LOCATION SHAG MI+WIEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-silty, mixed, active, frigid Typic Endoaquolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Shag silt loam - on a nearly level slope in a forested area at an elevation of 1,245 feet. (Colors are for moist soils unless otherwise stated. When described on August 24, 1995, the soil was moist throughout.)
Oa--0 to 2 inches; black (N 2.5/0) muck; moderate fine granular structure; very friable; many very fine to coarse roots; neutral; clear wavy boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
A1--2 to 5 inches; black (10YR 2/1) silt loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; moderate medium granular structure; friable; many very fine to coarse roots; about 5 percent gravel; neutral; clear wavy boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)
A2--5 to 11 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) silt loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; many very fine to coarse roots; few fine vesicular pores; common fine distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) masses of iron accumulation; about 5 percent gravel; neutral; clear wavy boundary. (3 to 7 inches thick)
Bw1--11 to 17 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) silt loam; weak thin platy structure; friable; common very fine and fine and few medium roots; common fine vesicular pores; common distinct silt coatings on faces of peds; few fine prominent gray (5Y 5/1) iron depletions along root channels; many medium distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation; about 2 percent gravel; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy. (5 to 8 inches thick)
Bw2--17 to 25 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) silt loam; weak medium platy structure; friable; few very fine and fine roots; common fine vesicular pores; common distinct silt coatings on faces of peds; many medium distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation; about 2 percent gravel; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
C--25 to 80 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/3) silt loam; massive with weak very thin plates inherited from the parent material; friable; few very fine roots; common fine vesicular pores; many medium faint strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation; about 2 percent gravel; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Marquette County, Michigan; about 13 miles south of National Mine; 470 feet west and 90 feet north of the southeast corner of section 21, T.45N., R.27W.; USGS Green Hills topographic quadrangle; lat. 46 degrees 16 minutes 40.02 seconds N. and long. 87 degrees 41 minutes 8.66 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Volume of gravel ranges from 0 to 5 percent and the volume of cobbles ranges from 0 to 2 percent throughout the pedon. Total volume of coarse fragments ranges from 0 to 5 percent. The mean annual soil temperature is 41 to 45 degrees F.
The Oa horizon has hue of 7.5YR, 10YR, or is neutral, value of 2 or 2.5, and chroma of 0 or 1. Reaction ranges from moderately acid to neutral.
The A1 horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 2 moist, 3 or 4 dry, and chroma of 1. It is silt loam or loam. Reaction ranges from moderately acid to neutral.
The A2 horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 3 moist, 4 or 5 dry, and chroma of 1 moist, 2 dry. It is silt loam or loam. Reaction is neutral.
The Bw1 horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 4. It is silt loam or very fine sandy loam. Reaction is neutral to moderately alkaline.
The Bw2 horizon, not in all pedons, has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 4. It is silt loam or very fine sandy loam. Reaction is neutral to moderately alkaline.
The C horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 5, and chroma of 3 or 4. It is stratified loamy very fine sand, very fine sandy loam, silt loam, and silty clay loam.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Shag soils are on lake plains with little to no slope ranging from 0 to 2 percent. They formed in glaciolacustrine deposits on elevations as high as 1250 feet. Mean annual precipitation ranges between 31 and 34 inches. Mean annual temperature ranges between 37 and 42 degrees F. The frost free period ranges from 100 to 130 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: Shag soils are associated with Carbondale, Cathro, Croswell, Evart, Fence, and Spear (proposed) soils. The very poorly drained Carbondale and Cathro soils formed in organic deposits and occur on similar landscape positions. The moderately well drained Croswell soils formed in sandy deposits and occur on higher landscape positions. The poorly drained Evart soils formed in sandy alluvium and occur on lower landscape positions. The moderately well drained Fence and the somewhat poorly drained Spear (proposed) soils are in the same drainage sequence.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained. Depth to a seasonal water table ranges from 1 foot above the surface to 1 foot below the surface from September to June. Runoff is slow. Permeability is moderately slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of Shag soils are wooded. Primary tree species include quaking aspen and balsam fir. Common ground species include sedges, horsetail, bedstraw, dewberry, and mosses.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Upper Peninsula of Michigan, MLRA 93. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Marquette County, Michigan, 1998. Source of the name is a lake about 9 miles to the east of the typical pedon.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: Mollic Epipedon - from a depth of 0 to 11 inches (the Oa, A1, and A2 horizons); Particle-size control section - the zone from 10 to 40 inches.
This soil fills the poorly drained position in the Sporley(wd)/Fence(mwd) catena.