LOCATION LITTLE COTTONWOOD MNEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Lithic Endoaquolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Little Cottonwood clay loam, on a one percent slope, in a prairie grass area. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 23 centimeters; black (N 2/0) clay loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; weak fine granular structure; friable; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Btg1--23 to 33 centimeters; very dark grayish brown (2.5Y 3/2) clay loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry; moderate coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate fine subangular blocky structure; friable; thin discontinuous black clay films on faces of peds; many fine distinct olive gray (5Y 4/2) iron depletions; slightly acid; abrupt wavy boundary.
Btg2--33 to 48 centimeters; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) clay loam; weak coarse platy structure; moderate coarse prismatic structure; firm; thin discontinuous clay films on faces of peds; many fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) iron concentrations; slightly acid; abrupt wavy boundary.
R--48 centimeters; pinkish red, hard Sioux quartzite bedrock.
TYPE LOCATION: Major Land Resource Area (MLRA) 103-Central Iowa and Minnesota Till Prairies, Cottonwood County, Minnesota subset, about 1 mile north and 3.5 miles east of Jeffers; located about 1,320 feet west and 50 feet north of the southeast corner of section 12, T. 107 N., R. 36 W.; USGS Sanborn SE topographic quadrangle; lat. 44 degrees 04 minutes 46 seconds N. and long. 95 degrees 06 minutes 19 seconds W., NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Thickness of the mollic epipedon--25 to 50 centimeters
Depth to bedrock--25 to 50 centimeters
Clay content of the particle-size control section (weighted average)--24 to 35 percent
Sand content of the particlesize control section (weighted average)--20 to 40 percent
Ap or A horizon:
Hue--10YR, 2.5Y, or is neutral
Value--2 or 3
Chroma--1 or 2
Texture--clay loam or loam
Clay content--24 to 35 percent
Sand content--20 to 40 percent
Rock fragment content--0 to 10 percent, mixed lithology
Reaction--pH 5.1 to 7.3
Thickness--5 to 20 centimeters
Btg or Bg horizon:
Hue--10YR, 2.5Y, or 5Y
Value--3 to 5
Chroma--2 or 3
Texture--clay loam or loam
Clay content--24 to 35 percent
Sand content--20 to 40 percent
Rock fragment content--0 to 10 percent, mixed lithology
Reaction--pH 5.6 to 6.5
Thickness--10 to 45 centimeters
Some pedons have Bt horizons with clay films present on ped faces, however these horizons do not meet the clay increase of 1.2 percent from the eluvial horizon requirement for an argillic horizon
Some pedons have a thin, less than 3 centimeters thick, transitional layer of gravelly material just above the bedrock
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Joliet and
Romeo series.
Joliet--have a lithic contact with limestone or dolomite within a depth of 50 centimeters
Romeo--have a lithic contact with limestone or dolomite within a depth of 25 centimeters
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material--25 to 50 centimeters of till over Sioux quartzite bedrock
Landform--narrow drainageways on moraines
Slope--0 to 3 percent
Elevation--300 to 400 meters above sea level
Mean annual air temperature--6 to 10 degrees C
Mean annual precipitation--585 to 890 millimeters
Frost-free period--155 to 200 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Annton,
Clarion,
Delft,
Germantown,
Mound Creek,
Pell Creek, and
Webster soils.
Annton--are on higher landscape positions and do not have a lithic contact within a depth of 50 centimeters
Clarion--are on higher landscape positions and do not have a lithic contact within a depth of 50 centimeters
Delft--are on landscape positions similar to those of the Little Cottonwood soils, do not have a lithic contact within a depth of 50 centimeters, and have a mollic epipedon more than 60 centimeters thick
Germantown--are on higher landscape positions, have a lithic contact with quartzite bedrock within a depth of 50 centimeters, and do not have a frequently saturated zone within a depth of 1.8 meters during the wettest period of years when precipitation is within one standard deviation of the 30 year mean annual precipitation
Mound Creek--are on landscape positions similar to those of the Little Cottonwood soils and have a lithic contact with quartzite bedrock between depths of 50 and 100 centimeters
Pell Creek--are on landscape positions similar to those of the Little Cottonwood soils and do not have a lithic contact within a depth of 50 centimeters
Webster--are on landscape positions similar to those of the Little Cottonwood soils and do not have a lithic contact within a depth of 50 centimeters
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class--poorly drained--these soils are frequently saturated at the soil surface to a depth of 0.3 meter during the wettest periods of years when precipitation is within one standard deviation of the 30 year mean annual precipitation
Saturated hydraulic conductivity--1.00 to 10.00 micrometers per second
USE AND VEGETATION:
Most areas are idle. A few areas are cultivated. . The native vegetation is big bluestem, little bluestem, switchgrass, and other grasses of the tall grass prairie.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Physiographic Division--Interior Plains
Physiographic Province--Central Lowland
Physiographic section--Western lake section
MLRA--Central Iowa and Minnesota Till Prairies (103)
LRR M; west-central and central Minnesota
Extent--small
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota; MLRA SSO 10-5 (Albert Lea, Minnesota).
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Cottonwood County, Minnesota, 2009.
REMARKS:
Particle-size control section--the zone from a depth of 25 to 48 centimeters; series control section--the zone from the surface to a depth of 48 centimeters.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
mollic epipedon--the zone from the surface to 33 centimeters (A and Btg1 horizons);
cambic horizon--the zone from a depth of 33 to 48 centimeters (Btg2 horizon);
lithic contact--contact with Sioux quartzite at a depth of 48 centimeters;
aquic moisture regime based on low chroma colors below the mollic epipedon.
Previously mapped or correlated as Webster Variant.
Because of the thinness of the soil, drainage class is difficult to assess. Generally the bedrock will not allow the water to pass downward, while in dry periods the soil can become droughty.
Cation-exchange activity class is inferred from lab data from similar soils in the surrounding area.
Taxonomy versionKeys to Soil Taxonomy, tenth edition, 2006.