LOCATION SKANDIA MIEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Dysic, frigid Lithic Haplosaprists
TYPICAL PEDON: Skandia mucky peat - on a nearly level forested area. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Oe--0 to 4 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) broken face, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) rubbed and dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) pressed mucky peat (hemic material); about 80 percent fiber, 40 percent rubbed; weak medium platy structure; primarily sphagnum moss fibers; many very fine to coarse roots; extremely acid; clear smooth boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
Oa--4 to 26 inches; black (10YR 2/1) broken face, rubbed and pressed muck (sapric material); about 10 percent fiber, less than 5 percent rubbed; weak medium subangular blocky structure; primarily herbaceous fibers; many very fine to coarse roots in upper 2 inches of horizon; extremely acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (14 to 48 inches thick)
2Cr--26 to 31 inches; dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4) weathered sandstone; massive; firm; extremely acid; clear wavy boundary. (1 to 8 inches thick)
2R--31 inches; dusky red (2.5YR 3/2) sandstone bedrock; bedrock has fractures from 2 to 10mm wide that range from 1 to 5 feet apart.
TYPE LOCATION: Marquette County, Michigan; about four miles east of Big Bay; 330 feet south and 2,475 feet east of the northwest corner of sec. 20, T. 51 N., R. 26 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The depth to sandstone bedrock is commonly 20 to 40 inches but ranges from 16 to 51 inches. Woody fragments are at random throughout the control section and comprise about 10 to 15 percent volume in some pedons. The reaction of the organic portion of the control section commonly has pH of 3.5 to 4.5.
The broken face of the surface an subsurface tier has hue of 10YR, 7.5YR, 5YR, or is neutral; value of 2 to 4; and chroma of 0 to 2. Pressed colors generally increase 1 to 2 units in value and/or chroma. These tiers consist of hemic and/or sapric material, but are primarily sapric herbaceous fibers with some woody fragments throughout.
The 2Cr horizon has hue of 2.5YR to 2.5Y, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 2 to 4. The color is highly variable and is strongly dependent on the type of sandstone.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Churubusco series. Churubusco soils do not have a paralithic contact. Closely related soils include the Beseman, Chippeny, Dawson, Greenwood, and Loxley soils. Chippeny soils have a reaction range in the organic material of 6.1 to 7.8, and are underlain by limestone bedrock. The Beseman, Dawson, Greenwood and Loxley soils do not have a lithic contact within 51 inches
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Skandia soils are in depressions and drainageways on sandstone benches along Lake Superior. Slope gradients are less than 2 percent. Annual precipitation ranges from 30 to 33 inches; the mean annual temperature ranges from 40 to 42 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Lupton, Carbondale and Tawas soils in similar landscape positions.The poorly drained Burt and Jacobsville soils are commonly associated adjacent mineral soils. The excessively drained Deerton and Yellowdog soils, the well drained Onota are in slightly higher landscape positions.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Very poorly drained. These soils have an apparent seasonal high water table that ranges from one foot above the surface to one foot below the surface at some time during the year from September to May. Surface runoff is negligible to low. Permeability in the organic layers is moderate or moderately rapid and very slow or slow in the sandstone.
USE AND VEGETATION: These soils are primarily used as woodland. Dominant species include northern white cedar, black spruce, balsam fir, black ash, eastern hemlock and tamarack. Clear-cut areas are dominated by tag alder.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western and central Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Marquette County, Michigan, 1998. Source of name is a village in Marquette County.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: Lithic subgroup - bedrock within 130 cm.