LOCATION MOOSELINE MNEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, mixed, active, frigid Aquic Glossudalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Mooseline sandy loam on a convex 3 percent slope on an outwash-mantled till plain under a mixed stand of aspen, red maple and paper birch. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 3 inches; black (10YR 2/1) sandy loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; moderate fine granular structure; very friable; many very fine to coarse roots; 5 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (2 to 7 inches thick)
E--3 to 8 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) sandy loam, pale brown (10YR 6/3) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to weak medium granular; very friable; common fine to coarse roots; 5 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick)
Bw1--8 to 23 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) loamy sand; weak meduim subangular blocky structure; very friable; common fine and meduim roots; common coarse prominent yellowish red (5YR 4/6) and common coarse distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) Fe concentrations and common coarse distinct brown (7.5YR 5/2) Fe depletions; 10 percent gravel and 2 percent cobbles; strongly acid; clear irregular boundary.
Bw2--23 to 34 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) sand; single grain; loose; common coarse prominent yellowish red (5YR 4/6) Fe concentrations and common coarse prominent light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) Fe depletions; 10 percent gravel and 2 percent cobbles; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (combined thickness of the Bw horizons is 14 to 32 inches.)
2B/E--34 to 39 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) clay loam (Bt horizon - about 70 percent); brown (7.5YR 5/3) (E horizon - about 30 percent); moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm; few distinct patchy grayish brown ( 10YR 5/2) clay films on faces of peds; common fine prominent yellowish red (5YR 5/6) Fe concentrations; 5 percent gravel and 1 percent cobbles; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (3 to 9 inches thick)
2Bt--39 to 56 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) clay; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; very firm; many discontinuous reddish gray (5YR 5/2) and few patchy grayish brown (10YR 5/2) clay films on faces of peds; common medium distinct yellowish red (5YR 5/8) Fe concentrations; 5 percent gravel and 2 percent cobbles; slightly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (16 to 30 inches thick)
2BCd--56 to 80 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) clay; weak very coarse subangular blocky structure parting to weak medium platy; very firm; very few patchy reddish brown (5YR 4/3) and dark reddish gray (5YR 4/2) clay films on vertical faces of peds; 5 percent gravel and 2 percent cobbles; neutral.
TYPE LOCATION: St. Louis County, Minnesota, about 3 miles southwest of Hibbing; about 1600 feet south and 1950 feet west of the northeast corner of sec. 10, T. 56 N., R. 21 W. USGS Riley, Minnesota Quadrangle; latitude 47 degrees 21 minutes 04 seconds N. and longitude 92 degrees 59 minutes 14 seconds W., NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the mantle ranges from 20 to 40 inches. The depth to carbonates is greater than 60 inches. Rock fragment content, by volume, ranges from 0 to 14 percent in the mantle and from 1 to 8 percent in the underlying till. A thin lag line with as much as 30 percent rock fragments is at the contact of the two sediments in some pedons. Depth to dense till is 45 to 60 inches.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 2 or 3 and chroma of 1 or 2. An Ap horizon ranging from 6 to 9 inches in thickness is in cultivated areas and has value and chroma of 2 or 3. Texture is sandy loam, fine sandy loam or loam. Reaction is very strongly acid to moderately acid.
The E horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 4 to 6 and chroma of 1 to 3. Texture is sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam or loamy fine sand. Reaction is very strongly acid to moderately acid.
The Bw horizon has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 3 to 5 and chroma of 3 to 6. Texture is loamy sand, loamy fine sand, fine sand or sand. The upper Bw is fine sandy loam or sandy loam in some pedons. Reaction is strongly acid to slightly acid.
The Bg horizon (when present) has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6 and chroma of 1 or 2. Texture is loamy sand, loamy fine sand, fine sand or sand. Reaction is strongly acid to slightly acid.
The 2B/E or 2E/B horizon has in the B part hue of 7.5YR or 5YR and value and chroma of 3 or 4 and in the E part hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 to 6 and chroma of 1 to 3. Texture is loam, clay loam, sandy clay loam or clay. Reaction is strongly acid to slightly acid.
The 2Bt horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR and value and chroma of 3 or 4. Texture is clay or clay loam. Reaction is strongly acid to slightly acid.
The 2BC horizon (when present) has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR and value and chroma of 3 or 4. Texture is clay or clay loam. Reaction is moderately acid to neutral.
The 2BCd has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR and value and chroma of 3 or 4. Texture is clay or clay loam. Reaction is slightly acid to slightly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Buhl series. Buhl soils do not have a mantle with sandy textures.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Mooseline soils are on linear or convex surfaces of till plains and moraines. They formed in a 20 to 40 inch mantle of sandy outwash or eolian sediments and underlying fine, dense till deposited by the St. Louis sublobe of late Wisconsin age. Slopes range from 0 to 4 percent. Mean annual air temperature is 38 to 41 degrees F. Mean annual precipitation is 25 to 28 inches. The frost-free period is 95 to 125 days. Elevation above sea level is 1250 to 1600 feet.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Buhl, Daisybay, Dora, Fayal, Hibbing, McQuade, Majestic, Rifle and Turpela soils. The moderately well drained Majestic and poorly drained Turpela soils form a hydrosequence with Mooseline soils. The moderately well drained Hibbing, somewhat poorly drained Buhl, poorly drained McQuade and the very poorly drained Fayal soils form a hydrosequence and do not have coarse-textured mantles. The very poorly drained Daisybay and Dora soils formed in organic materials over till. The very poorly drained Rifle soils are in depressions and formed in organic materials.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Somewhat poorly drained. Runoff is very low to medium. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately rapid in the upper part and very slow in the lower part. Mooseline soils have perched seasonal high saturation at a depth of 1.0 foot at some time from April through May and October through November in years of normal precipitation.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are forested. Principal trees are aspen, paper birch, balsam fir, red pine, white pine and jack pine. A few areas are used for pastureland and hayland. Native vegetation is mixed coniferous and deciduous forest.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRA-88. Northeast Minnesota, Small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: St. Louis County, Minnesota 2005.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface to a depth of 8 inches (A and E horizons); glossic horizon - the zone form 34 to 39 inches (2B/E horizon); argillic horizon - the zone from 39 to 56 inches (2Bt horizon); aquic moisture regime; densic materials - the zone from 56 to 80 inches (2BCd horizon).