LOCATION MINNEOPA MNEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy, mixed, mesic Oxyaquic Hapludolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Minneopa sandy loam with a plane level slope on a low terrace in a cultivated field. (Colors for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 7 inches; black (10YR 2/1) sandy loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; weak fine granular structure; very friable; slightly acid; abrupt smooth boundary.
A1--7 to 11 inches; black (10YR 2/1) sandy loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; weak fine granular structure; very friable; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary.
A2--11 to 15 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) sandy loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; weak fine granular structure; very friable; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of A horizons is 12 to 24 inches.)
Bw--15 to 20 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) sandy loam; weak fine granular structure; very friable; common clean sand grains on faces of peds; few very dark gray (10YR 3/1) channel fillings; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 16 inches thick)
BC--20 to 32 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loamy sand; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; very friable; few clean sand grains on faces of peds; neutral; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 20 inches thick)
C--32 to 60 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loamy sand; single grain; few snail shells; slightly alkaline; strongly effervescent.
TYPE LOCATION: Blue Earth County, Minnesota; 2,500 feet north and 1,050 feet west of southeast corner of sec. 27, T. 108 N., R. 26 W.; USGS Mankato East quadrangle; Lat. 44 degrees 07 minutes 42 seconds N.; Long. 93 degrees 56 minutes 18 seconds W., NAD27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to free carbonates typically is 16 to 50 inches. Depth to textures of loamy sand or coarser is less than 22 inches. These soils have 0 to 35 percent of rock fragments. The coarse fragments are mostly less than 5 mm in size although some pedons may have as much as 5 percent cobbles in the lower part of the profile. The series control section average more than 50 percent fine sand. The mollic epipedon ranges from 10 to 24 inches.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 1 or 2. It typically is sandy loam, coarse sandy loam, or fine sandy loam., but ranges to loamy sand or loamy fine sand. It ranges from medium acid to neutral.
The Bw horizon has a matrix hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 4 or 5, and chroma is 2 in the upper part and 2 or 3 in the lower part. Mottles are in the lower part of this horizon in some pedons. The Bw horizon is sandy loam, coarse sandy loam, loamy sand, loamy coarse sand, sand or their gravelly analogues. Reaction is moderately acid to neutral.
The C horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 3 to 6, and chroma of 2 to 4. Mottles are in this horizon in some pedons. It is sand, coarse sand, loamy coarse sand, loamy sand, or their gravelly analogues. It is typically mildly alkaline or moderately alkaline, but ranges from neutral to moderately alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Nesius series. The Nesius soils have more than 50 percent fine sand content in the series control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: These soils have slightly concave or slightly convex slopes with gradients of 0 to 3 percent on low terraces, valley trains, flood plains, and outwash plains. The soils formed in outwash sediments. Mean annual temperature is 45 to 48 degrees F. Mean annual precipitation is 24 to 30 inches. Frost free days range from 125 to 155 days. The elevation above sea level ranges from 900 to 1300 feet.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These soils in many areas are the dominant soil on the landscape. Soils on adjacent uplands include the Clarion, Truman, Kamrar, and their respective topographic associates. The Finchford, Hanska, Lemond, Lomax,and Spillville soils are associated in some areas.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained. Surface runoff is negligible to very low. Saturated hydraulic conductivity in inches per hour, is 2 to 6 in the upper part and 6 to over 20 in underlying material. Seasonal high saturation is high as 30 inches, typically in the months of March to June in normal years.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most of these soils are cropped to corn and soybeans. Native vegetation is mixed tall grass prairie with some deciduous forest in places.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern and southeastern Minnesota. Inextensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Blue Earth County, Minnesota, 1975.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in this pedon are: mollic epipedon - the zone from the surface to a depth of 15 inches (A horizons); aquic subgroup based upon low chroma in the Bw horizon.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Soil Interpretation Record numbers MN0016-Flooded and MN0843-Nonflooded.