LOCATION OAKCREEK MNEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Oxyaquic Argiudolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Oakcreek loam with a plane slope of 1 percent on a glacial outwash plain in a cultivated field. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 10 inches; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few to common very fine and fine roots; slightly acid; abrupt smooth boundary.
A--10 to 14 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) loam, brown (10YR 5/3) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; common very fine and fine roots; slightly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (combined thickness of the A horizon is 7 to 16 inches)
Bt1--14 to 23 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) loam; strong fine and medium subangular blocky structure; firm; commmon discontinuous distinct dark brown (10YR 3/3) clay films on faces of peds and in pores; common continuous distinct white (10YR 8/2) very fine sand and silt coatings on faces of peds; few fine and medium roots; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary.
Bt2--23 to 28 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) sandy clay loam; moderate medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; firm; many fine and medium prominent grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) Fe depletions and common fine and medium distinct brown (7.5YR 4/4) and common fine prominent reddish brown (5YR 4/4) Fe concentrations; common discontinuous distinct dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) clay films on faces of peds and in pores; about 3 percent gravel; few fine and medium roots; neutral; clear smooth boundary.
Bt3--28 to 33 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) coarse sandy loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common medium and coarse faint dark brown (7.5YR 4/3) Fe concentrations; common discontinuous faint very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) clay films and organic coatings on ped faces; about 7 percent gravel; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (combined thickness of Bt horizon is 8 to 36 inches thick)
Btk1--33 to 38 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) gravelly coarse sandy loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common medium and coarse faint dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) Fe depletions; common discontinuous faint very dark gray (10YR 3/1) and dark gray (10YR 4/1) clay films and organic coatings on faces of peds; common very pale brown (10YR 7/3) calcium carbonate masses and coatings on ped faces; about 30 percent gravel; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 14 inches thick)
2Btk2--38 to 47 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) gravelly loamy coarse sand; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; very friable; common medium and coarse faint dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) Fe depletions; common patchy faint very dark gray (10YR 3/1) clay bridging and organic coatings on and between sand grains; common very pale brown (10YR 7/3) calcium carbonate masses; about 30 percent gravel; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 16 inches thick)
2C--47 to 80 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3) gravelly coarse sand; single grain; loose; many coarse faint light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) Fe depletions; about 18 percent gravel; slightly effervescent; mildly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Otter Tail County, Minnesota; about 2 miles south and 2 miles east of the city of Parkers Prairie; about 1225 feet east and 875 feet south of the northwest corner of section 36, T.131 N. R.37 W.; USGS Lake Miltona East quadrangle; lat. 46 degrees 7 minutes 11 seconds N. and long. 95 degrees 17 minutes 16 seconds W., NAD27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The thickness of the loamy mantle ranges from 24 to 40 inches. The mollic epipedon is 7 to 16 inches thick. Depth to free carbonates is 24 to 60 inches or more. Rock fragments comprise 0 to 10 percent of the upper loamy mantle and 10 to 35 percent of the lower sandy sediment. Rock fragments are of mixed lithology and mostly pebble size. The soil moisture control section is not dry in any part for as long as 90 cumulative days in most years.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 2 or 3 and chroma of 1 through 3. It is loam, fine sandy loam or sandy loam. It is slightly acid or neutral.
Some pedons have an E or B/E horizon. The E horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 4 through 6 and chroma of 2 through 4. It is loam, fine sandy loam or sandy loam. It is moderately acid to neutral.
The Bt horizon has a hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 3 through 5 and chroma of 3 through 6. The upper part is loam, silt loam, or sandy clay loam. The lower part includes textures of sandy loam, coarse sandy loam and fine sandy loam. The Bt horizon averages between 18 to 27 percent clay and 35 to 55 percent sand. It is moderately acid to neutral.
The 2Bt or 2Btk horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 through 6, and chroma of 3 or 4. It is loamy coarse sand, loamy sand, sand or their gravelly analogues. It is moderately acid to slightly alkaline.
The 2C horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 10YR, value of 4 through 7 and chroma of 2 to 4. It is sand, coarse sand, or their gravelly analogues. Some subhorizons consist of strata of fine sand or loamy fine sand. It is slightly alkaline to moderately alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Gonvick and Knute soils. These soils formed in glacial till and do not have sandy textures in the lower third of the series control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Oakcreek soils have slightly concave or plane slopes on outwash plains or valley trains. They are formed in glacial outwash consisting of a loamy mantle 24 to 40 inches and the underlying sandy and gravelly sediments. Slopes range from 0 to 3 percent. These sediments are Late Wisconsin in age. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 38 to 45 degrees F. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 22 to 28 inches. Annual frost free days range from 90 to 140 days. The elevation above sea level ranges from 1000 to 1500 feet.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Almora, Corliss, Dorset, Oylen, Pinelake, and Verndale soils. The well drained Almora, Dorset, and Verndale soils and the excessively drained Corliss soils are on more convex slopes on higher lying areas on the landscape. The moderately well drained Oylen have less clay in the subsoil and have similar landscape positions. The poorly drained Pinelake soils are in swales and depressions.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained. Runoff is slow. Permeability is moderate to moderately rapid in the upper part and rapid in the lower part. The depth to an apparent water table ranges from 2.5 to 4 feet from November to June in most years.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of this soil are used for cropland. The principal crops are corn, soybeans, small grain, and hay. Some areas are forested or are in pasture. Native vegetation is tall prairie grasses and scattered forests of oak and quaking aspen.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: West Central Minnesota. The series is of minor extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Otter Tail County, Minnesota, 1996.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizon and features in this pedon are: mollic epipedon - from the soil surface to 14 inches (Ap and A horizons); argillic horizon - zone from 14 to 28 inches (Bt horizons); aquic subgroup-based upon the 2 chroma redox features within the upper 40 inches.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Soil Interpretation Record Number MN0758.