LOCATION SHELLDRAKE MIEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Frigid, uncoated Typic Quartzipsamments
TYPICAL PEDON: Shelldrake sand - in a forested area. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Oe--0 to 2 centimeters; partially decomposed forest litter. (0 to 5 centimeters thick)
Oa--2 to 8 centimeters; black (N 2.5/0) well decomposed forest litter; weak very fine subangular blocky structure; very friable many very fine to very coarse roots; extremely acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 5 centimeters thick)
A--8 to 10 centimeters; very dark grayish brown (10YR2/2) sand, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) dry; single grain; loose; many very fine to very coarse roots; about 40 percent clean sand grains; extremely acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 5 centimeters thick)
C--10 to 203 centimeters; very pale brown (10YR 7/3) sand, single grain; loose; common very fine and medium roots; few, prominent dark yellowish brown (10YR4/2) organic stains; extremely acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Alger County, Michigan; about 4 miles northwest of Melstrand, 1300 west and 1400 feet north of the southeast corner of sec. 25, T48N., R18W; USGS Grand Portal Point topographic quadrangle; Lat. 46 degrees 31 minutes 27 seconds, and Long. 86 degrees 29 minutes 38 seconds.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The depth to the C horizon ranges from 10 to 70 centimeters. Reaction ranges from extremely acid to moderately acid throughout the pedon.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or is neutral, value of 2 to 4, and chroma of 0 to 2. It is sand or fine sand.
The E horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 5 to 7, and chroma of 1 to 4. It is sand or fine sand
The Bw horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 5 to 7, and chroma of 2 to 8. It is fine sand or sand.
Some pedons have BC horizons.
The C horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 6 to 8 and chroma of 2 to 6. It is sand or fine sand.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Simescreek and Twinmound series. Simescreek soils have 5 percent or more of silt plus clay in the upper 25 to 50 centimeters. Twinmound soils have a paralithic contact within 150 centimeters. Closely related or similar soils are the Deer Park, Eastport, Feldtmann, Grayling, Menahga, Nymore and Shawano series. Deer Park, Eastport, Grayling, Menahga, Nymore and Shawano soils have darker subsoils and contain more weatherable minerals. Feldtmann soils have redder hues.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Shelldrake soils are on low sandy beach ridges along the Great Lakes. Slope gradients range from 0 to 12 percent. The sands are very low in weatherable minerals. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 660 to 840 millimeters and the mean annual temperature from 5 to 7 degrees C.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: Rubicon soils are the most common well drained associate. Au Gres, Croswell, Kinross, and Roscommon soils are wetter associates.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Excessively drained. Surface runoff is very slow. Permeability is very rapid.
USE AND VEGETATION: Major use is for woodland and recreation. Vegetation is dominantly jack pine and red pine, and some paper birch and eastern white pine. Common ground flora is bracken fern, lowsweet blueberry, wintergreen, trailing arbutus, Canada blueberry and Canada mayflower.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Major Land Resource Areas 93B and 94B. The series is inextensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Chippewa County, Michigan, 1927.