LOCATION POPPLETON MN+NDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Mixed, frigid Aquic Udipsamments
TYPICAL PEDON: Poppleton fine sand with a slightly convex slope of one percent on a delta of a glacial lake plain in a cultivated field. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 6 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) fine sand, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry; weak very fine granular structure; very friable; common clean sand grains; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 9 inches thick)
E--6 to 9 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) fine sand; massive; loose; few fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) and light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) Fe concentrations; neutral; clear irregular boundary. (0 to 8 inches thick)
Bw1--9 to 16 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) fine sand; single grain; loose; few fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) and light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) and few fine faint brown (10YR 5/3) Fe concentrations and light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) Fe depletions; neutral; gradual smooth boundary.
Bw2--16 to 22 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) fine sand; single grain; loose; common medium faint grayish brown (10YR 5/2) and light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) Fe depletions and few fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) and brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) Fe concentrations; neutral; clear wavy boundary.
Bw3--22 to 27 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) fine sand; single grain; loose; common medium faint light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4), brown (10YR 5/3) Fe concentrations and few fine distinct brownish yellow (10YR 6/6), light brownish gray (10YR 6/2), and light gray (10YR 7/2) Fe depletions; neutral; gradual wavy boundary.
Bw4--27 to 40 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) fine sand; single grain; loose; many coarse prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) and strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) Fe concentrations, and many coarse faint light gray (10YR 7/2) and light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) Fe depletions; neutral; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bw horizons is 23 to 40 inches.)
C1--40 to 49 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) fine sand; single grain; loose; many medium distinct very dark gray (10YR 3/1), very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2), black (10YR 2/1), light gray (10YR 7/2), and light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) Fe depletions, and few fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) and strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) Fe concentrations; most sand grains are coated; neutral; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
C2--49 to 60 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) fine sand; single grain; loose; many medium faint light grayish brown (2.5Y 6/2) Fe depletions and common fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/8), brownish yellow (10YR 6/8) and strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) Fe concentrations; neutral.
TYPE LOCATION: Norman County, Minnesota; about 3 miles east of Twin Valley, 2,515 feet west and 120 feet south of the northeast corner of sec. 25, T. 144 N., R. 44 W. (Wild Rice Twp.)
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to free carbonates ranges from 30 to 70 inches. The series control section does not have rock fragments. The series control section commonly is fine sand, but sand marginal to fine sand is within the range. The content of medium sand and coarser ranges from 5 to 30 percent. The content of coarse and very coarse sand is less than 5 percent of the sand fraction. The series control section ranges from slightly acid or neutral in the upper part and neutral or slightly alkaline in the lower part. The soil moisture control section is dry for 20 to 35 consecutive days at some time during the 120 days following the summer solstice in most years.
Some pedons have an A horizon ranging from 4 to 9 inches in thickness. The A or Ap horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 1 or 2. The texture is fine sand, sand, loamy fine sand, or loamy sand. Reaction is neutral to moderately acid.
The E horizon has hue of 10YR with a value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 2. Texture is fine sand, loamy fine sand, sand, or loamy sand. Reaction is neutral to moderately acid.
Some pedons have an AB horizon with hue of 10YR, value of 3, and chroma of 2 or 3 extending to depths from 10 inches to as much as 16 inches; the soil in this zone contains less than 1 percent organic matter.
The Bw horizons have hue of 10YR with value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 3 or 4. Some subhorizon(s) of the B horizon commonly has a hue of 10YR or 2.5Y with a chroma of 2. A prominent feature of this soil is redoximorphic features in the Bw horizon. Redoximorphic features have hue of 7.5YR or yellower. Texture is fine sand, sand or loamy sand. Reaction is neutral or slightly alkaline.
The C horizons have hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, and value of 5 to 7, chroma of 2 to 4. The texture is sand or fine sand. Reaction is neutral or slightly alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are Aylmer, Clearriver, Hiwood, Lino, Meehan, Redby, Rushlake, Sciota, and Winterfield series. The Aylmer soils are dry for more than 35 consecutive days in the soil moisture control section during the 120 days following the summer solstice in most years. Hiwood and Lino soils are moderately acid or strongly acid in the series control section. The Clearriver, Meehan and Rushlake soils contain more than 30 percent medium sand and coarser in the series control section. The Redby soils contain common or many Fe concentrations with hue of 5YR or redder in the B horizon. Sciota soils are dry for less than 20 consecutive days in the soil moisture control section during the 120 days following the summer solstice in most years. Winterfield soils have an irregular decrease in organic carbon with increasing depth.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: These soils are on slightly convex to slightly concave positions on nearly level glacial lake plains. Slope gradients are less than 3 percent. They formed mostly in very deep, fine sand, lacustrine deposits of Late Wisconsin age. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 37 to 42 degrees F. Mean annual precipitation is 19 to 24 inches. Frost-free days range from 110 to 140. Elevation above sea level ranges from 785 to 1000 feet.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: The Enstrom, Cormant, and Hamar soils are the main ones. The Cormant and Hamar soils are poorly and somewhat poorly drained and are on nearby flats or depressions. The moderately well drained Enstrom soils have underlying loamy glacial till at depths of 20 to 40 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained. Permeability is rapid. Surface runoff is slow. Depth to an apparent seasonal high water table is as high as from 2.5 to 5 feet from November to June in most years.
USE AND VEGETATION: About one half of these soils are used for growing small grains, hay, and potatoes. The remainder is forested or is used for pasture. Native vegetation is tall grass prairie with some aspen as the dominant tree.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern Minnesota, primarily along the eastern fringe of the Lake Agassiz Plain. Moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Reconnaissance Survey of Red River Valley Area, Minnesota, Series l933.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Refer to MAES Central File Code No. 813 for some results of laboratory analysis of the typical pedon.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: Ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface to 9 inches (A & E horizons); udic moisture regime; aquic subgroup - low chroma Fe depletions above 40 inches.