LOCATION RIVERSTON          MN+IA
Established Series
Rev. TCJ-AGG-TWN
06/2009

RIVERSTON SERIES


The Riverston series consists of very deep, poorly drained soils formed in 100 to 150 centimeters of loamy alluvium over outwash. These soils are on flood plains in river valleys. Slope ranges from 0 to 2 percent. Mean annual air temperature is about 8 degrees C. Mean annual precipitation is about 735 millimeters.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, calcareous, mesic Cumulic Endoaquolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Riverston clay loam, on a slope of 1 percent, in a cultivated field, at an elevation of about 427 meters above mean sea level. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)

Ap--0 to 25 centimeters; black (10YR 2/1) clay loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; about 3 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary.

A--25 to 53 centimeters; black (10YR 2/1) clay loam dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; about 4 percent gravel; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary.

AB--53 to 79 centimeters; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) clay loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; about 5 percent gravel; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary.

Bg--79 to 91 centimeters; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) clay loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) iron concentrations; about 4 percent gravel; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary.

Cg--91 to 109 centimeters; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) sandy loam; massive; very friable; common medium yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) iron concentrations; about 3 percent gravel; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary.

2Cg--109 to 203 centimeters; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) sand; single grain; about 14 percent gravel; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Major Land Resource Area (MLRA) 103-Central Iowa and Minnesota Till Prairies, Cottonwood County, Minnesota subset; about 8 miles south and 1 mile east of Storden; located about 1700 feet south and 65 feet east of the northwest corner of section 9, T. 105 N., R. 37 W.; USGS Heron Lake, NE topographic quadrangle; lat. 43 degrees 54 minutes 57 seconds N. and long. 95 degrees 18 minutes 02 seconds W., NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to carbonates--0 to 25 centimeters
Thickness of the mollic epipedon--60 to 130 centimeters
Depth to outwash sediments--100 to 150 centimeters
Clay content of the particle-size control section (weighted average)--20 to 35 percent
Sand content of the particle-size control section (weighted average)--30 to 50 percent

Ap or A horizon:
Hue--10YR, 2.5Y, or is neutral
Value--2 or 3
Chroma--0 to 2
Texture--clay loam, silty clay loam, loam, sandy loam, or silt loam
Clay content--12 to 32 percent
Sand content--15 to 65 percent
Rock fragment content--0 to 6 percent
Reaction--pH 7.4 to 8.4
Thickness--25 to 100 centimeters

AB or BA horizon, when present:
Hue--10YR, 2.5Y, or is neutral
Value--2 to 4
Chroma--0 to 2
Texture--clay loam, silty clay loam, loam, sandy loam, or silt loam
Clay content--12 to 32 percent
Sand content--15 to 65 percent
Rock fragment content--0 to 6 percent
Reaction--pH 7.4 to 8.4
Thickness--0 to 25 centimeters

Bg horizon, when present:
Hue--2.5Y, 5Y, or is neutral
Value--2 to 5
Chroma--0 to 2
Texture--clay loam, silty clay loam, sandy clay loam, silt loam, or loam
Clay content--20 to 35 percent
Sand content--12 to 65 percent
Rock fragment content--less than 15 percent
Reaction--pH 7.4 to 8.4
Thickness--0 to 25 centimeters

Some pedons have thin strata of sandy loam or thin strata of rock fragments

Cg horizon:
Hue--10YR, 2.5Y, 5Y, or is neutral
Value--2 to 6
Chroma--0 to 2
Texture--loam, sandy loam, loam, sandy clay loam, clay loam
Clay content--15 to 35 percent
Sand content--20 to 65 percent
Rock fragment content--less than 15 percent
Reaction--pH 7.4 to 8.4

Some pedons have redoximorphic features with chroma ranging up to 8

Some pedons have strata of sandy loam to silty clay loam

2Cg horizon:
Hue--10YR, 2.5Y, 5Y, or is neutral
Value--2 to 6
Chroma--0 to 2
Texture--sand, coarse sand, loamy sand, loamy coarse sand, or the gravelly analogues of these textures
Clay content--5 to 12 percent
Sand content--70 to 95 percent
Rock fragment content--0 to 35 percent
Reaction--pH 7.4 to 8.4

In some pedons, this horizon is stratified with loamy fine sand, sand, and thin layers of fine sandy loam

Some pedons have redoximorphic features with chroma ranging up to 8

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bishop, Havelock, Millington, Stearns, and Winner series.
Bishop--have a sand content of less than 70 percent in the lower third of the series control section and are in areas that have a mean annual precipitation range of 130 to 380 millimeters
Havelock--have a sand content of 20 to 70 percent in the lower third of the series control section
Millington--have a clay content that averages 18 to 35 percent in the lower third of the series control section
Stearns--have a sand content of less than 70 percent in the lower third of the series control section
Winner--have a rock fragment content of 35 to 60 percent in the lower third of the series control section

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material--100 to 150 centimeters of loamy alluvium over outwash
Landform--flood plains in river valleys
Slope--0 to 2 percent
Elevation--300 to 400 meters above sea level
Mean annual air temperature--6 to 10 degrees C
Mean annual precipitation--585 to 890 millimeters
Frost-free period--155 to 200 days

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Coland, Estherville, Havelock, Shandep, and Spillville soils.
Coland--are on landscape positions similar to those of the Riverston soils and do not have carbonates within a depth of 122 centimeters
Estherville--are on higher landscape positions on summits and side slopes and do not have a frequently saturated zone within a depth of 1.8 meters during the wettest periods of years when precipitation is within one standard deviation of 30 year mean of annual precipitation
Havelock--are on landscape positions similar to those of the Riverston soils and have a sand content of 20 to 70 percent in the lower third of the series control section
Shandep--are on landscape positions similar to those of the Riverston soils and do not have carbonates within a depth of 100 centimeters
Spillville--are on slightly higher landscape positions and do not have carbonates within a depth of 100 centimeters

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class--poorly drained--these soils are frequently saturated between the soil surface and a depth of 0.3 meters during the wettest periods of years when precipitation is within one standard deviation of 30 year mean of annual precipitation
Saturated hydraulic conductivity--10.00 to 100.00 micrometers per second in the loamy alluvium and 10.00 to 705.00 micrometers per second in the underlying outwash
Flooding--rarely to frequently flooded for brief to long duration

USE AND VEGETATION:
Most areas are cultivated. Some areas are pastured. The principal crops are corn, soybeans, small grains, and legume-hay. The native vegetation is big bluestem, western wheatgrass, sedges, blue grama, and other species of the tall grass prairie that are tolerant of excessive wetness.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Physiographic Division--Interior Plains
Physiographic Province--Central Lowland
Physiographic section--Western lake section
MLRA--Central Iowa and Minnesota Till Prairies (103)
LRR M; north-central Iowa and south-central Minnesota
Extentsmall

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota; MLRA SSO 10-5 (Albert Lea, Minnesota).

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Cottonwood County, Minnesota, 2009.

REMARKS:
Particle-size control section--the zone from a depth of 25 to 100 centimeters;
series control section--the zone from the surface to a depth of 150 centimeters.

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
mollic epipedon--the zone from the surface to a depth of 79 centimeters (Ap, A, and AB horizons);
cambic horizon--the zone from a depth of 79 centimeters to a depth of 91 centimeters (Bg horizon);
aquic moisture regime.

This series was formerly included in Millington, sandy substratum phase.

Cation-exchange activity class is inferred from lab data from similar soils in the surrounding area.

Taxonomy version--Keys to Soil Taxonomy, tenth edition, 2006.


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.