LOCATION LEONI MI+OH

Established Series
Rev. RJE-WEF-TWH
11/2021

LEONI SERIES

The Leoni series consists of very deep, well drained soils formed in gravelly and cobbly loamy materials and gravelly and cobbly sandy materials on outwash plains, eskers, kames, valley trains, and moraines. Slope ranges from 0 to 40 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 813 mm (32 inches), and mean annual temperature is about 8.9 degrees C (48 degrees F).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, active, mesic Typic Hapludalfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Leoni gravelly sandy loam, on a west-facing, convex, 4 percent slope in a cultivated field. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)

Ap--0 to 28 cm (11 inches); very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) gravelly sandy loam, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) dry; moderate medium granular structure; friable; about 20 percent gravel; moderately acid; abrupt smooth boundary. [15 to 56 cm (6 to 12 inches) thick]

E--28 to 33 cm (11 to 13 inches); brown (7.5YR 4/4) gravelly sandy loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; about 25 percent gravel; neutral; clear wavy boundary. [0 to 15 cm (6 inches) thick]

Bt1--33 to 46 cm (13 to 18 inches); brown (7.5YR 4/4) very gravelly sandy clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm; faint clay films on faces of peds and on rock fragments; about 35 percent gravel and 3 percent cobbles; slightly acid; gradual wavy boundary.

Bt2--46 to 74 cm (18 to 29 inches); brown (7.5YR 4/4) very gravelly sandy loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm; faint clay films on faces of peds and on rock fragments; about 30 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; neutral; clear wavy boundary. [Combined thickness of the Bt horizon is 20 to 114 cm (8 to 45 inches).]

BC--74 to 107 cm (29 to 42 inches); brown (7.5YR 4/4) very gravelly sandy loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; about 35 percent gravel and 3 percent cobbles; neutral; abrupt irregular boundary. [0 to 51 cm (20 inches) thick]

2C--107 to 152 cm (42 to 60 inches); dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) extremely gravelly loamy sand; single grain; loose; about 75 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Jackson County, Michigan; about 1 1/2 miles north of Jackson; 460 feet south and 2,240 feet east of the northwest corner of sec. 23, T. 2 S., R. 1 W.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to carbonates: 102 to 168 cm (40 to 66 inches)
Depth to sandy materials: 81 to more than 168 cm (32 to more than 66 inches)
Mean annual soil temperature: 8.9 to 11.7 degrees C (48 to 53 degrees F)

Ap horizon:
Value: 3 or 4
Chroma: 2 or 3, moist or dry
Texture: gravelly, very gravelly, cobbly, or very cobbly analogs of loam or sandy loam
Rock fragment content: 15 to 40 percent
Reaction: moderately acid to neutral

A horizon, where present:
Thickness: less than 13 cm (5 inches)
Value: 2 or 3
Texture: gravelly, very gravelly, cobbly, or very cobbly analogs of loam or sandy loam
Rock fragment content: 15 to 40 percent
Reaction: moderately acid to neutral

E horizon:
Texture: gravelly, very gravelly, cobbly, or very cobbly analogs of loam or sandy loam
Rock fragment content: 15 to 40 percent
Reaction: moderately acid to neutral

Bt horizon:
Hue: 5YR to 10YR
Value: 3 to 5
Chroma: 4 to 6
Texture: gravelly, very gravelly, extremely gravelly, cobbly, very cobbly, or extremely cobbly analogs of sandy clay loam, clay loam, sandy loam, or loam
Clay content: averages 18 to 35 percent
Rock fragment content: 35 to 65 percent
Reaction: strongly acid to neutral

BC horizon:
Hue: 5YR to 10YR
Value: 3 to 5
Chroma: 3 to 6
Texture: gravelly, very gravelly, extremely gravelly, cobbly, very cobbly or extremely cobbly analogs of sandy loam or loamy sand
Reaction: moderately acid to slightly alkaline

Some pedons have tongues of the BC horizon extend into the C horizon for about a meter. Some pedons have secondary carbonates in the lower B horizon (Bk horizons) on the underside of rock fragments.

2C horizon:
Value: 4 to 6
Chroma: 2 to 4
Texture: gravelly, very gravelly, extremely gravelly, cobbly, very cobbly, or extremely cobbly analogs of sand, coarse sand, loamy sand, sandy loam, or loamy fine sand; some pedons have thin layers with 2 to 15 percent rock fragments
Rock fragment content: 15 to 80 percent as a weighted average
Reaction: slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline

COMPETING SERIES: These are Conotton, Dorerton, Hawksbill, Lutzke, Oakhill, and Silverwood series. Conotton soils average less than 18 percent clay in the particle-size control section. Dorerton and Silverwood soils contain less than 15 percent rock fragments in the upper part of the series control section. Hawksbill soils do not have carbonates within a depth of 168 cm (66 inches). Lutzke soils have carbonates within a depth of 102 cm (40 inches). Oakhill soils have a lithic contact within a depth of 152 cm (60 inches).

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Leoni soils are on outwash plains, eskers, kames, and valley trains in terraces and moraines. Slope ranges from 0 to 40 percent. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 737 to 940 mm (29 to 37 inches). Mean annual temperature ranges from 7.8 to 10.6 degrees C (46 to 51 degrees F). Frost-free period is 130 to 170 days. Elevation is 183 to 366 meters (600 to 1,200 feet) above mean sea level.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: The Boyer, Fox, Kalamazoo, and Oshtemo series are closely associated on outwash plains, eskers, kames, and valley trains. The Riddles, Hillsdale, and Kidder series are associated on moraines. The somewhat poorly drained Brady and Matherton soils, and the poorly drained or very poorly drained Sebewa series and muck soils are on lower-lying areas.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained. Depth to the top of a seasonal high water table is greater than 183 cm (6 feet). Potential for surface runoff is negligible to high depending on slope gradient. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high in the solum and high in the underlying material. Permeability is moderate in the solum and rapid or moderately rapid in the underlying material.

USE AND VEGETATION: Most nearly level to rolling areas of these soils are used for cropland. Some areas, mostly the steeper soils, are used for woodland, permanent pasture, or wildlife habitat. Native vegetation is hardwood forest consisting of mostly oaks, hickories, and maples.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRAs 98 and 111B in southern part of the lower peninsula of Michigan and in central Ohio. The series is of moderate extent.

SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (SSRO) RESPONSIBLE: AMHERST, MASSACHUSETTS

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Jackson County, Michigan; 1979.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon: from the surface to a depth of 28 cm (11 inches) (Ap horizon).
Argillic horizon: from a depth of 33 to 74 cm (13 to 29 inches) (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).

ADDITIONAL DATA: Soil Interpretations Record: MI0253.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.