LOCATION MINNEWASTA SDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy over loamy, mixed, superactive, calcareous, frigid Aeric Endoaquents
TYPICAL PEDON: Minnewasta sandy loam - on a northwest facing, convex slope of 2 percent in native grass. When described the soil was moist throughout. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 4 inches; black (10YR 2/1) sandy loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; weak medium granular structure; soft, very friable; many fine roots; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
C1--4 to 9 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) coarse sand, light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) dry; single grain; loose; common fine roots; slight effervescence; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary.
C2--9 to 16 inches; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) sand, grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) dry; few fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) mottles; single grain; loose; few fine roots; strong effervescence; strongly alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (Combined C horizon thickness is 4 to 18 inches.)
2Cg1--16 to 22 inches; olive gray (5Y 5/2) sandy clay loam, light gray (5Y 7/2) dry; common medium prominent brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) redox concentrations; massive; very hard, firm, sticky and plastic; few fine roots; strong effervescence; strongly alkaline; gradual wavy boundary.
2Cg2--22 to 60 inches; gray (5Y 5/1) clay loam, light gray (5Y 7/2) dry; many coarse prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) redox concentrations; massive; very hard, firm, sticky and plastic; about 5 percent pebbles; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Day County, South Dakota; about 2 miles south and 1/2 mile east of Waubay; 335 feet north and 1,845 feet west of the southeast corner of section 10, T. 121 N., R. 54 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The soil typically is not calcareous in the surface horizon, but some pedons are calcareous throughout. Some pedons have few to many stones scattered on the surface. The depth to loamy glacial till typically is about 15 to 20 inches, but ranges from 10 to 20 inches. Typically, it contains 28 to 35 percent clay, but some horizons contain up to 40 percent clay. It contains less than 50 percent fine or coarser sand.
The A horizon has a hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 2 or 3 (3 or 4 dry) and chroma of 1 or 2. It typically is sandy loam, but is loam, fine sandy loam, loamy sand, or gravelly sand in some pedons. It is neutral to moderately alkaline.
The C horizon has a hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 4 or 5 (5 to 7 dry) and chroma of 2 to 4. It typically is coarse sand and sand, but is loamy fine sand, loamy sand, or gravelly sand in some pedons. It is slightly alkaline to strongly alkaline. Few to common redox concentrations are in the lower part of this horizon.
The 2C horizon has a hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 4 to 6 (5 to 7 dry) and chroma of 1 to 4. It is sandy clay loam or clay loam. It is moderately alkaline or strongly alkaline. Common to many prominent or distinct redox feastures are in this horizon.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Minnewasta soils are on nearly level to gently sloping shorelines around large glacial lakes. Slopes are plane to convex and range from 0 to 6 percent. These soils formed in 10 to 20 inches of sandy alluvium overlying loamy glacial till. Mean annual temperature ranges from 43 to 48 degrees F., and mean annual precipitation ranges from 20 to 24 inches. Growing season is about 120 to 140 days; average growing season precipitation ranges from 15 to 18 inches; and growing degree days are about 2500 to 2800.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Arvilla, Buse, Forman, Mauvais, Minnewaukan, Oldham, Renshaw, Sioux, and Southam soils. Arvilla, Buse, Forman, Renshaw, and Sioux soils are on adjacent uplands. The somewhat excessively drained Arvilla and Renshaw soils have sand and gravel between depths of 20 to 40 inches. The well drained Buse and Forman soils have mollic epipedons. Sioux soils have sand and gravel within a depth of 14 inches. Mauvais soils do not have sandy alluvium above the glacial till. Minnewaukan soils formed entirely in sandy alluvium. Mauvais and Minnewaukan soils are in positions on the landscape similar to the Minnewasta soil. The poorly drained Oldham and the very poorly drained Southam soils have a fine textured series control section and are in basins.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained. Runoff is low or medium. Permeability is rapid in the sandy alluvium, and slow in the underlying glacial till. A water table is at a depth of 1 to 4 feet. In some areas, ponding occurs in a cyclic pattern. The soil may be ponded continuously for several years and then not ponded for extended periods. During wet cycles, as much as 4 feet of water may pond on the surface.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are in pasture or native range. Some areas are used to grow hay or small grain. Native grasses include little bluestem, big bluestem, Indiangrass, switchgrass, sedges, and forbs during most years. Ponded areas are open water, then as water recedes tall prairie grasses slowly revegetate areas.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern and east central South Dakota. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Day County, South Dakota, 1990.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 4 inches (A horizon).
Lab data S88SD-037-018.