LOCATION NORTHWOOD MNEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy over loamy, mixed, superactive, nonacid, frigid Histic Humaquepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Northwood muck in a sedge bog. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Oa--0 to 9 inches; black (10YR 2/1) muck, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; weak thin platy structure; very friable; about 2 percent fibers rubbed; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. (8 to 16 inches thick)
A--9 to 14 inches; very dark gray (5Y 3/1) fine sandy loam; weak fine angular blocky structure; very friable; about 3 percent gravel; neutral; clear wavy boundary. (3 to 8 inches thick)
Bg1--14 to 18 inches; olive gray (5Y 4/2) loamy fine sand; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; few fine faint gray (5Y 6/1) Fe depletions and few fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) Fe concentrations; about 5 percent gravel; neutral; abrupt wavy boundary.
Bg2--18 to 24 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) loamy fine sand; single grain; loose; common fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) Fe oncentrations; about 10 percent gravel; neutral; abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of Bg horizons is 6 to 32 inches.)
2BCkg--24 to 64 inches; olive gray (5Y 5/2) loam; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine faint gray (5Y 6/1) Fe depletions and common medium prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) Fe concentrations; common distinct irregularly shaped carbonates in seams and soft masses; about 3 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 40 inches thick)
2Cg--64 to 80 inches; olive gray (5Y 4/2) clay loam; massive; friable; many coarse prominent olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) Fe depletions and common medium prominent yellowish red (5YR 5/6) Fe concentrations; few fine distinct light gray (5Y 7/1) irregularly shaped carbonates in soft masses; about 3 percent gravel and 1 percent cobbles with 1 percent weathered shale and granite fragments; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Beltrami County, Minnesota; about 5 1/2 miles north and 2 miles east of Grygla; 2000 feet east and 60 feet north of the southwest corner of Sec. 32, T. 157 N., R. 38 W.,USGS Minnesota Grygla quadrangle, lat. 48 degrees 21 minutes 58 seconds N., long. 95 degrees 34 minutes 18 seconds W., NAD27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The depth to the loamy till or lacustrine sediments ranges from 20 to 40 inches. Depth to free carbonates ranges from 20 to 60 inches. Rock fragments range from 0 to 15 percent in the upper material and 0 to 10 percent in the underlying loamy till or lacustrine sediments.
The O horizon is typically muck, but subhorizons of mucky peat are not excluded. The O horizon rubbed has hue of 5Y to 10YR, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 1 or 2. Fiber is typically herbaceous, but up to 15 percent may be woody. It is strongly acid to slightly alkaline.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y, or 5Y; value of 2 or 3; and chroma of 1 or is neutral. It is loamy coarse sand, loamy sand, loamy fine sand, sandy loam, or fine sandy loam, or the mucky analogues of these textures. It is moderately acid to slightly alkaline.
The Bg horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 4 to 7, and chroma of 1 or 2. It is coarse sand, sand, fine sand, loamy coarse sand, loamy sand, or loamy fine sand. It is moderately acid to moderately alkaline. Some pedons have a Cg horizon in the sandy sediments.
The 2BCkg or 2Cg horizons have hue of 2.5Y, 5Y, or 5GY; value of 4 to 7; and chroma of 1 or 2. It is loam, fine sandy loam, silt loam, silty clay loam, or clay loam. It Reaction is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline. It is stratified or varved in the lacustrine sediments. Some pedons do not have 2BCkg horizons. Some pedons have 2Bg or 2Cg horizons with properties similar to the 2BCkg horizon.
The 2BCkg or 2Cg horizon in the Percy till phase has textures of sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam or silt loam. It has 12 to 18 percent clay and more than 15 percent fine sand and coarser sand. Calcium carbonate equivalent ranges from 20 to 40 percent. Moist bulk density ranges from 1.75 to 2.00 g/cc.
The 2BCkg or 2Cg horizon in the Des Moines till phase has textures of loam, clay loam or silty clay loam. It has 18 to 35 percent clay and more than 15 percent fine sand and coarser sand. Calcium carbonate equivalent ranges from 10 to 25 percent. Moist bulk density ranges from 1.35 to 1.60 g/cc.
Where formed in silty calcareous glacial lacustrine sediments, the 2BCkg or 2Cg horizon is very fine sandy loam, loam, silt loam or silty clay loam. Sediments may be finely stratified or laminated with clay. Total clay averages less than 35 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the only series in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Northwood soils are in shallow depressions and drainageways on lake plains. Slopes are 0 to 1 percent. These soils formed in a thin organic layer and sandy and loamy sediments, and the underlying till or lacustrine sediments. The mean annual air temperature ranges from 36 to 45 degrees F. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 19 to 28 inches. Frost-free days range from 88 to 140. Elevation above sea level ranges from
785 to 1350 feet.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Berner, Grygla and Markey series. Grygla soils do not have a Histic epipedon and occupy higher areas. Berner and Markey soils have thicker organic layers and are in deeper depressions. These are the poorly drained Grygla, Chilgren, Kratka, Roliss, Smiley and Strathcona soils that are on the adjacent mineral uplands, and the very poorly drained Cathro, Berner, Hamre, Markey soils in adjacent peatlands. Cathro, Berner and Markey soils have thicker organic layers. Hamre soils do not have a sandy sediment between the organic material and underlying loamy material.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Very poorly drained. The permeability is moderate or moderately rapid in the upper organic layer, rapid in the sandy layers and moderate or moderately slow in the underlying loamy material. Surface runoff is very low or ponded. Depth to seasonal high saturation is at the surface at periods from November to July in normal years. In addition, ponding may occur during periods of snow melt and high rainfall events.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most of the areas of Northwood soils are uncultivated. Native vegetation consists of alder, sedges, cattails, phragmites, or willow. When adequately drained, it is used for the production of hay, pasture, small grain, and sunflowers. Some areas are wooded with tamarack, black spruce,
black ash and northern white cedar.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRA-88, primarily in the glacial lake plain areas in northwestern Minnesota. They are of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Beltrami County, Minnesota, 1991.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in this pedon are: histic epipedon - the zone from the surface to a depth of 10 inches (Oa horizon); aquic moisture regime. The accumulations of carbonates in the 2BCkg may be inherent to the till and not related to pedogenesis. Further field examination should be made to determine if the horizon is a 2BCkg or
a 2Cg horizon.