LOCATION ROCKCUT MIEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy-skeletal over loamy, mixed, active, nonacid, frigid Aeric Fluvaquents
TYPICAL PEDON: Rockcut extremely stony loamy sand on a 1 percent slope in a forested area. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Oe--3 to 0 inches; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) partially decomposed leaf litter; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many medium to very coarse roots; about 10 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles and 25 percent stones; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
A--0 to 4 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) extremely stony loamy sand, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many fine to coarse roots; about 25 percent gravel, 15 percent cobbles and 25 percent stones; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
Bw--4 to 14 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) extremely cobbly loamy sand; common fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) mottles; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; common fine and medium roots; about 25 percent gravel, 40 percent cobbles; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (6 to 13 inches thick)
2BC--14 to 17 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) and brown (7.5YR 5/4) stratified loamy sand, silt loam and silty clay loam; common medium distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) and prominent yellowish red (5YR 5/8) mottles; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine and medium roots; about 5 percent gravel and 5 percent cobbles; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 5 inches thick)
2C1--17 to 35 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) and yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silt loam; few fine prominent greenish gray (5GY 5/1) and many medium distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) mottles; massive; firm; few fine and medium roots; neutral; clear smooth boundary.
2C2--35 to 60 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2), brown (7.5YR 4/4) and reddish brown (5YR 5/4) stratified silt, silt loam and silty clay; few fine distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) and common fine prominent greenish gray (5GY 5/1) mottles; massive; firm; moderate effervescence; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Chippewa County, Michigan; on Sugar Island, 2500 feet north and 1320 feet east of the southwest corner of sec.11, T. 47 N., R. 1 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The solum ranges from 15 to 25 inches. Depth to the stratified material ranges from 14 to 21 inches. Gravel content in the sandy upper part ranges from 10 to 30 percent and cobble and stone content ranges from 20 to 50 percent. The control section averages greater than 35 percent rock fragments. The 2BC horizon has up to 10 percent cobbles and 5 to 15 percent gravel. Reaction of the solum ranges from strongly acid to slightly acid and reaction of the substratum ranges from neutral to moderately alkaline.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR and value and chroma of 2 or 3. It is extremely stony or very stony analogues of sandy loam or loamy sand.
The Bw horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 4 to 6. It is the extremely cobbly, extremely gravelly, very cobbly or very gravelly analogues of loamy sand, sand or coarse sand.
The 2BC horizon has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 2 to 4. It is stratified silt loam, loamy sand, silty clay loam, sandy loam or their gravelly analogues.
The 2C horizon has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 4 to 6 and chroma of 2 to 4. It is stratified silt, silt loam, silty clay loam or silty clay.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in the same family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Rockcut soils are on low knolls and ridges in former glacial river flood plains. They formed in sandy deposits underlain by stratified loamy material. Slopes range from 0 to 3 percent. The mean annual precipitation ranges from about 28 to 35 inches, and the mean annual temperature ranges from 41 to 44 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the poorly drained and very poorly drained Markey and poorly drained Pinconning soils in slightly lower landscape positions.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained. Surface runoff is slow. Permeability is rapid in the upper sandy material and moderately slow in the loamy lower material.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are forested with paper birch, balsam fir, quaking aspen, red maple and white spruce being the primary species.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Chippewa County, Michigan, 1989.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and other features recognized in this pedon are: ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 4 inches (A horizon); aquic soil moisture regime.