La Belle soils.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Surface runoff is very low to low, dependent on slope. Permeability is rapid above the fragipan, very slow in the fragipan, and moderate or moderately rapid below the fragipan. Slope ranges from 15 to 60 percent.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are forested with sugar maple, ironwood, balsam fir, red oak, paper birch, yellow birch, red maple, and white pine being the major species.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern part of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, primarily on the Keweenaw Peninsula. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota; MLRA SSO 10-8 (Marquette, Michigan).
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Keweenaw, Michigan, 2004. Source of name is a village and lake in Keweenaw County.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in the pedon are: Albic horizon: 1 to 5 inches (E horizon); Spodic horizon: 5 to 36 inches (Bhs, Bs1, Bs2 horizons); Fragipan: 36 to 62 inches (2(E/B)x, 2Btx, 2(B/E)x horizons); Glossic horizon: 36 to 62 inches.
The 2Btx horizon does not meet the requirements for an argillic horizon.
Only series status, responsibility, and scrivener's errors changed - 3/09.
ADDITIONAL DATA: For laboratory data on the typical pedon refer to S01MI-083-001 from the NSSL