LOCATION MINDEN IA+MOEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Aquic Pachic Hapludolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Minden silty clay loam, on a slightly convex slope of about 1 percent, on a stream terrace, in a cultivated field, at an elevation of about 335 meters above sea level. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 18 centimeters; black (10YR 2/1) silty clay loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; weak very fine granular structure; friable; many very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary.
A1--18 to 38 centimeters; black (10YR 2/1) silty clay loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; weak fine granular structure; friable; many very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; moderately acid; gradual smooth boundary.
A2--38 to 56 centimeters; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) silty clay loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure parting to weak medium granular; friable; common very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; moderately acid; gradual smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizon is 50 to 70 centimeters.)
Bg1--56 to 81 centimeters; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silty clay loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; common very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; few fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) redoximorphic concentrations; moderately acid; gradual smooth boundary.
Bg2--81 to 102 centimeters; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silty clay loam; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; common fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) redoximorphic concentrations; moderately acid; gradual smooth boundary.
Bg3--102 to 122 centimeters; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) silty clay loam; weak fine prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; friable; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; many coarse distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) and many coarse prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) redoximorphic concentrations; moderately acid; gradual smooth boundary.
Bg4--122 to 147 centimeters; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) silty clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common coarse distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) and common coarse prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) redoximorphic concentrations; moderately acid; gradual smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bg horizon is 20 to 100 centimeters.)
BCg--147 to 168 centimeters; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) silty clay loam; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; friable; common coarse distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) and common coarse prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) redoximorphic concentrations; moderately acid; gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 40 centimeters thick)
Cg--168 to 200 centimeters; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) silt loam; massive; friable; common coarse distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) and common coarse prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) redoximorphic concentrations; moderately acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Major Land Resource Area (MLRA) 107B-Iowa and Missouri Deep Loess Hills; Cass County, Iowa subset; about 1 mile north of Griswold; located about 380 feet north and 1,560 feet west of the southeast corner of section 31, T. 75 N., R. 37 W.; USGS Griswold quadrangle; lat. 41 degrees 14 minutes 46 seconds N. and long. 95 degrees 8 minutes 32 seconds W., NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Thickness of the mollic epipedon--50 to 75 centimeters
Depth to carbonates--greater than 180 centimeters
Clay content in the particle-size control section (weighted average)--29 to 35 percent
Sand content in the particle-size control section (weighted average)--less than 10 percent
Rock fragment content--0 percent
Ap or A horizon:
Hue--10YR
Value--2 or 3
Chroma--1 or 2
Texture--silt loam or silty clay loam
Clay content--24 to 32 percent
Sand content--less than 10 percent
Reaction--moderately acid to neutral
AB or BA horizon (where present):
Hue--10YR
Value--3
Chroma--2 or 3
Texture--silt loam or silty clay loam
Clay content--24 to 32 percent
Sand content--less than 10 percent
Reaction--moderately acid to neutral
Bw or Bg horizon:
Hue--10YR or 2.5Y
Value--4 or 5
Chroma--2
Texture--silty clay loam
Clay content--29 to 35 percent
Sand content--less than 10 percent
Reaction--moderately acid to neutral
Some pedons have faint clay films in the B horizon
BCg horizon:
Hue--2.5Y or 5Y
Value--4 or 5
Chroma--2 to 6
Texture--silty clay loam
Clay content--27 to 30 percent
Sand content--less than 15 percent
Reaction--moderately acid to neutral
Moist bulk density--1.40 g/cc to 1.45 g/cc
Cg horizon:
Hue--2.5Y or 5Y
Value--4 or 5
Chroma--2 to 6
Texture--silt loam
Clay content--22 to 27 percent
Sand content--less than 20 percent
Reaction--moderately acid to neutral
Moist bulk density--1.40 g/cc to 1.45 g/cc
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series in the same family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material--loess
Landform--interfluves and loess covered stream terraces on dissected till plains
Slope--0 to 5 percent
Elevation--185 to 475 meters above sea level
Mean annual air temperature--8 to 13 degrees C
Mean annual precipitation--660 to 1,040 millimeters
Frost-free period--155 to 220 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Bremer,
Corley,
Marshall and
Nevin soils.
Bremer--are at lower elevations on flood plains and have a clay content that averages 35 to 40 percent in the particle-size control section
Corley--are at lower elevations in depressions on interfluves and stream terraces and have an eluvial horizon
Marshall--are at higher elevations on interfluves and stream terraces and have a matrix chroma of 3 or more in the upper part of the cambic horizon
Nevin--are in landform positions similar to those of the Minden soils and have an argillic horizon
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY:
Drainage class--somewhat poorly drained--a frequently saturated zone occurs between depths of 0.3 to 1.0 meter during the wettest part of years when precipitation is within one standard deviation of the 30 year mean of annual precipitation, this saturation is considered apparent
Saturated hydraulic conductivity--1.00 to 10.00 micrometers per second
USE AND VEGETATION:
Most areas are cultivated. The principal crops are corn, soybeans, small grains, and alfalfa. The native vegetation is big bluestem, little bluestem, indiangrass, and other grasses of the tall grass prairie.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Physiographic Division--Interior Plains
Physiographic Province--Central Lowland
Physiographic section--Dissected till plains
MLRAs--Iowa and Missouri Deep Loess Hills (107) and Iowa and Missouri Heavy Till Plain (109)
LRR M; southwestern Iowa and northwestern Missouri
Extent--moderate
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Indianapolis, Indiana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Cass County, Iowa, 1966.
REMARKS:
Particle-size control section--the zone from a depth of 25 to 100 centimeters (A1, A2, Bg1 and Bg2 horizons);
series control section--the zone from the surface to a depth of 168 centimeters (Ap, A1, A2, Bg1, Bg2, Bg3, Bg4, and BCg horizons).
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon:
mollic epipedon--the zone from the surface to a depth of 56 centimeters (Ap, A1, and A2 horizons);
cambic horizon--the zone from a depth of 56 to 168 centimeters (Bg1, Bg2, Bg3, Bg4, and BCg horizons);
udic moisture regime.
Cation-exchange class is inferred from lab data for similar soils in the surrounding area.
This update changes classification from fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Aquic Hapludolls to fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Aquic Pachic Hapludolls.
Taxonomy version--Keys to Soil Taxonomy, tenth edition, 2006.
ADDITIONAL DATA: See Ulrich, R. 1950. Some chemical changes accompanying profile formation of the nearly level soils developed from Peorian loess in southwestern Iowa. Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. Proc. 15:324-329.