LOCATION LOWLEIN MNEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Oxyaquic Hapludolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Lowlein sandy loam, on a north-facing slope of 2 percent, in a corn field, at an elevation of about 338 meters. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 25 centimeters; black (10YR 2/1) sandy loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; weak fine granular structure; friable; common roots; about 1 percent rock fragments; slightly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (15 to 25 centimeters thick)
A--25 to 36 centimeters; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) sandy loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few roots; about 1 percent rock fragments; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 24 centimeters thick)
Bw1--36 to 61 centimeters; brown (10YR 4/3) sandy loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; about 2 percent rock fragments; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (10 to 30 centimeters thick)
2Bw2--61 to 79 centimeters; olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) loamy sand; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; common medium distinct grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) iron depletions; about 2 percent rock fragments; neutral; abrupt wavy boundary. (15 to 25 centimeters thick)
3Cg--79 to 152 centimeters; olive gray (5Y 5/2) loam; massive; friable; common medium distinct light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) iron concentrations; about 3 percent rock fragments; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Major Land Resource Area (MLRA) 103Central Iowa and Minnesota Till Prairies, Kandiyohi County, Minnesota subset; about 3.5 miles east and 4 miles south of Willmar; located about 1,920 feet east and 760 feet south of the northwest corner of section 8, T. 118 N., R. 34 W.; USGS Little Kandiyohi Lake topographic quadrangle; lat. 45 degrees 03 minutes 03 seconds N. and long. 94 degrees 58 minutes 29 seconds W., NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mollic epipedon thickness--25 to 49 centimeters
Depth to carbonates--50 to 100 centimeters
Depth to till or lacustrine sediments--50 to 100 centimeters
Clay content in the particle-size control section (weighted average)--8 to 18 percent
Sand content in the particle-size control section (weighted average)--65 to 80 percent, less than 50 percent medium sand and coarser sand
Ap, A, and AB (if present) horizon:
Hue--10YR or 2.5Y
Value--2 or 3
Chroma--1 or 2
Texture--loam, sandy loam, fine sandy loam, coarse sandy loam, or silt loam
Clay content--8 to 18 percent
Sand content--35 to 60 percent
Rock fragment content--1 to 10 percent, mixed lithology
Reaction--slightly acid or neutral
Bw horizon:
Hue--10YR or 2.5Y
Value--4 or 5
Chroma--3 or 4
Texture--sandy loam, coarse sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or loam
Clay content--8 to 18 percent
Sand content--35 to 60 percent
Rock fragment content--1 to 10 percent, mixed lithology
Reaction--slightly acid or neutral
Some pedons have a thin pebble band at the till contact with a rock fragment content of 5 to 60 percent
2Bw or 2Bg (when present) horizon:
Hue--7.5YR, 10YR, or 2.5Y
Value--4 to 6
Chroma--2 to 4
Texture--loamy sand, loamy fine sand, coarse sand, fine sand, sand or the gravelly analogues of these textures
Clay content--1 to 10 percent
Sand content--75 to 95 percent
Rock fragment content--2 to 35 percent, mixed lithology
Reaction--slightly acid to slightly alkaline
Some pedons have a 3Bk horizon with colors and textures similar to the 3C horizon
3Cg or 3C (when present) horizon:
Hue--2.5Y or 5Y
Value--4 to 6
Chroma--2 to 4
Texture--loam, clay loam, silt loam, or silty clay loam
Clay content--18 to 27 percent
Sand content--18 to 60 percent
Rock fragment content--0 to 15 percent, mixed lithology
Reaction--slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline
A firm till substratum phase with a moist bulk density range from 1.65 to 1.75 g/cc is recognized in MLRA 103 on the Coteau Slope (bench) physiographic area
COMPETING SERIES: This is the
Dawn series.
Dawn--have paralithic contact of sandstone bedrock within a depth of 100 centimeters
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material--50 to 100 centimeters of outwash sediments and in the underlying calcareous till or lacustrine sediments of the Des Moines Lobe of Late Wisconsin glaciation
Landform--nearly level or convex slopes on ground moraines, lake plains, and stream terraces
Slope--0 to 5 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
Coriff,
Fieldon,
Seaforth, and
Swanlake soils.
Coriff--are on lower landscape positions and are calcareous in all parts between depths of 25 to 50 centimeters and have a frequently saturated zone within a depth of 0.3 meter during the wettest periods of years when precipitation is within one standard deviation of the 30 year mean of annual precipitation
Fieldon--are on slightly higher landscape positions on rims of depressions, are calcareous in all parts between depths 25 to 50 centimeters, and do not have rock fragments in the series control section
Seaforth--are on landscape positions similar to those of the Lowlein soils and have a clay content that averages 20 to 28 percent in the particle-size control section
Swanlake--are on higher landscape positions on convex slopes, and have a clay content that averages more than 18 percent in the particle-size control section
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage classmoderately drained--a frequently saturated zone occurs between depths of 0.75 and 1.0 meter during the wettest periods of years when precipitation is within one standard deviation of the 30 year mean of annual precipitation
Saturated hydraulic conductivity--10.00 to 100.00 micrometers per second in the upper third of the series control section and 100.00 to 705.00 micrometers per second in the middle upper part of the series control section and 10.00 to 100.00 micrometers per second in the lower parts of the series control section
USE AND VEGETATION:
Most areas are cultivated. The principal crops are corn, soybeans, hay, and small grains. 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--moderate
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota; MLRA SSO 10-5 (Albert Lea, Minnesota)
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Stearns County, Minnesota, 1981.
REMARKS:
Particle-size control section--the zone from a depth of 25 to 100 centimeters (A, Bw1, 2Bw2, and 3Cg horizons);
series control section--the zone from the surface to a depth of 150centimeters (Ap, A, Bw1, 2Bw2, and 3Cg horizons).
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon include:
mollic epipedon--the zone from the surface to a depth of 36 centimeters (Ap and A horizons);
cambic horizon--the zone from a depth of 36 to 79 centimeters (Bw1 and 2Bw2 horizons);
udic moisture regime.
Oxyaquic subgroup based on a zone of saturation within 100 centimeters for 20 or more consecutive days or 30 or more cumulative days in years when precipitation is within one standard deviation of the 30 year mean of annual precipitation.
A firm till substratum phase with a moist bulk density range from 1.65 to 1.75 g/cc is recognized in MLRA 103 on the Coteau Slope (bench) physiographic area.
Cation-exchange activity class is inferred from lab data from similar soils in the surrounding area.
Taxonomy version--Keys to Soil Taxonomy, tenth edition, 2006.