LOCATION OYLEN MNEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Oxyaquic Argiudolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Oylen sandy loam with a plane slope of about 1 percent on an outwash plain in a cultivated field. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)
Ap--0 to 10 inches; black (10YR 2/1) sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; slightly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (7 to 16 inches thick)
Bt--10 to 18 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) sandy loam; moderate medium and fine subangular block structure; friable; many faint dark brown (10YR 3/3) and very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) clay films on faces of peds; slightly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 14 inches thick)
2Bw1--18 to 24 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) coarse sand; single grain; loose; about 13 percent gravel; neutral; clear smooth boundary.
2Bw2--24 to 38 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) sand; single grain; loose; common medium distinct dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) and few fine distinct light gray (2.5Y 7/2) Fe depletions and common fine prominent brownish yellow (10YR 6/8) Fe concentrations; about 2 percent gravel; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of 2Bw horizon is 0 to 36 inches.)
2C--38 to 80 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) gravelly coarse sand; single grain; loose; few fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) Fe concentrations; about 16 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Wadena County, Minnesota; about 1 1/2 miles north of Aldrich; 1250 feet south and 350 feet west of northeast corner section 27, T. 134 N., R. 34 W.; USGS Aldrich North quadrangle; lat. 46 degrees 23 minutes 39 seconds N. and long. 94 degrees 56 minutes 52 seconds W., NAD27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The thickness of the mollic epipedon ranges from 7 to 16 inches. The depth to free carbonates typically ranges from 36 to 48 inches but may range from 24 to 60 inches or more. Depth to the sandy sediments is 15 to 24 inches. The loamy sediments contain up to 5 percent fine gravel (2 to 5 millimeters in size) by volume. The sandy sediments contain 0 to 25 percent gravel by volume.
The Ap or A horizon has hue of 10YR, values of 2 or 3 and chroma 1 to 3. It is sandy loam, coarse sandy loam, or fine sandy loam. It is slightly acid or neutral.
The Bt horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 3 to 6. It is sandy loam or loam. The Bt horizon has few to common clay films on the faces of peds, in pores, and clay bridging between sand grains. It is slightly acid or neutral. Some pedons have a 2Bt horizon that have clay films bridging sand grains.
The 2Bw horizon has hue of 10YR, 7.5YR, or 2.5Y, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 2 to 4. Few to many low and high chroma redox features above a depth of 40 inches. It is loamy sand, loamy coarse sand, sand, coarse sand, or their gravelly analogues. It is slightly acid or neutral.
The 2C horizon has hue 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6, chroma of 2 to 4. It has redox features similar to the 2Bw horizon. It is sand, coarse sand, very coarse sand, or their gravelly analogues. It is neutral to moderately alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Clitherall, Corsair (T), Langola, Lindvelt and Nerson soils. Clitherall, Lindvelt and Nerson have loamy textures in the lower third of the series control section. Corsair (T) soils have some strata of loamy textures in the lower half of the series control section. Langola soils are deep to a paralithic contact.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Oylen soils have plane, concave, or convex slopes on outwash plains and glacial beach ridges. Slopes range from 0 to 3 percent. They are formed in a thin loamy mantle over sandy and gravelly outwash or glacial beach deposits. Mean annual temperature ranges from 38 to 45 degrees F. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 20 to 30 inches. Frost free days range from 110 to 145. Elevations above sea level range from 700 to 1400 feet.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Forada, Isan, Nymore, and Verndale soils. The poorly drained and very poorly drained Forada and Isan soils are in lower lying positions. Excessively drained Nymore and well drained Verndale soils are in higher positions.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained. Runoff is very low. Permeability is moderately rapid in the upper part and rapid in the lower part. The depth to seasonal high saturation is 2.5 feet during the months of April to June in normal years.
USE AND VEGETATION: About 80 percent is cultivated with corn, small grain, and hay as major crops. The remainder is wooded or pasture. Native vegetation is a mixture of grass and deciduous, coniferous forest.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRA-56, 88 and 91, mostly in Central and north-central Minnesota. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Wadena County, Minnesota, 1985.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: mollic epipedon - zone from the surface of the soil to a depth 10 inches (Ap horizon); argillic horizon - the zone from 10 to 18 inches (Bt horizon); aquic subgroup based upon 2 chroma redox features at 24 inches; udic moisture regime.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Refer to MN Agriculture Experiment Station Central File Code No. 3842 for results of some laboratory analysis of the typical pedon of this series.