LOCATION MOINES                  MN

Established Series
Rev. HLH-TCJ-TWN
01/2011

MOINES SERIES

The Moines series consists of very deep, somewhat poorly drained soils formed in calcareous, loamy till. These soils are slightly convex low knolls on dissected ground moraines. Slope ranges from 1 to 4 percent. The mean annual air temperature is about 8 degrees C. The mean annual precipitation is about 740 millimeters.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Aquic Calciudolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Moines clay loam, on a west-facing, convex slope of 2 percent, on a ground moraine, in a cultivated field, at an elevation of about 437 meters above sea level. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)

Ap--0 to 25 centimeters; black (N 2/0) clay loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; gypsum powder in root channels and few 1 millimeter gypsum crystals; about 1 percent gravel; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (20 to 40 centimeters thick)

ABy--25 to 36 centimeters; very dark gray (2.5Y 3/1) clay loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; common dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) worm casts; many fine treads of gypsum and few 1 to 3 millimeter gypsum crystals; about 3 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline; gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 15 centimeters thick)

By1--36 to 53 centimeters; olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; common 1 to 5 millimeter gypsum crystals and diffuse gypsum powder; few dark very dark grayish brown (2.5Y 3/2) worm casts; about 4 percent gravel; common fine distinct grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) iron depletions; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary.

By2--53 to 76 centimeters; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; many 1 to 5 millimeter gypsum crystals and accumulations; common fine distinct light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) iron depletions; about 4 percent gravel; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the By horizon is 20 to 50 centimeters.)

Bk--76 to 102 centimeters; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) loam; weak medium angular and subangular blocky structure; friable; few medium masses of lime; many 1 to 5 millimeter gypsum crystals and aggregations; many medium distinct light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) iron depletions; about 5 percent gravel; violently effervescent; moderately alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary. (15 to 60 centimeters thick)

BC--102 to 152 centimeters; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) loam; moderate coarse and extremely coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium and coarse angular blocky; firm; many medium distinct light gray (2.5Y 7/2) iron depletions and common medium prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) iron concentrations; about 5 percent gravel; violently effervescent; slightly alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Major Land Resource Area (MLRA) 103-Central Iowa and Minnesota Till Prairies, Murray County, Minnesota subset; 5 miles north and 1 mile east of Dovray; located about 320 feet south and 400 feet west of the northeast corner of section 33, T. 108 N., R. 39 W.; USGS Dovray topographic quadrangle; lat. 44 degrees 07 minutes 21 seconds N. and long. 95 degrees 31 minutes 28 seconds W., NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Mollic epipedon thickness--25 to 49 centimeters
Depth to carbonates--0 to 25 centimeters
Depth to gypsum--0 to 25 centimeters
Clay content in the particle-size control section (weighted average)--24 to 30 percent
Sand content in the particle-size control section (weighted average)--20 to 55 percent, fine sand and sand coarser than fine sand

Ap and A horizon:
Hue--10YR, 2.5Y, or is neutral
Value--2 or 3
Chroma--0 or 1
Texture--loam or clay loam
Clay content--27 to 35 percent
Sand content--20 to 50 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent--1 to 20 percent
Gypsum content--1 to 15 percent, white powder on ped faces and surfaces along root channels or clear crystals
Reaction--slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline
Rock fragment content--1 to 8 percent, 2 to 20 millimeters in diameter
Moist bulk density--1.35 to 1.55 g/cc

ABy horizon (when present):
Hue--10YR or 2.5Y
Value--2 or 3
Chroma--1
Texture--loam or clay loam
Clay content--27 to 35 percent
Sand content--20 to 50 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent--5 to 20 percent
Gypsum content--5 to 30 percent, white powder on ped faces and surfaces along root channels or clear crystals
Reaction--slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline
Rock fragment content--1 to 8 percent, 2 to 20 millimeters in diameter
Moist bulk density--1.35 to 1.55 g/cc

