LOCATION NERWOODS MNEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Aquic Hapludolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Nerwoods loam, on a linear slope of 2 percent, on a colluvial footslope, in a cultivated field. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 12 inches; black (10YR 2/1) loam; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; very weak medium subangular blocky structure parting to very weak fine granular; very friable; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (7 to 12 inches thick)
2A--12 to 18 inches; very dark grayish brown (2.5Y 3/2) silt loam; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick)
2Bw1--18 to 24 inches; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) silt loam; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine faint olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) Fe concentrations; neutral; clear wavy boundary.
2Bw2--24 to 33 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) silt loam; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine faint light olive brown (2.5Y 5/6) Fe concentrations; neutral; gradual wavy boundary.
2Bw3--33 to 44 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) silt loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine faint light olive brown (2.5Y 5/6) Fe concentrations and few fine faint light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) Fe depletions; neutral; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the 2Bw horizon is 9 to 32 inches.)
3Bw4--44 to 50 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) clay loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; firm; common fine prominent dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) Fe concentrations and few fine distinct grayish green (5G 4/2) Fe depletions; about 3 percent gravel; slightly alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (10 to 24 inches thick)
3BC--50 to 65 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) clay loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; firm; common fine prominent olive yellow (2.5Y 6/8) and few fine prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) Fe concentrations; few medium black (N 2/0) concretions of manganese; about 3 percent gravel; strongly effervescent, moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 20 inches thick)
3Cd--65 to 80 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) clay loam; common fine prominent, olive yellow (2.5Y 6/8) and few fine prominent, strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) Fe concentrations; massive; few medium black (N 2/0) concretions of manganese; firm; about 5 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Rice County, Minnesota; about 1 mile west and 1/2 mile south of Epsom; located about 2,150 feet south and 875 feet west of the northeast corner of section 15, T. 109 N., R. 19 W.; USGS Moland topographic quadrangle; lat. 44 degrees 14 minutes 58 seconds N. and long. 93 degrees 05 minutes 05 seconds W, NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The thickness of the mollic epipedon ranges from 12 to 24 inches. The depth to the loess ranges from 10 to 16 inches. The depth to the underlying calcareous loamy glacial till ranges from 40 to 60 inches. Free carbonates occur at depths of 40 to 80 inches. Gravel is typically absent in the upper sediment but ranges from 2 to 12 percent, by volume, in the underlying glacial till.
The A horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 10YR or is neutral, value of 2 or 3 and chroma of 0 to 3. It is typically loam but includes silt loam high in sand content. Reaction is strongly acid to neutral.
The 2A horizon has hue of 2.5Y, 10YR or is neutral, value of 2 or 3 and chroma of 0 to 3. It is typically silt loam but ranges to silty clay loam. Reaction is strongly acid to neutral.
The 2Bw horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 10YR, value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 2 to 4. It is silt loam or silty clay loam. Reaction is strongly acid to neutral.
Some pedons have a sand or gravelly sand layer at the contact with the glacial till.
The 3Bw horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 10YR, value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 2 to 4. It is clay loam or loam. Reaction is moderately acid to slightly alkaline.
The 3Cd horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 10YR, value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 2 to 4. It is loam or clay loam. Reaction is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Amana, Grantcenter, Joy, Kingston, Klinger, Lakefield, Larpentuer, Minden, Muscatine, Primghar, and Ransom. Amana, Grantcenter, Joy, Kingston, Lakefield, Larpentuer, Minden, Muscatine and Primghar soils do not have a lithologic discontinuity with dense till at depth of 40 to 60 inches. Klinger soils do not have dense till Cd horizons within a depth of 40 to 60 inches and have less sand in the upper one third of the series control section. Ransom soils have carbonates above a depth of 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Nerwoods soils formed in colluvium overlying loess and calcareous loamy glacial till on footslopes and drainways on sloping uplands. Slope gradients range from 0 to about 6 percent. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 28 to 32 inches. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 45 to 50 degrees F. Frost-free period ranges from 135 to 165 days. The elevation ranges from 900 to 1400 feet above sea level.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Epsom, Kenyon, and Racine soils. The very poorly drained Epsom soils are at lower landscape positions on floodplains and drainways and have a mollic epipedon 24 to 60 inches thick. The moderately well drained Kenyon soils are at higher landscape positions on interfluves and side slopes on dissected till plains and have rock fragments in the upper third of the series control section. The well drained Racine soils are at higher landscape positions on interfluves and side slopes on dissected till plains and have an ochric epipedon.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained. Surface runoff is slow to moderate. Permeability is moderate in the colluvium and loess and moderately slow in the till. A perched water table is at 1.5 to 2.5 feet from October through June in most years.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are used as cropland. Corn, soybeans, oats, and alfalfa are the commonly grown crops. Native vegetation is tall grass prairie.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRA-104. These soils are of limited extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Indianapolis, Indiana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Rice County, Minnesota 1996.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon include - mollic epipedon - the zone from the surface to 18 inches (Ap and 2A horizons); Cambic horizon - the zone from 18 to 65 inches (2Bw1, 2Bw2, 2Bw3, 3Bw4, 3BC horizons); Aquic subgroup based on color below the mollic. The C horizon is considered as dense till by data analyzed within the confines of MLRA 104.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Refer to National Soil Survey Center Pedon 92P 4481-4487 and MAES Central File Code No. 4442 for results of some laboratory analysis near the typical pedon. Soil Interpretation Record number MN0840.