LOCATION MUSCATINE          IA+IL MN WI
Established Series
Rev. TEF-JDH-TWN
01/2005

MUSCATINE SERIES


The Muscatine series consists of very deep, somewhat poorly drained soils formed in loess. These soils are on summits of interfluves on dissected till plains and on treads and risers on stream terraces. Slopes range from 0 to 5 percent. Mean annual air temperature is about 10 degrees C (50 degrees F). Mean annual precipitation is about 85 centimeters (33 inches).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Aquic Hapludolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Muscatine silty clay loam, with a slope of about 1 percent, in a cultivated field. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)

Ap--0 to 18 centimeters (0 to 7 inches); black (10YR 2/1) silty clay loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; moderate fine and medium granular structure; friable; strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary.

A1--18 to 30 centimeters (7 to 12 inches); black (10YR 2/1) silty clay loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) rubbed; moderate fine and medium granular structure; friable; strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary.

A2--30 to 41 centimeters (12 to 16 inches); very dark brown (10YR 2/2) silty clay loam, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) dry; moderate fine and medium granular structure; friable; strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary. [Combined thickness of the A horizon is 36 to 51 centimeters (14 to 20 inches).]

AB--41 to 51 centimeters (16 to 20 inches); very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) silty clay loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry; moderate fine and very fine subangular blocky structure; friable; few very dark brown to black organic coats on faces of peds; strongly acid; gradual smooth boundary. [8 to 15 centimeters (3 to 6 inches) thick]

Btg1--51 to 66 centimeters (20 to 26 inches); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silty clay loam; weak medium prismatic structure parting to moderate fine and medium subangular blocky; friable; common distinct clay films; very dark grayish brown organic coats on faces of peds; moderately acid; gradual smooth boundary.

Btg2--66 to 81 centimeters (26 to 32 inches); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silty clay loam; weak medium prismatic structure parting to moderate fine and medium subangular blocky; friable; common distinct clay films; moderately acid; gradual smooth boundary.

Btg3--81 to 107 centimeters (32 to 42 inches); dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silty clay loam; weak medium prismatic structure parting to weak medium subangular blocky; friable; few fine prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) redoximorphic concentrations; slightly acid; gradual smooth boundary. [Combined thickness of the Btg horizon is 51 to 76 centimeters (20 to 30 inches).]

BCg1--107 to 122 centimeters (42 to 48 inches); grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) and light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) silt loam; very weak medium prismatic structure; friable; many fine soft dark oxides; few fine prominent yellowish red (5YR 4/6) and common fine distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) redoximorphic concentrations; neutral; gradual smooth boundary. [8 to 20 centimeters (3 to 8 inches) thick]

BCg2--122 to 163 centimeters (48 to 64 inches); olive gray (5Y 5/2) and light olive gray (5Y 6/2) silt loam; very weak extremely coarse prismatic structure dissected by few oblique fractures; friable; krotovina at 152 to 163 centimeters (60 to 64 inches); many fine prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) redoximorphic concentrations; slightly alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Major Land Resource Area (MLRA) 104-Eastern Iowa and Minnesota Till Prairies; Grundy County, Iowa subset; about 5 miles west and 3 miles south of Grundy Center; about 701 meters (2,300 feet) east and 732 meters (2,400 feet) north of the southwest corner of section 29, T. 87 N., R. 17 W.; USGS Grundy Center quadrangle; lat. 42 degrees 19 minutes 3 seconds N. and long. 92 degrees 51 minutes 25 seconds W., NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Thickness of mollic epipedon--36 to 61 centimeters (14 to 24 inches)
Depth to carbonates--greater than 102 centimeters (greater than 48 inches)
Depth to glacial till--greater than 152 centimeters (greater than 60 inches)
Clay content of the particle-size control section (weighted average)--30 to 35 percent
Sand content of the particle-size control section (weighted average)--less than 5 percent
Rock fragment content--0 percent

Ap or A horizon:
Hue--10YR
Value--2
Chroma--1 or 2
Texture--silty clay loam or silt loam
Clay content--24 to 32 percent
Sand content--less than 5 percent
Reaction--strongly acid to neutral

AB or BA horizon:
Hue--10YR
Value--3
Chroma--1 or 2
Texture--silty clay loam
Clay content--27 to 32 percent
Sand content--less than 5 percent
Reaction--strongly acid to neutral

Btg horizon:
Hue--10YR or 2.5Y
Value--4 to 6
Chroma--2 to 4
Texture--silty clay loam
Clay content--30 to 35 percent
Sand content--less than 5 percent
Reaction--strongly acid to neutral

BCg and Cg horizon (when present):
Hue--2.5Y or 5Y
Value--5 or 6
Chroma--2 to 4
Texture--silty clay loam or silt loam
Clay content--24 to 35 percent
Sand content--typically less than 5 percent
Reaction--moderately acid to slightly alkaline
Moist bulk density--1.35 to 1.4 gm/cc

Some pedons have 2Cg horizons below a depth of 150 centimeters (60 inches) with textures of loamy sand or sand, clay content of 3 to 10 percent, and a sand content of more than 70 percent

