LOCATION LITTLETON IL+MN

Established Series
Rev. RDW-BJH-JWS
01/2011

LITTLETON SERIES

The Littleton series consists of very deep, somewhat poorly drained, moderately permeable soils on alluvial fans, toe slopes of uplands, and stream terraces. Slope ranges from 0 to 5 percent. These soils formed in silty alluvium. Mean annual temperature is about 10.6 degrees C (51 degrees F), and mean annual precipitation is about 914 mm (36 inches).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Aquic Cumulic Hapludolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Littleton silt loam - on a south-facing slope of about 2 percent in a cultivated field at an elevation of 169 meters (555 feet) above mean sea level. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)

Ap--0 to 15 cm (0 to 6 inches); dark brown (10YR 3/3) silt loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry; weak fine granular structure; friable; few thin very dark gray (10YR 3/1) organic films on faces of peds; neutral; clear smooth boundary.

A--15 to 48 cm (6 to 19 inches); very dark gray (10YR 3/1) silt loam, gray (10YR 5/1) dry; moderate fine granular structure; friable; neutral; clear smooth boundary. [Combined thickness of the A horizons is 38 to 66 cm (15 to 26 inches).]

AB--48 to 81 cm (19 to 32 inches); very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) silt loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry; weak very fine subangular blocky structure; friable; common faint dark brown (10YR 3/3) coatings of very fine sand and few dark stains (iron oxides) on faces of peds; neutral; clear smooth boundary. [0 to 46 cm (0 to 18 inches) thick]

Bw1--81 to 97 cm (32 to 38 inches); brown (10YR 4/3) silt loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common thin dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) clay linings in pores and root channels; common fine faint dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) iron depletions in the matrix; neutral; clear smooth boundary.

Bw2--97 to 125 cm (38 to 49 inches); brown (10YR 5/3) silt loam; weak medium angular blocky structure; friable; few fine faint grayish brown (10YR 5/2) iron depletions and few fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) masses of oxidized iron in the matrix; few fine concretions and few fine stains (iron-manganese oxides); slightly alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. [Combined thickness of the Bw horizons is 15 to 86 cm (6 to 34 inches).]

C--125 to 152 cm (49 to 60 inches); brown (10YR 5/3) silt loam; massive; friable; few thin lenses of sand at depths greater than 140 cm (55 inches); few fine faint grayish brown (10YR 5/2) iron depletions and few fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) masses of oxidized iron in the matrix; few fine concretions (iron-manganese oxides); slightly alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Knox County, Illinois; about 14 miles south and 9 miles east of Galesburg; 950 feet west and 1735 feet south of the northeast corner of sec. 30, T. 9 N., R. 3 E.; USGS Fairview topographic quadrangle; lat. 40 degrees 44 minutes 20 seconds N. and 090 degrees 12 minutes 01 second W.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Thickness of the mollic epipedon: 61 to 91 cm (24 to 36 inches), extends into the upper part of the Bw horizons in some pedons.
Thickness of solum: typically between 89 and 127 cm (35 and 50 inches), but ranges from 76 to 176 cm (30 to 62 inches).
Average content of clay in the 25 to 102 cm (10 to 40 inch) particle-size control section: between 22 and 27 percent
Reaction: moderately acid to slightly alkaline
Littleton soils typically do not have free carbonates within a depth of 152 cm (60 inches) or more.
Special features: some pedons have as much as 38 cm (15 inches) of recent overwash

Ap and/or A horizons:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 2 or 3 (4 or 5 dry)
Chroma: 1 to 3
Texture: silt loam
Overwash sediments:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 4 or 5
Chroma: 2 or 3

Some pedons have a BA horizon rather than an AB horizon.

Bw horizon:
Hue: 10YR or 2.5Y
Value: 3 to 5
Chroma: 2 or 3, chroma of 2 is in the upper part either as iron depletions or in the color of the matrix.
Texture: typically silt loam but thin subhorizons that are silty clay loam are in some pedons
Average content of clay: coomonly about 22 percent, but individual subhorizons contain 18 to 30 percent
Structure: weak or moderate angular or subangular blocky
Other features:
This horizon typically has redoximorphic features, and contains reddish or brownish stains of iron and manganese oxides.

C horizon:
Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y or 5Y
Value: 4 to 6
Chroma: 1 to 4
Texture: typically silt loam to a depth of 60 inches, but some pedons contain thin subhorizons of silty clay loam that contain less than 30 percent clay
Redoximorphic features:
Hue: 7.5YR, 10YR, 2.5Y or 5Y
Value: 4 to 6
Chroma: 4 to 6

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Ely, Lawson and Smithland series. The Ely soils average more than 27 percent clay in the series control section. The Lawson soils do not have a cambic horizon. The Smithland soils have mollic epipedons that are more than 91 cmm (36 inches) thick.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Littleton soils are on alluvial fans, toe slopes of uplands, and stream terraces. Slope gradients commonly are 2 percent or less, but range to as steep as 5 percent. These soils formed in silty alluvium. Mean annual temperature ranges from 7.8 to 13.3 degrees C (46 to 56 degrees F), mean annual precipitation ranges from 813 to 1016 mm (32 to 40 inches), frost free period ranges from 150 to 200 days, and elevation ranges from 104 to 415 meters (340 to 1360 feet) above mean sea level.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Coffeen, Huntsville, Lawson, Raddle, Sawmill and Worthen soils. The somewhat poorly drained Coffeen soils are on similar or slightly lower parts of the landscape. The moderately well drained and well drained Huntsville and somewhat poorly drained Lawson soils are on the flood plains below Littleton soils or, in some places, on narrow flood plains upstream from alluvial fans. The moderately well drained and well drained Worthen and Raddle soils are typically on higher or more steeply sloping parts of similar landscape positions. Raddle soils have a mollic epipedon less than 61 cm (24 inches) in thickness. The poorly drained Sawmill soils are on flood plains below Littleton soils. They are mottled in the mollic epipedon.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Somewhat poorly drained. Surface runoff potential is low to medium. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high to high (4.23 to 14.11 micrometers per second). Permeability is moderate.

USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of Littleton soils are cultivated. Corn, soybeans, and small grain are the principal crops. Forages for hay or pasture are grown in some places. Native vegetation is prairie grass.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: In and along the valleys of the major rivers and their tributary streams in Illinois and Minnesota. Extent is moderate in MLRAs 104, 105, 108B, 110,114B, 115B, and 115C.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Indianapolis, Indiana

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Schuyler County, Illinois, 1930.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: mollic epipedon (cumulic) - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 81 cm (32 inches) (Ap, A, and AB horizons); cambic horizon - the zone from a depth of 81 to 125 cm (32 to 49 inches) (Bw1 and Bw2 horizons).

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.