LOCATION NORTHLAND MIEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Oxyaquic Hapludalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Northland fine sandy loam on a 2 percent slope at an elevation of 1010 feet in a forested area. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Oa--0 to 3 inches; black (N 2.5/0) well decomposed organic matter; moderate very fine granular structure; very friable; many very fine to coarse roots; strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)
E--3 to 5 inches; pinkish gray (7.5YR 6/2) loamy fine sand, pinkish gray (7.5YR 7/2) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; common very fine to coarse roots; about 4 percent gravel; strongly acid; clear irregular boundary. (1 to 20 inches thick)
Bw--5 to 8 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) fine sandy loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; common very fine to coarse roots; about 4 percent gravel; moderately acid; clear broken boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick)
Bt1--8 to 18 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) sandy loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common very fine to medium roots; common distinct dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) clay films on faces of peds and in root channels; about 6 percent gravel; slightly alkaline; clear irregular boundary. (2 to 12 inches thick)
2Bt2--18 to 22 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) very gravelly loamy coarse sand; single grain; loose; common very fine to medium roots; common faint clay bridging between sand grains; about 50 percent gravel; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline; clear irregular boundary. (5 to 7 inches thick)
2BC--22 to 38 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) very gravelly sand; single grain; loose; few very fine and fine roots; few medium distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulations; about 50 percent gravel; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear irregular boundary. (6 to 14 inches thick)
2C--38 to 80 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) very gravelly sand; single grain; loose; common medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulations; about 50 percent gravel and 10 percent cobbles; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Marquette County, Michigan; about 4 miles southeast of Northland; 900 feet east and 250 feet north of the southwest corner of sec. 22, T. 42 N., R. 26 W. USGS Northland topographic quadrangle; lat. 46 degrees 0 minutes 56.5 seconds N. and long. 87 degrees 33 minutes 6.3 seconds W.; Wells Township.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The depth to the gravelly outwash ranges from 12 to 30 inches. Depth to redox accumulations ranges from 24 to 40 inches. Gravel content ranges from 1 to 15 percent in the A, E, and Bw horizons, 1 to 20 percent in the Bt1 horizon and 35 to 60 percent in the BC and C horizons. Cobbles range from 1 to 5 percent in the upper part of the solum and 0 to 25 percent in the lower part and substratum. Mean annual soil temperature is about 42 to 44 degrees.
Some pedons have an A horizon with hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 1 or 2. It is fine sandy loam. Reaction is strongly acid to slightly acid.
The E horizon has hue of 7.5YR, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 2 or 3. It is fine sandy loam or loamy fine sand. Reaction is strongly acid to slightly acid.
The Bw horizon has hue of 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 4 to 6. It is fine sandy loam. Reaction is strongly acid to neutral.
The Bt1 horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, and value and chroma of 3 or 4. It is loam, fine sandy loam, sandy loam or the gravelly analogues. Reaction is slightly acid to slightly alkaline. Coarse fragment content averages less than 35 percent in the E, Bw and Bt1 horizons.
The 2Bt2 horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 4, and chroma of 4 to 6. It is very gravelly loamy coarse sand or very gravelly sand. Reaction is neutral to slightly alkaline.
The 2BC horizon has hue of 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 4 to 6. It is very gravelly sand or very gravelly loamy sand. Reaction is slightly alkaline.
The 2C horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 3 to 6. It is very gravelly sand or very gravelly coarse sand. Reaction is slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline. Coarse fragment content averages greater than 35 percent in the 2Bt2, 2BC and 2C horizons.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in the same family. Closely related are the Nadeau and Kiva series. Nadeau soils are the well drained member of the same drainage sequence. Kiva soils are well drained and have a spodic horizon but lack an argillic horizon.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Northland soils are on nearly level stream terraces and outwash plains of Wisconsinan age. Slopes range from 0 to 4 percent. These soils formed in till over calcareous gravelly outwash. Elevations are about 900 to 1200 feet. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 32 to 34 inches and mean annual temperature is about 40 to 43 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Nadeau soils in the same drainage catena; and the Solona, Ensley, Emmet and Onaway soils which formed in glacial till and lack the underlying outwash deposits. The somewhat poorly drained Solona soils are found on lower landscape positions. Poorly drained Ensley soils are in depressions and drainageways. Well drained Nadeau, Emmet and Onaway soils are on higher or more sloping landscape positions.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained. Surface runoff is slow. Permeabiliy is moderate in the upper part and very rapid in the lower part. Northland soils have a seasonal high water table from 2 to 3.5 feet below the surface from October to May.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of this soil are forested. The dominant tree species are quaking aspen, balsam fir, paper birch and sugar maple. Understory vegetation includes wild lily-of-the-valley, bigleaf aster, bracken fern, spinulose shield fern and beaked hazelnut. Northland soils are associated with the Tsuga-Maianthemum habitat type.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central part of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. MLRA 93. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Marquette County, Michigan 1996. The source of the name is the village of Northland in southern Marquette County.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in the pedon are: Albic horizon - the zone from 3 to 5 inches (the E horizon); Argillic horizon - the zone from 8 to 22 inches (the Bt1 and 2Bt2 horizons); Particle size control section - the zone from 8 to 22 inches (the argillic horizon); Oxyaquic subgroup - the soil is saturated with water in one or more layers within 100 cm of the mineral surface for one month or more per year in most years (2BC and 2C horizons); Udic soil moisture regime.