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Amana, Breeds, Grantcenter, Joy, Joyce, Kingston, Klinger, Klingmore, Lakefield, Larpenteur, McCreath, Minden, Nerwoods, Okabena, Primghar, and Ransom series.
Amana--have a clay content of 18 to 30 percent in the particle-size control section
Breeds--have a paralithic contact in shale within depths of 102 to 152 centimeters (40 to 60 inches)
Grantcenter--have a sand content of 8 to 15 percent in the particle-size control section and have carbonates within depths of 61 to 152 centimeters (24 to 60 inches)
Joy--have a clay content of 18 to 27 percent in the particle-size control section
Joyce--have a clay content of 20 to 27 percent in the particle-size control section and have a sand content of more than 70 percent in the lower third of the series control section
Kingston--have carbonates within depths of 51 to 102 centimeters (20 to 40 inches)
Klinger--have a moist bulk density range of 1.75 to 1.9 g/cc in the lower third of the series control section
Klingmore--have a sand content of 5 to 15 percent in the upper two thirds of the series control section
Lakefield--have carbonates within a depth of 25 centimeters (10 inches)
Larpenteur--have carbonates within a depth of 25 centimeters (10 inches) and have a sand content of 15 to 55 percent in the lower half of the series control section
McCreath--have a sand content of 5 to 15 percent in the upper two thirds of the series control section and have carbonates within depths of 61 to 127 centimeters (24 to 50 inches)
Minden--have a sand content of less than 15 percent in the lower third of the series control section
Nerwoods--have carbonates within depths of 102 to 203 centimeters (40 to 80 inches) and have a sand content of more than 15 percent in the upper third of the series control section
Okabena--have carbonates within depths of 51 to 102 centimeters (20 to 40 inches)
Primghar--have carbonates within depths of 61 to 127 centimeters (24 to 50 inches)
Ransom--have carbonates within depths of 56 to 102 centimeters (22 to 40 inches)

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material--loess
Landform--summits of interfluves on dissected till plains and on treads and risers on stream terraces
Slopes--0 to 5 percent
Elevation--213 to 424 meters (700 to 1,390 feet) above sea level
Mean annual air temperature--8 to 12 degrees C (46 to 54 degrees F)
Mean annual precipitation--79 to 91 centimeters (31 to 36 inches)
Frost-free period--150 to 180 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Garwin and Tama soils.
Garwin--are at lower elevations on head slopes and in drainageways and are frequently saturated within a depth of 0.3 meter (1 foot) in normal years
Tama--are at higher and lower elevations on convex ridges and side slopes and do not have a frequently saturated zone within a depth of 1.8 meters (6 feet) in normal years

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY:
Drainage class--somewhat poorly drained--a frequently saturated zone occurs within depths of 0.3 to 1.1 meters (1 to 3.5 feet) during March to June in normal years and is considered apparent
Saturated hydraulic conductivity--moderately high or high
Surface runoff potential--negligible or low

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

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Physiographic Division--Interior Plains
Physiographic Province--Central Lowland
Physiographic sections--Dissected till plains, Wisconsin driftless section, Till plains, Eastern lake section
MLRAs--Eastern Iowa and Minnesota Till Prairies (104), Northern Mississippi Valley Loess Hills (105), Illinois and Iowa Deep Loess and Drift (108), Central Mississippi Valley Wooded Slopes (115), and Southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois Drift Plain (95B)
LRR M; Iowa, northern Illinois, southeastern Minnesota, and Wisconsin
Extent--large

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Indianapolis, Indiana

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Muscatine County, Iowa, 1914

REMARKS:
Particle-size control section--the zone from a depth of 25 to 100 centimeters (10 to 39 inches) (AB, Btg1, Btg2, and Btg3 horizons);
series control section--the zone from the surface to a depth of 150 centimeters (0 to 59 inches) (Ap, A1, A2, AB, Btg1, Btg2, Btg3, BCg1, and BCg2 horizons).

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon:
mollic epipedon--from the surface to a depth of 51 centimeters (0 to 20 inches) (Ap, A1, A2, and AB horizons);
cambic horizon--the zone from a depth of 51 to 163 centimeters (20 to 64 inches) (Btg1, Btg2, Btg3, BCg1, and BCg2 horizons);
udic moisture regime.

Data indicate that most pedons of Muscatine soils in Iowa, including the typifying pedon, fail to meet the 1.2 ratio of clay increase within 30 centimeters (12 inches) as required for Argiudolls.

The Muscatine series is centered on loess deposits 152 centimeters (60 inches) or more thick.

Cation-exchange class is supported by lab data, pedon numbers 60IA-011-001 and 60IA-075-001, NSSL.

Taxonomy version--Keys to Soil Taxonomy, ninth edition, 2003.

ADDITIONAL DATA:
Laboratory data--National Soil Survey Laboratory, Lincoln, Nebraska-pedons 60IA-011-001 and 60IA-075-001 (http://ssldata.sc.egov.usda.gov/).
Complete stratigraphic and chemical data are available for the typifying pedon in T. E. Fenton's Doctoral thesis, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.