LOCATION PILLOT             IL+IA WI
Established Series
Rev. GOW-MRL-TWN
01/2005

PILLOT SERIES


The Pillot series consists of very deep, well drained soils formed in 51 to 102 centimeters (20 to 40 inches) of loess or other silty material and in the underlying loamy sand or sandy deposits. These soils are on loess covered sandy outwash plains, wind-blown sandy hummocks, or treads and risers on stream terraces. Slopes range from 0 to 18 percent. Mean annual air temperature is about 11 degrees C (51 degrees F). Mean annual precipitation is about 89 centimeters (35 inches).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty over sandy or sandy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Argiudolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Pillot silt loam, in a cultivated field. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)

Ap--0 to 20 centimeters (0 to 8 inches); black (10YR 2/1) silt loam; moderate fine and medium granular structure; friable; many roots; slightly acid; abrupt smooth boundary.

A1--20 to 28 centimeters (8 to 11 inches); black (10YR 2/1) silt loam; moderate fine and medium granular structure; friable; many roots; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary.

A2--28 to 38 centimeters (11 to 15 inches); very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) silt loam; moderate fine and medium granular structure; friable; common roots; common distinct black (10YR 2/1) organic coats on faces of peds; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary. [Combined thickness of the A horizon is 25 to 51 centimeters (10 to 20 inches).]

Bt1--38 to 48 centimeters (15 to 19 inches); brown (10YR 4/3) silty clay loam; weak very fine subangular blocky structure; friable; common roots; common distinct dark brown (10YR 3/3) organic coats on faces of peds; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary.

Bt2--48 to 61 centimeters (19 to 24 inches); dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) silty clay loam; moderate very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; firm; common roots; many distinct brown (10YR 4/3) clay films on faces of peds; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary.

Bt3--61 to 81 centimeters (24 to 32 inches); dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) silty clay loam; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; firm; common roots; common distinct dark brown (10YR 3/3) clay films on faces of peds; few black (5YR 2/1) stains; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary. [Combined thickness of the Bt horizon is 25 to 51 centimeters (10 to 20 inches) thick.]

2BC--81 to 91 centimeters (32 to 36 inches); dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) sandy clay loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; firm; few roots; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary. [0 to 13 centimeters (0 to 5 inches) thick]

2C1--91 to 104 centimeters (36 to 41 inches); yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) loamy sand; single grain; loose; moderately acid; abrupt smooth boundary.

2C2--104 to 152 centimeters (41 to 60 inches); yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) loamy sand stratified with thin sandy loam lenses; single grain; loose; moderately acid.

TYPE LOCATION: Major Land Resource Area (MLRA) 108B-Illinois and Iowa Deep Loess and Drift, East Central Part; Logan County, Illinois subset; about 2 miles south of San Jose; about 730 meters (2,396 feet) east and 9 meters (30 feet) north of the southwest corner of section 7, T. 21 N., R. 4 W.; USGS Delavan South quadrangle; lat. 40 degrees 16 minutes 36 seconds N. and long. 89 degrees 35 seconds 37 seconds W., NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Thickness of the mollic epipedon--25 to 51 centimeters (10 to 20 inches)
Depth to loamy sand or sandy deposits--51 to 102 centimeters (20 to 40 inches)
Depth to carbonates--greater than 152 centimeters (greater than 60 inches)
Content of clay in the upper two thirds of the particle-size control section (weighted average)--24 to 35 percent
Content of clay in the lower one third of the particle-size control section (weighted average)--2 to 10 percent
Content of sand in the upper two thirds of the particle-size control section (weighted average)--less than 10 percent
Content of sand in the lower one third of the particle-size control section (weighted average)--70 to 95 percent

Ap or A horizon:
Hue--10YR
Value--2 or 3
Chroma--1 to 3
Texture--silt loam or silty clay loam
Clay content--20 to 30 percent
Sand content--less than 10 percent
Reaction--moderately acid to neutral

AB horizon (when present):
Hue--10YR
Value--2 or 3
Chroma--2 or 3
Texture--silt loam or silty clay loam
Clay content--20 to 30 percent
Sand content--less than 10 percent
Reaction--moderately acid to neutral

