LOCATION SKYBERG MN+WIEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Mollic Epiaqualfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Skyberg silt loam, on a linear slope of 1 percent, in a cultivated field, at an elevation of about 370 meters above sea level. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 18 centimeters; black (10YR 2/1) silt loam, gray (10YR 5/1) dry; weak fine granular structure; friable; slightly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (13 to 23 centimeters thick)
E--18 to 36 centimeters; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silt loam; gray (10YR 6/1) dry; weak thin platy structure; friable; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 15 centimeters thick)
Btg1--36 to 61 centimeters; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) silty clay loam; weak and moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common distinct very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) clay films on faces of peds; few fine distinct brown (10YR 4/3) masses of iron accumulation; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 38 centimeters thick)
2Btg2--61 to 76 centimeters; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) loam; strong fine and medium prismatic structure parting to strong medium and coarse angular blocky; firm; common distinct very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) clay films on faces of peds; many thin gray (10YR 5/1) sand and silt coats on faces of peds; many fine and medium distinct light olive brown (2.5Y 5/6) masses of iron accumulation; about 6 percent rock fragments; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
2Btg3--76 to 107 centimeters; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) loam; strong fine and medium prismatic structure parting to strong medium and coarse angular blocky; firm; few distinct very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) clay films on faces of peds; many thin gray (10YR 5/1) sand and silt coats on faces of peds; many medium prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) masses of iron accumulation; about 4 percent rock fragments; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the 2Btg horizon is 20 to 51 centimeters.)
2BCg--107 to 117 centimeters; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) loam; strong coarse prismatic structure parting to weak medium angular blocky; firm; many coarse prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) masses of iron accumulation; about 4 percent rock fragments; neutral; gradual wavy boundary. (5 to 75 centimeters thick)
2BC--117 to 152 centimeters; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) loam; moderate coarse and extremely coarse prismatic structure dissected by few oblique fractures; very firm; few fine distinct light gray (10YR 7/2) carbonate threads; many fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) masses of iron accumulation; about 6 percent rock fragments; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Major Land Resource Area (MLRA) 104-Eastern Iowa and Minnesota Till Prairies, Freeborn County, Minnesota subset; about 3 miles north of London; located about 1,390 feet south and 2,600 feet west of the northeast corner of section 1, T. 101 N., R. 19 W; USGS London topographic quadrangle; lat. 43 degrees 34 minutes 58.7 seconds N. and long. 93 degrees 03 minutes 32.4 seconds W., NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to glacial till--25 to 75 centimeters
Depth to carbonates--100 to 200 centimeters
Clay content in the particle-size control section (weighted average)--20 to 30 percent
Sand content in the particle-size control section (weighted average)--25 to 45 percent
Special feature--some pedons have a stone line or thin layer, 2 to 13 centimeters thick of gravelly and sandy materials at the base of the silty or loamy sediments
Ap or A horizon (when present):
Hue--10YR
Value--2 or 3
Chroma--1 or 2
Texture--loam or silt loam
Clay content--18 to 27 percent
Sand content--5 to 40 percent
Rock fragment content--0 to 10 percent
Reaction--moderately acid to neutral
E horizon (when present):
Hue--10YR or 2.5Y
Value--4 or 5
Chroma--1 to 3
Texture--loam or silt loam
Clay content--18 to 24 percent
Sand content--15 to 45 percent
Rock fragment content--0 to 10 percent
Reaction--moderately acid or slightly acid
In cultivated areas, the E horizon may be mixed in the Ap horizon
Btg horizon:
Hue--10YR or 2.5Y
Value--4 or 5
Chroma--2
Texture--silt loam, silty clay loam or loam
Clay content--20 to 32 percent
Sand content--15 to 45 percent
Rock fragment content--0 to 10 percent
Reaction--very strongly acid to moderately acid
2Btg horizon:
Hue--10YR or 2.5Y
Value--4 or 5
Chroma--2
Texture--loam, clay loam, or sandy clay loam
Clay content--20 to 30 percent
Sand content--25 to 55 percent
Rock fragment content--2 to 15 percent
Reaction--strongly acid to slightly acid
2Bt horizon (when present):
Hue--10YR or 2.5Y
Value--4 or 5
Chroma--3 to 6
Texture--loam, clay loam, or sandy clay loam
Clay content--20 to 30 percent
Sand content--25 to 55 percent
Rock fragment content--2 to 15 percent
Reaction--strongly acid to slightly acid
2BCg horizon:
Hue--10YR or 2.5Y
Value--4 or 5
Chroma--2
Texture--loam
Clay content--18 to 27 percent, mean of 22 percent
Sand content--35 to 50 percent, mean of 44 percent
Rock fragment content--2 to 12 percent
Reaction--slightly acid to moderately alkaline
Moist bulk density--1.75 to 1.90 g/cc
2BC horizon:
Hue--10YR or 2.5Y
Value--4 to 6
Chroma--4 to 8
Texture--loam
Clay content--18 to 27 percent, mean of 22 percent
Sand content--35 to 50 percent, mean of 44 percent
Rock fragment content--2 to 12 percent
Reaction--slightly acid to moderately alkaline
Moist bulk density--1.75 to 1.90 g/cc
COMPETING SERIES: This is the
Havana series.
