LOCATION SANDWICK MNEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Arenic Glossaqualfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Sandwick loamy fine sand, on a slope of 1 percent, in forested area with mixed hardwoods and conifers. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
E--0 to 4 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) loamy fine sand, light gray (10YR 7/2) dry; weak medium platy structure; very friable; many medium roots; common fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) Fe concentrations and common medium faint gray (10YR 5/1) Fe depletions; moderately acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
Bs--4 to 10 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) loamy fine sand; very friable; few medium roots; many medium distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) Fe concentrations; less than 1 percent gravel; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 20 inches thick)
E'1--10 to 22 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) loamy fine sand; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; very friable; few fine roots; common fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) Fe concentrations; less than 1 percent gravel; slightly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (10 to 24 inches thick)
2E'2--22 to 25 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) loam; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine roots; common medium prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) Fe concentrations; about 5 percent gravel; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
2E/B--25 to 28 inches; about 75 percent light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) loam (E); weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; surrounds bodies and tongues into about 25 percent grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) loam (Bt); moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm; few fine roots; few faint grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) clay films on faces of peds and in old root channels (Bt); few fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) Fe concentrations; about 5 percent gravel; slightly acid; clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of 2E/B, B/E or both is 2 to 16 inches.)
2Btg1--28 to 34 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm; few very fine roots; common distinct dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) clay films on faces of peds and in old root channels; few tongues (less than 15 percent) of light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2); common medium prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) Fe concentrations; about 5 percent gravel; slightly acid; gradual smooth boundary.
2Btg2--34 to 38 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few distinct dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) clay films on faces of peds; few medium prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) Fe concentrations; about 5 percent gravel; neutral; gradual smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of Btg horizon is 6 to 20 inches.)
2Cg--38 to 60 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) loam; massive; friable; common medium prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) Fe concentrations; about 5 percent gravel; slightly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Itasca County, Minnesota; about 8 miles north and about 1 3/4 miles east of Grand Rapids; located about 2,000 feet west and 1,000 feet north of the southeast corner of section 3, T. 56 N, R. 25 W.; USGS Bovey topographic quadrangle; lat. 47 degrees 21 minutes 25 seconds N. and long. 93 degrees 29 minutes 56 seconds W., NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The sandy mantle ranges from 20 to 40 inches thick. Rock fragments (primarily pebble size) range from 0 to 10 percent by volume in the sandy mantle. Rock fragments in loamy material range from 2 to 10 percent by volume. They are mainly gravel or cobblestone size, but some pedons contain boulders. In some pedons there is a thin gravelly lag line at the juncture of materials 1 and 2.
Some pedons have thin 0 or A1 horizons or both.
The E horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 1 to 3, or value of 4 and chroma of 1 or 2. It is loamy fine sand, loamy sand, fine sand, or sand. It is slightly acid to strongly acid.
The Bs horizon has hue of 10Y to 5YR, value of 3 to 6, and chroma of 3 or 4. It has faint or distinct redoximorphic features. It is loamy sand, loamy fine sand, loamy coarse sand, sand, fine sand, or coarse sand. It is slightly acid to strongly acid. Some pedons have a Bw horizon.
The E'1 and 2E'2 horizons have hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value or 5 or 6, and chroma of 1 or 2. They have distinct or prominent redoximorphic features. The E'1 horizon has textures like the E or Bs horizons. The 2E' horizon is loam, clay loam, or sandy clay loam. It is slightly acid to strongly acid.
Colors and textures of B/E or E/B horizons are like those of overlying E' and underlying Bt horizons.
The 2Btg horizon has hue of 5Y, 2.5Y, or 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 2 or 3. It has high chroma redoximorphic features. It is loam, clay loam, sandy loam, or sandy clay loam. It has continuous to common, thin, and moderately thick clay films on the faces of peds and in root channels. It is moderately acid to neutral.
The 2Cg horizon has hue of 5Y or 2.5Y, value or 4 to 7, and chroma of 1 or 2 with high chroma redoximorphic features. It is loam, clay loam, sandy loam, or fine sandy loam. It is neutral to moderately alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Sandwick soils are on plane or slightly concave surfaces on lake plains or moraines. Slope gradients range from 0 to 2 percent. These soils formed in a mantle of sandy glacial outwash or eolian material and underlying loamy till or lacustrine sediments. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 24 to 30 inches. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 36 to 42 degrees F. Frost-free period ranges from 88 to 120 days. Elevation ranges from 900 to 1,350 feet above sea level.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: The Cutaway soils are members of a drainage sequence with the Sandwick and are the dominant associated soils. The Cutaway soils are well drained and moderately well drained and are on higher positions in the landscape. Other associated soils are the very poorly drained Greenwood, Loxley, Lupton, and Mooselake soils which are in depressions. These soils formed dominantly in organic material.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained. Surface runoff is low. Permeability is rapid in the sandy mantle and moderately slow in the underlying material. Depth to an apparent seasonal high water table is as high as .5 to 1.5 feet at some time from April to June in normal years.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most of this soil is forested. The main trees are eastern white pine, jack pine, quaking aspen, and red pine. Some of this soil is cleared and used for forage and small grain production.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: North-central Minnesota. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Itasca County, Minnesota. 1982.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features are: ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface to a depth of 10 inches (E and Bs horizons); albic horizon - the zone from 0 to 4 inches (E horizon) and from 10 to 28 inches (E'1, 2E'2 horizons); glossic horizon - the zone from 25 to 28 inches (2E/B horizon);argillic horizon - the zone from 28 to 38 inches (2Btg1 and 2Btg2 horizons); arenic subgroup per sandy texture in upper 22 inches; aquic moisture regime per low chroma of argillic horizon; glossic characteristics due to tonguing of E' into the 2Bt horizon.
ADDITIONAL DATA: See Minnesota Ag. Exp. Station Central File Code 2630 for data on a representative pedon. Additional field study may show this series could be classified as sandy over loamy, mixed, frigid Alfic Endoaquods.