LOCATION PARNELL MN+ND SD
Established Series
HRF-MLL-CJH
03/2014
PARNELL SERIES
The Parnell series consists of very deep, very poorly drained and poorly drained soils that formed in water-sorted sediments from glacial drift in depressions, swales and drainageways on glacial moraines. These soils have slow permeability. Slopes range from 0 to 3 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 20 inches; and mean annual air temperature is about 41 degrees F.
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, frigid Vertic Argiaquolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Parnell silty clay loam with a nearly level slightly concave slope in a depression in a glacial moraine. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated)
A1--0 to 15 inches; black (10YR 2/1) silty clay loam, black (10YR 2/1) dry; moderate very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; friable; common roots; few fine distinct dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) and few fine prominent reddish brown (5YR 4/4) redoximorphic concentrations; neutral; clear smooth boundary.
A2--15 to 22 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) silt loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; moderate fine and medium platy structure parting to weak very fine subangular blocky; friable; few roots; few patchy gray (10YR 6/1) coatings on faces of peds when dry; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary. (Combined A horizons 8 to 32 inches thick)
Btg1--22 to 32 inches; black (10YR 2/1) silty clay loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; weak medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium subangular blocky; firm; few roots; many thin coatings of clean sand and silt particles on faces of peds; few faint black (10YR 2/1) clay films on faces of peds; slightly acid; gradual smooth boundary.
Btg2--32 to 55 inches; black (10YR 2/1) grading to very dark gray (10YR 3/1) silty clay, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; weak medium prismatic structure parting to strong angular blocky; firm; many faint black (10YR 2/1) clay films on faces of peds; slightly acid in upper part grading to neutral in lower part; diffuse wavy boundary. (Combined Btg horizons 12 to 40 inches thick)
BCg--55 to 80 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) grading to olive gray (5Y 5/2) in the lower part, silty clay loam; weak very fine angular blocky structure; firm in upper part and friable in lower part; few strata of loam and silty clay; few distinct black (10YR 2/1) and very dark gray (10YR 3/1) clay films in upper part; common fine prominent reddish brown (5YR 4/4) redoximorphic concentrations and common fine faint dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) redoximorphic depletions; neutral in upper part becoming slightly alkaline; slight effervescence in lower part.
TYPE LOCATION: Pope County, Minnesota; about 8 miles west and 3 miles north of Starbuck; 1,320 feet north and 35 feet west of the southeast corner of sec. 10, T. 125 N., R. 40 W., USGS Lowry quadrangle, latitude 45 degrees 38 minutes 52.56 seconds N., longitude 95 degrees 33 minutes 05.03 seconds W., NAD27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to calcium carbonate ranges from 35 to over 80 inches. Pedons typically do not have rock fragments, but some pedons contain as much as 8 percent, by volume, in the lower part of the B horizon and in the C horizon. Stony surface phases have been recognized. Some pedons have an 0a horizon as much as 6 inches thick. The mollic epipedon ranges from 24 to 80 inches in thickness and typically includes all or part of the B horizon.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y or 5Y or is neutral, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 0 or 1. It typically is silty clay loam but the range includes silt loam, loam and silty clay. It is slightly acid to slightly alkaline.
Some pedons have an E horizon as much as 4 inches thick.
The Btg horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 2 to 4 and chroma of 1 or 2. It commonly is silty clay or silty clay loam but the range includes clay loam or clay. It typically averages between 40 and 45 percent clay and ranges from 35 to 60 percent and as much as 30 percent sand. B/A clay ratios are 1.2 to 1.8. The upper part of the B horizon commonly has few to many, thin or medium coatings of clean sand and silt particles on the faces of peds, but such coatings are not present in some pedons. Clay films range from few to many and faint to distinct with the greatest number being in the middle part of the Btg horizon. The clay films have value of 2 or 3. The Btg horizon is slightly acid to slightly alkaline.
Some pedons have a Bk horizon.
The BCg horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 3 to 6 chroma of 1 or 2 or less commonly chroma of 3 or 4. It is loam, clay loam, silty clay loam, silty clay or clay. Some ped faces have patchy clay films or organic coatings. It ranges from neutral to moderately alkaline. It has secondary carbonates in some pedons.
The Cg horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 3 to 7, chroma of 1 or 2 or less commonly chroma of 3 or 4. It is loam, clay loam, silty clay loam, silty clay or clay. It ranges from neutral to moderately alkaline. It has secondary carbonates in some pedons.
Some pedons have a 2Cg horizon that formed in glacial till.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the
Badger series. Badger soils are somewhat poorly drained and do not have saturation above a depth of 1.5 feet in normal years.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Parnell soils are in depressions, swales and drainageways on ground and end moraines. Slope gradients are 0 to 3 percent. Parnell soils formed mostly in water-sorted sediments from glacial till. Calcareous loam or clay loam glacial till commonly underlies these sediments. Mean annual air temperature is 38 to 45 degrees F. Mean annual precipitation is 16 to 24 inches thick. Frost-free days range from 120 to 160 days. Elevation above sea level ranges from 1000 to 1600 feet.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Aastad,
Aazdahl,
Badger,
Balaton,
Barnes,
Flom,
Forman,
Formdale,
Hamerly,
Poinsett,
Svea,
Vallers and
Waukon soils. These soils formed in loamy glacial till and are on higher lying or more sloping terrain or both. Aastad, Aazdahl, Balaton and Svea soils are moderately well drained; Badger and Hamerly soils are somewhat poorly drained; Barnes, Forman, Formdale, Poinsett and Waukon soils are well drained; and Flom and Vallers soils are poorly drained.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Very poorly drained and poorly drained. Surface runoff is very low on the poorly drained phase and ponded on the very poorly drained phase. Permeability is slow. In most years a seasonal high water table is at a depth of 0.5 to 1.5 feet during the period November to June for the poorly drained phase and +1 to .5 during the period January to December for the very poorly drained phase.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most undrained areas are in native vegetation with some used for pasture or hayland. Drained areas are typically used to grow corn, soybeans and small grain. The native vegetation is herbaceous marsh species tolerant of excessive wetness such as, cattails, bulrushes, giant burreed, giant reed grass and hydrophytic sedges.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Minnesota, northeastern South Dakota, and eastern North Dakota. Moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Reconnaissance survey of the Red River Valley of Minnesota, 1933.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: mollic epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 55 inches (A and Btg horizons); argillic horizon - the zone from 22 to 55 inches (Btg horizons); aquic condition based on redox features in the mollic epipedon and low chroma colors below the mollic epipedon.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Refer to MAES Central File Code No. 954 for results of some laboratory analysis of the typifying pedon. Soil Interpretation Record numbers MN0035-depressional phase and MN0594.
National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.