Bt horizon:
Hue--7.5YR or 10YR
Value--3 to 5
Chroma--3 or 4
Texture--silty clay loam or silt loam
Clay content--24 to 35 percent
Sand content--less than 10 percent
Reaction--moderately acid to neutral

2BC horizon (when present):
Hue--7.5YR or 10YR
Value--3 to 5
Chroma--3 or 4
Texture--sandy clay loam, loam, sandy loam, clay loam, fine sandy loam, loamy fine sand, or loamy sand
Clay content--5 to 25 percent
Sand content--40 to 80 percent
Reaction--moderately acid to neutral

2C horizon:
Hue--10YR
Value--4 to 6
Chroma--4 to 6
Texture--loamy fine sand, loamy sand, sand, or stratified and contain strata of fine sand and sandy loam
Clay content--2 to 10 percent
Sand content--75 to 95 percent
Reaction--moderately acid to neutral

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Sylvester and Whitehall series.
Sylvester--have a paralithic contact with sandstone bedrock within depths of 51 to 102 centimeters (20 and 40 inches)
Whitehall--have a frequently saturated zone within depths of 1.1 to 1.8 meters (3.5 to 6 feet) in normal years

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material--51 to 102 centimeters (20 to 40 inches) of loess or other silty material and in the underlying loamy sand or sandy deposits
Landform--loess covered sandy outwash plains, wind-blown sandy hummocks, or treads and risers on stream terraces
Slopes--0 to 18 percent
Elevation--152 to 427 meters (500 to 1,400 feet) above sea level
Mean annual air temperature--7 to 14 degrees C (45 to 57 degrees F)
Mean annual precipitation--76 to 102 centimeters (30 to 40 inches)
Frost-free period--145 to 180 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Dickinson, Ipava, Onarga, and Tama soils.
Dickinson--are in landscape positions similar to those of the Pillot soils and have a clay content of 10 to 18 percent in the particle-size control section
Ipava--are at higher elevations on interfluves, have a frequently saturated zone within depths of 0.3 to 0.6 meters (1 to 2 feet) in normal years, and have a clay content of 35 to 42 percent in the particle-size control section
Onarga--are in landscape positions similar to those of the Pillot soils, have a clay content of 12 to 18 percent in the particle-size control section, and have an argillic horizon
Tama--are at higher elevations on interfluves and side slopes, have a clay content of 24 to 32 percent and a sand content of less than 5 percent in the particle-size control section

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY:
Drainage class--well drained--a frequently saturated zone does not occur within a depth of 1.8 meters (6 feet) in normal years
Saturated hydraulic conductivity--moderately high in the upper part and high or very high in the underlying sandy deposits
Surface runoff potential--negligible to medium, depending on slope

USE AND VEGETATION:
Most areas are cultivated. The principal crops are corn, small grain, and grass-legume hay. The native vegetation is big bluestem, little bluestem, switchgrass, and other grasses of the tall grass prairie.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Physiographic Division--Interior Plains
Physiographic Province--Central Lowland
Physiographic Sections--Wisconsin driftless section, Till Plains, and Dissected till plains
MLRAs--Northern Mississippi Valley Loess Hills (105) and Illinois and Iowa Deep Loess and Drift (108)
LRR M; central and northwestern Illinois, western Wisconsin and eastern Iowa
Extent--moderate

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Trempealeau County, Wisconsin, 1969

REMARKS:
Particle size control section--the zone from a depth of 38 to 100 centimeters (15 to 39 inches) (Bt1, Bt2, Bt3, 2BC and 2C1 horizons);
series control section--the zone from the surface to a depth of 150 centimeters (0 to 59 inches) (Ap, A1, A2, Bt1, Bt2, Bt3, 2BC, 2C1, and 2C2 horizons)

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
mollic epipedon--the zone from the surface to a depth of 38 centimeters (0 to 15 inches) (Ap, A1 and A2 horizons);
argillic horizon--the zone from a depth of 38 to 81 centimeters (15 to 32 inches) (Bt1, Bt2 and Bt3 horizons);
udic moisture regime.

Cation-exchange class is supported by laboratory data, pedon number 66IL107007, NSSL.

Taxonomy version--Keys to Soil Taxonomy, ninth edition, 2003

ADDITIONAL DATA:
Laboratory data--National Soil Survey Laboratory, Lincoln, Nebraska, pedon number 66IL107007 (http://ssldata.sc.egov.usda.gov/)


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.