LOCATION NORTHCOTE MN

Established Series
Rev. MNJ-KMD-JJB
06/2014

NORTHCOTE SERIES

The Northcote series consists of very deep, poorly and very poorly drained soils that formed in clayey calcareous lacustrine sediments on glacial lake plains. These soils have slow permeability. Slopes range from 0 to 1 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 575 mm. Mean annual temperature is about 5 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Very-fine, smectitic, frigid Typic Epiaquerts

TYPICAL PEDON: Northcote clay with plane level slope on a lake plain in a cultivated field. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)

Ap--0 to 23 centimeters; black (N 2/0) clay, very dark gray (N 3/0) dry; strong medium and fine subangular blocky structure; very sticky and very plastic; many fine and very fine roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear irregular boundary.

Bg--23 to 51 centimeters; 80 percent dark gray (5Y 4/1) and 20 percent very dark gray (2.5Y 3/1) clay; strong very coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky; firm; very sticky and very plastic; many fine and very fine roots; many very fine and fine tubular pores; few tongues of black (N 2/0) A material in vertical cracks ranging from 5 to 15 mm in width; strong effervescence; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); gradual irregular boundary.

Bgss1--51 to 84 centimeters; gray (5Y 5/1) clay; moderate very coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky; firm; very sticky and very plastic; common fine and very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; few intersecting slickensides tilted 25 to 60 degrees from horizontal; strong effervescence; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); gradual wavy boundary.

Bgss2--84 to 122 centimeters; olive gray (5Y 5/2) clay; few fine faint olive (5Y 5/3) redoximorphic concentrations; weak very coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky; firm; very sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots; many very fine tubular pores; few intersecting slickensides tilted 25 to 60 degrees from horizontal; strong effervescence; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear wavy boundary.

BCgss--122 to 145 centimeters; olive gray (5Y 4/2) clay; common medium prominent olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) redoximorphic concentrations; weak very coarse subangular blocky structure; firm; very sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots; common very fine tubular pores; few intersecting slickensides tilted 25 to 60 degrees from horizontal; strong effervescence; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6); clear wavy boundary.

Cg--145 to 200 centimeters; dark gray (5Y 4/1) clay; common fine prominent olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) redoximorphic concentrations; massive; firm; very sticky and very plastic; few very fine roots; few slickensides; common fine and medium white (10YR 8/1) gypsum nests on horizontal faces of peds; few irregularly shaped white (10YR 8/1) masses of carbonates on ped faces; strong effervescence; slightly alkaline (pH 7.6).

TYPE LOCATION: Major Land Resource Area 56 - Red River Valley of the North (56); Kittson County, Minnesota; about 2 miles south and 1 mile east of Kennedy; 100 feet west and 300 feet north of the southeast corner of section 6, T. 159 N., R. 48 W.; USGS Donaldson, Minnesota 7.5 minute quadrangle; Latitude 48 degrees 37 minutes 1 second N. and Longitude 96 degrees 53 minutes 21 seconds W., NAD 27.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to free carbonates--0 to 76 centimeters
Clay content of the particle size control section--60 to 85 percent
Sand content of the particle size control section--less than 8 percent
Thickness of the mollic epipedon--25 to 61 centimeters thick
Saline phases are recognized and these phases tend to have carbonates at or near the surface

Ap and A horizon:
Hue--10YR, 2.5Y, or is neutral
Value--2
Chroma--0 or 1
Texture--clay
Reaction--pH 7.0 to 7.8
Thickness--15 to 51 centimeters

Bg horizon:
Hue--2.5Y or 5Y
Value--3 to 5
Chroma--1 or 2
Texture--clay
Reaction--pH 7.0 to 7.8 in upper part and pH 7.9 to 8.4 in the lower part
Redoximorphic features--present in some pedons
Concentrations-- calcium carbonate equivalent ranges from 5 to 15 percent in the lower part
Thickness--15 to 61 centimeters

Bgss horizon:
Hue--2.5Y or 5Y
Value--3 to 5
Chroma--1 or 2
Texture-clay
Redoximorphic features--ranges from few to common distinct or prominent high chroma
Reaction-- pH 7.4 to 8.4
Concentrations-- calcium carbonate equivalent ranges from 5 to 15 percent
Vertic characteristics-slickensides are common
Some pedons have a BCgss or a BCg horizon
Thickness--0 to 97 centimeters

Cg horizon:
Hue--2.5Y or 5Y
Value--3 to 5
Chroma--1 or 2
Texture--clay
Redoximorphic features--ranges from common to many distinct or prominent high chroma
Reaction-- pH 7.4 to 8.4
Concentrations-- calcium carbonate equivalent ranges from 5 to 15 percent. Masses of gypsum crystals or lime or both are in most pedons.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Viking series.
Viking: formed in till and has 2 to 5 percent rock fragments

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material-- thick, calcareous, clayey lacustrine sediments of Glacial Lake Agassiz
Landform-- plain or slightly concave glacial lake plains
Slope--0 to 1 percent
Elevation--230 to 450 meters above sea level
Mean annual air temperature--3 to 7 degrees C
Mean annual precipitation--500 to 650 millimeters
Frost-free period--110 to 160 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: The Eaglepoint soils.
Eaglepoint-- are on low convex knolls and are in a complex pattern with the Northcote soils

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class--poorly and very poorly drained--an apparent seasonal high water table is from 30 to 91 centimeters below the surface from April through July in most years. Ponded map units have a water table as high as 30 centimeters above to 30 centimeters below the surface at some time during the year.
Runoff--very slow or ponded
Saturated hydraulic conductivity--<0.1 micrometers per second (very low to low)

USE AND VEGETATION: The soils are nearly all cultivated and cropped to small grains, sugar beets, and sunflowers. Native vegetation is tall grass prairie. Crop selection is limited in some areas due to soil salinity.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Physiographic Division--Interior Plains
Physiographic Province--Central Lowland
Physiographic section--Western Lake section
MLRA--Red River Valley of the North (56)
LRR-Northern Great Plains Spring Wheat Region (F)
Extent--large

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Kittson County, Minnesota, January. 1975.

REMARKS:
Particle -size control section --the zone from a depth of 25 to 100 centimeters
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
mollic epipedon - surface to 23 centimeters (Ap)
aquic moisture regime per low chroma below the mollic epipedon
percent clay in the 25 to 100 centimeter particle size control section averages 81 percent
Vertisol criteria --cracks filled with A material extend through the Bg horizon, intersecting slickensides in the 51 to 145 centimeters layer (Bgss1, Bgss2, and BCgss horizons)

Type location was moved to a site with a complete characterization analysis and description via backhoe pit to a depth of 98 inches.

MLRA SSO Responsible: 10-FAR (Fargo, North Dakota)

ADDITIONAL DATA:
Pedon S2005MN069053 is the type location.
Laboratory data--KSSL data includes pedons; S2005MN069049, S2005MN069050, S2005MN069051, and S2005MN069053. Pedons 1979MN167-008(3170), 72MN069(1501), 72MN069(1504), and 74MN027(1758) have accompanying University of Minnesota lab data in the KSSL.
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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.