LOCATION MOSFORD            MN 
Established Series
Rev. TCJ-AGG-KDS
05/2001

MOSFORD SERIES


The Mosford series consists of very deep, somewhat excessively drained soils that formed in glacial outwash deposits consisting of a loamy mantle and underlying sandy deposits. These soils have moderately rapid permeability in the upper part and rapid permeability in the lower part. These soils are on stream terraces, outwash plains, and flood plains They have slopes of 0 to 6 percent. Mean annual temperature is 43 degrees F. Mean annual precipitation is 29 inches.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy, mixed, frigid Typic Hapludolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Mosford sandy loam on a 1 percent south facing slope in a cultivated field. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)

Ap--0 to 9 inches; black (10YR 2/1) sandy loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; friable; about 1 percent gravel; common very fine roots; moderately acid; abrupt smooth boundary.

A--9 to 13 inches; black (10YR 2/1) sandy loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; about 1 percent gravel; few very fine roots; moderately acid; gradual smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of A horizon 7 to 16 inches)

Bw1--13 to 16 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/2) coarse sandy loam; weak very fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; about 2 percent gravel; few very fine roots; moderately acid; gradual smooth boundary. (3 to 10 inches thick)

2Bw2--16 to 27 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) coarse sand; single grain; loose; about 7 percent gravel; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary.

2Bw3--27 to 35 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) coarse sand; single grain; loose; about 7 percent gravel; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of 2Bw horizon is 3 to 25 inches)

2C1--35 to 52 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) sand; single grain; loose; about 9 percent gravel; neutral; gradual wavy boundary.

2C2--52 to 80 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) coarse sand; single grain; loose; about 6 percent gravel; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline

TYPE LOCATION: Sherburne County, Minnesota; about 1/2 mile south of Becker; 78 feet north and 90 feet east of the southwest corner of sec. 31, T.34N., R.28W.; USGS Clear Lake quadrangle; lat. 45 degrees 23 minutes 18 seconds N. and 93 degrees 52 minutes 18 seconds W., NAD27

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to free carbonates ranges from 45 to 80 inches or more. The coarse-loamy mantle contains up to 10 percent rock fragments by volume and ranges from 10 to 22 inches thick. Typically, the underlying sediments contain less than 10 percent gravel by volume, but some pedons contain as much as 25 percent. Gravel size is dominantly 2 mm to less than 10 mm. The mollic epipedon is 7 to 20 inches thick. When it is 16 or more inches thick, it has a sandy particle size class in the major part, or a sandy contrasting layer between depths of 16 and 20 inches.

The A or Ap horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 1 or 2. It is coarse sandy loam, sandy loam or fine sandy loam. It is strongly acid to neutral.

The Bw horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 3 or 5, and chroma of 2 to 4. It is fine sandy loam, sandy loam or coarse sandy loam. It is strongly acid to neutral.

The 2Bw or 2BC horizon when present, has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 3 to 5. It is loamy coarse sand, loamy fine sand, fine sand, loamy sand, coarse sand, or sand. It is strongly acid to neutral.

The 2C horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 2 to 4. It is sand, coarse sand, or their gravelly analogues. It is strongly acid to slightly alkaline.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Allivar(T), Arvilla, Binford, and Sverdrup series. The Allivar soils have soil saturation in the lower one third of the series control section. Arvilla soils have free carbonates at depths of 13 to 25 inches. Binford soils have more than 20 percent shale fragments in the .1 to 76 mm fraction in the lower one-third of the series control section. Sverdrup soils contain free carbonates at depths of 15 to 44 inches.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Mosford soils are level to gently sloping and are on slightly convex, plane, or concave position on outwash plains, stream terraces or flood plains. Slope gradient commonly range from 0 to 3 percent, but the complete range is 0 to 6 percent. These soils formed in a thin loamy mantle and the underlying sandy glacial outwash. These sediments are of Late Wisconsin Age. The mean annual air temperature ranges from 40 to 47 degrees F. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 24 to 33. Frost-free days range from 90 to 150. Elevation ranges from 675 to 1400 feet above sea level.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Duelm, Hubbard, Isan, and Sandberg soils. Duelm soils are moderately well drained and formed mostly in coarse sand. The Hubbard soils typically are on more convex areas and have sandy soil textures throughout the profile. Isan soils are very poorly and poorly drained, typically in lower concave position. Sandberg soils are typically on more convex or more sloping areas.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat excessively drained. Runoff is negligible to very low. Permeability is moderately rapid in the upper part and rapid in the lower part.

USE AND VEGETATION: Corn, soybeans, potatoes, and some legumes are the principal crops. Native vegetation was mixed prairie grasses and mixed deciduous forest.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: East-central Minnesota. Mosford soils are of moderate extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Sherburne County, Minnesota, 1994.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: mollic epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of about 13 inches (Ap and A horizons); cambic horizon - the zone from 13 to 16 inches (Bw1 horizon); this soil is in a Udic moisture regime.

ADDITIONAL DATA: Refer to MAES Central File Code No. 4486 for laboratory data of similar pedon. Soil interpretation Record numbers MN0701 and MN0735-rarely flooded.


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.