Havana--have a moist bulk density of less than 1.75 g/cc in the lower third of the series control section
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material--25 to 75 centimeters of silty or loamy sediments and the underlying glacial till
Landform--linear and concave slopes on dissected till plains
Slope--0 to 2 percent
Elevation--305 to 427 meters above sea level
Mean annual air temperature--7 to 10 degrees C
Mean annual precipitation--700 to 870 millimeters
Frost-free period--150 to 180 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Bassett,
Clyde,
Kasson,
Maxfield,
Oran, and
Tripoli soils. Basset, Kasson, and Oran are members of a hydrosequence with Skyberg soils.
Bassett--are at higher elevations on side slopes and have a frequently saturated zone at a depth of 1 meter in normal years
Clyde--are at lower elevations in drainageways and have mollic epipedons
Kasson--are at higher elevations on side slopes and have a frequently saturated zone at a depth of 0.75 meter in normal years
Maxfield--are at lower elevations in flat to concave slopes, have a sand content that averages less than 15 percent in the particle-size control section, and have mollic epipedons
Oran--are at slightly higher elevations and have a frequently saturated zone at a depth of 0.3 meter in normal years
Tripoli--are at lower elevations in flat to concave slopes and have mollic epipedons
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class--poorly drained--these soils are frequently saturated at the soil surface during the wettest portions of normal years, both perched and apparent saturation can occur on this soil based on precipitation frequency and intensity during a given period of time
Saturated hydraulic conductivity--1.00 to 10.00 micrometers per second (moderately high) in the silty or loamy sediments and 0.01 to 1.00 micrometers per second (low or moderately low) in the underlying glacial till
Surface runoff potential--negligible or very low
USE AND VEGETATION:
Most areas are cultivated. The principal crops are corn, soybeans, small grains, and legume hay. The native vegetation is mixed prairie cordgrass, switchgrass, other grasses of the tall grass prairie and mixed deciduous trees.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Physiographic Division--Interior Plains
Physiographic Province--Central Lowland
Physiographic sections--Dissected till plains and Western lake section
MLRAs--Eastern Iowa and Minnesota Till Prairies (104) and Wisconsin and Minnesota Thin Loess and Till (90)
LRR M; west central Wisconsin and southeastern Minnesota
Extent--large
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Indianapolis, Indiana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Fillmore County, Minnesota, 1955
REMARKS:
Particle-size control section--the zone from a depth of 36 to 86 centimeters (Btg1, 2Btg2, and 2Btg3 horizons);
series control section--the zone from the surface to a depth of 150 centimeters (Ap, E, Btg1, 2Btg2, 2Btg3, 2BCg, and 2BC horizons).
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon include:
ochric epipedon--the zone from the surface to a depth of 36 centimeters (Ap and E horizons);
argillic horizon--the zone from a depth of 36 to 107 centimeters (Btg1, 2Btg2, and 2Btg3 horizons);
aquic suborder--2.5Y 4/2 color of matrix with redoximorphic concentrations in the zone from a depth of 36 to 117 centimeters (Btg1, 2Btg2, 2Btg3, and 2BCg horizons).
Some pedons have vertical seams or wedges of sand or loamy sand about 5 to 15 centimeters wide and about 0.9 to 1.2 meters deep extending downward from the stone line into the glacial till.
Cation-exchange activity class is inferred from lab data from similar soils in the surrounding area.
This is a benchmark soil on the Minnesota list of benchmark soils.
Type location moved from Goodhue County Minnesota to Freeborn County, Minnesota to better represent the central concept of the series.
Historically there has been an overlap with this series and the Oran series. Based on MLRA correlation, the drainage class of Skyberg series is changed to poorly drained and the drainage class of Oran series remains somewhat poorly drained. Depending on landscape position, much of what was mapped Skyberg in the past may be correlated as Oran in the future.
Taxonomy version--Keys to Soil Taxonomy, tenth edition, 2006.