LOCATION SHELTER MIEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, carbonatic, frigid Inceptic Haprendolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Shelter very stony loam on a slope of two percent in a forested area. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated)
A--0 to 4 inches; black (10YR 2/1) very stony loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; moderate medium granular structure; friable; many fine and medium roots; about 8 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles and 20 percent stones; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 7 inches thick)
A/B--4 to 6 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) (A) and dark brown (10YR 3/3) (B) very stony loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) (A) and pale brown (10YR 6/3) (B) dry; moderate medium granular structure; friable; common fine and medium roots; few medium and fine vesicular pores; about 26 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles and 25 percent stones; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 4 inches thick)
Bw--6 to 12 inches; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) very cobbly fine sandy loam; weak very fine subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine roots; common medium and fine vesicular pores; common medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) iron accumulations throughout; about 15 percent gravel, 20 percent cobbles and 5 percent stones; slightly effervescent, moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
Cd1--12 to 26 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) very cobbly fine sandy loam; moderate medium platy fragments; very firm; few fine roots; few fine and very fine vesicular pores; many medium prominent brownish yellow (10YR 6/6 and 6/8) iron accumulations throughout; about 25 percent gravel, 20 percent cobbles and 5 percent stones; violently effervescent, strongly alkaline; clear wavy boundary.
Cd2--26 to 60 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) very cobbly fine sandy loam; moderate medium platy fragments; very firm; few fine and very fine vesicular pores; few fine prominent brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) iron accumulations throughout; about 20 percent gravel, 20 percent cobbles and 5 percent stones; violently effervescent, strongly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Chippewa County, Michigan; about 1 mile northeast of the town of Johnswood on Drummond Island; 2,300 feet north and 1,900 feet west of the southeast corner, sec. 7, T. 41 N., R. 7 E.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The solum thickness ranges from 8 to 16 inches. The control section contains more than 40 percent carbonates by weight. Gravel content for the surface layers ranges from 5 to 25 percent by volume and cobble and stone content ranges from 15 to 40 percent by volume. The subsoil and substratum has 15 to 40 percent gravel by volume and 20 to 40 percent cobbles and stones by volume.
Some pedons have Oe or Oa horizons 1 to 3 inches thick with neutral hues, value of 2 and chroma of 0.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or is neutral,value of 2 or 3 and chroma of 0 to 2. It is cobbly, gravelly, stony, very cobbly, very gravelly or very stony analogues of loam, fine sandy loam or silt loam. Reaction ranges from neutral to moderately alkaline.
The A part of the A/B horizon has similar colors to the A horizon. The B part has hue of 10YR, value and chroma of 3 or 4. It has similar textures to that of the A horizon. Reaction of the A/B horizon ranges from neutral to moderately alkaline.
The Bw horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 or 6, and chroma of 3 or 4. It is very cobbly or very gravelly analogues of fine sandy loam, loam, silt loam or sandy loam. Reaction is moderately alkaline.
The Cd horizons have hue of 7.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 2 to 4. They are very gravelly or very cobbly fine sandy loam, loam, silt loam or sandy loam. Reaction is moderately alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in the family. Related soils are the Detour, Hessel, Johnswood, and Posen series. These soils do not have carbonatic mineralogy. In addition, Detour soils do not have mollic epipedons and are fine-loamy. Hessel soils have lower chroma colors at depths of less than 20 inches and are coarse-loamy. Johnswood soils have an argillic horizon and are well drained.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Shelter soils formed in loamy glacial till on ground moraines, ground moraines, drumlins and glacial lake benches. Slopes range from 0 to 15 percent. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 28 to 32 inches. The mean annual air temperature is about 41 to 43 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Alpena, Ensign, and Posen soils. Alpena soils are sandy-skeletal deposits on ridges and side slopes. Ensign soils are underlain by limestone bedrock at depths of 10 to 20 inches and are on similar landscape positions. Posen soils are in the same drainage sequence on nearby uplands.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained. These soils have a seasonal high water table that is perched on the dense till. The depth to the water table ranges from .5 to 1.0 feet below the surface at some time during the period from October to May. Surface runoff is slow and permeability is very slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of this soil are forested. The principal tree species are quaking aspen, northern whitecedar, paper birch, and balsam fir.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan and northern part of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. This series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Chippewa County, Michigan, 1989.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: mollic epipedon - the zone from the surface to 7 inches after mixing (A horizon); cambic horizon - the zone from 6 to 12 inches (Bw horizon).
Classified as Rendolls based on calcium carbonate equivalent of 40 percent or more immediately below the mollic epipedon.
ADDITIONAL DATA: For data on representative pedon refer to Michigan Technological University, pedon S85MI-033-4.
Soil Interpretation Record No.: MI0334.