By horizon:
Hue--2.5Y
Value--4 or 5
Chroma--2 to 4
Texture--loam or clay loam
Clay content--24 to 30 percent
Sand content--20 to 50 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent--15 to 25 percent
Gypsum content--5 to 30 percent, white powder on ped faces and surfaces along root channels or clear crystals
Reaction--moderately alkaline
Rock fragment content--1 to 8 percent, 2 to 20 millimeters in diameter
Moist bulk density--1.40 to 1.55 g/cc

Bk horizon:
Hue--2.5Y
Value--4 or 5
Chroma--2 to 4
Texture--loam or clay loam
Clay content--24 to 30 percent
Sand content--20 to 50 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent--15 to 25 percent
Gypsum content--5 to 30 percent, white powder on ped faces and surfaces along root channels or clear crystals
Reaction--moderately alkaline
Rock fragment content--1 to 8 percent, 2 to 20 millimeters in diameter
Moist bulk density--1.40 to 1.55 g/cc

BC horizon:
Hue--2.5Y
Value--4 to 6
Chroma--2 to 4
Texture--loam or clay loam
Clay content--16 to 30 percent
Sand content--20 to 50 percent
Calcium carbonate equivalent--10 to 20 percent
Gypsum content--1 to 5 percent, white powder on ped faces and surfaces along root channels or clear crystals
Reaction--slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline
Rock fragment content--1 to 10 percent, 2 to 20 millimeters in diameter
Moist bulk density--1.65 to 1.75 g/cc

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Seaforth and Wergeland series.
Seaforth--have a moist bulk density less than 1.6 g/cc in the lower third of the series control section
Wergeland--do not have rock fragments in the series control section and have a moist bulk density less than 1.6 g/cc in the lower third of the series control section

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material--calcareous, loamy till of Late Wisconsinan Age
Landform--slightly convex low knolls on dissected ground moraines
Slope--1 to 4 percent
Elevation--300 meters to 400 meters above sea level
Mean annual air temperature--6 to 10 degrees C
Mean annual precipitation--585 to 890 millimeters
Frost-free period--155 to 200 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Everly, Jeffers, Letri, and Romnell soils.
Everly--are at higher landscape positions on convex slopes and have carbonates between depths of 40 to 90 centimeters
Jeffers--are at lower landscape positions on rims of depressions and have a gypsum content of 2 to 5 percent in the series control section
Letri--are at lower landscape positions on plane or slightly concave slopes and carbonates between depths of 40 to 75 centimeters
Romnell--are at lower landscape positions in depressions and have mollic epipedons 60 to 100 centimeters thick

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class--somewhat poorly drained--a frequently saturated zone occurs between depths of 0.4 and 0.75 meter during April to June in years when precipitation is within one standard deviation of the 30 year mean of annual precipitation
Saturated hydraulic conductivity--1.0 to 10.0 micrometers per second

USE AND VEGETATION:
Most areas are cultivated. The principal crops are corn and soybeans. The native vegetation is big bluestem, little bluestem, switchgrass, and other grasses of the tall grass prairie.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Physiographic location--Interior Plains
Physiographic Province--Central Lowland
Physiographic section--Western lake section
MLRA--Central Iowa and Minnesota Till Prairies (103)
LRR M; south-central and southwestern Minnesota
Extent--small

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Murray County, Minnesota, 1987.

REMARKS:
Particle-size control section--the zone from a depth of 25 to 100 centimeters;
series control section--the zone from the surface to a depth of 200 centimeters.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon include:
mollic epipedon--the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 36 centimeters (Ap and ABy horizons);
gypsic horizon--the zone from a depth of 36 to 76 centimeters (Bygl and Byg2 horizons);
calcic horizon--the zone from a depth of 76 to 102 centimeters (Bk horizon);
aquic moisture regime.

This series was previously identified in Cottonwood County, Minnesota as Jeffers Variant. 1/21/2011-TYPE LOCATION error was corrected.

Cation-exchange class is inferred from lab data from similar soils in the surrounding area.

Taxonomy version--Keys to Soil Taxonomy, tenth edition, 2006.

ADDITIONAL DATA:
Laboratory data--MN Agriculture Experiment Station Central File Code Nos. 2097, 2098, and 2100.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.