LOCATION SPARTA WI+IA IL IN MI MN OHEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy, mixed, mesic Entic Hapludolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Sparta loamy fine sand, on a 3 percent slope, in a cultivated field, at an elevation of about 259 meters above sea level. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 28 centimeters; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) loamy fine sand, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; many fine roots; moderately acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (17 to 30 centimeters thick)
AB--28 to 38 centimeters; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) loamy fine sand, brown (7.5YR 5/2) dry; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; very friable; common fine roots; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 30 centimeters thick)
Bw1--38 to 86 centimeters; brown (7.5YR 4/4) fine sand; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; very friable; few fine roots; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Bw2--86 to 183 centimeters; brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) fine sand; single grain; loose; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bw horizon ranges from 90 to 180 centimeters.)
E and Bt--183 to 203 centimeters; about 85 percent light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) fine sand (E); single grain; loose; moderately acid; lamellae of strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) loamy fine sand (Bt), 0.3 to 0.6 centimeters thick, less than 15 centimeters in cumulative thickness; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; few faint brown (7.5YR 4/4) clay bridges between sand grains; moderately acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Major Land Resource Area (MLRA) 95B-Southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois Drift Plain, Columbia County, Wisconsin subset; about 5 miles west of Poynette; located about 2,120 feet south and 720 feet west of the northeast corner of section 35, T. 11 N., R. 8 E.; USGS Durwards Glen topographic quadrangle; lat. 43 degrees 23 minutes 23 seconds N. and long. 89 degrees 30 minutes 15 seconds W., NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Thickness of the mollic epipedon--25 to 60 centimeters
Depth to lamellae--110 to 203 centimeters
Depth to carbonates--200 centimeters or more
Clay content in the particle-size control section (weighted average)--1 to 8 percent
Sand content in the particle-size control section (weighted average)--80 to 95 percent, 5 to 20 percent coarse sand and very coarse sand
Rock fragment content--0 to 10 percent
Ap or A (when present) horizon:
Hue--7.5YR or 10YR
Value--2 or 3
Chroma--1 or 2
Texture--loamy fine sand, loamy sand, fine sand, or sand
Clay content--1 to 10 percent
Sand content--70 to 98 percent
Reaction--strongly acid to neutral
AB horizon (when present):
Hue--7.5YR or 10YR
Value--3
Chroma--2 or 3
Texture--loamy fine sand, loamy sand, fine sand, or sand
Clay content--1 to 10 percent
Sand content--70 to 98 percent
Reaction--strongly acid to neutral
Bw horizon:
Hue--7.5YR or 10YR
Value--3 to 6
Chroma--3 to 6
Clay content--1 to 8 percent
Sand content--80 to 95 percent
Texture--loamy fine sand, loamy sand, fine sand, or sand
Reaction--strongly acid to slightly alkaline
E and Bt horizon (E part):
Hue--7.5YR or 10YR
Value--5 or 6
Chroma--3 or 4
Texture--sand or fine sand
Clay content--0 to 5 percent
Sand content--90 to 99 percent
Reaction--strongly acid to slightly alkaline
E and Bt horizon (Bt part):
Hue--7.5YR or 10YR
Value--3 to 5
Chroma--3 to 6
Texture--lamellae with texture of loamy sand, loamy fine sand or fine sand
Clay content--1 to 8 percent
Sand content--80 to 90 percent
Reaction--strongly acid to slightly alkaline
Cumulative thickness of the lamellae is less than 15 centimeters within a depth of 200 centimeters
C horizon (when present):
Hue--7.5YR or 10YR
Value--4 to 6
Chroma--3 to 6
Texture--sand or fine sand
Clay content--0 to 5 percent
Sand content--90 to 99 percent
Reaction--strongly acid to slightly alkaline
COMPETING SERIES: These are the
Bellechester,
Finchford,
Fruitfield,
Hawick,
Hononegah,
Komro,
Lasa,
Trempe, and
Zumbro series.
Bellechester--have carbonates within a depth of 100 centimeters
Finchford--have a sand content that averages 20 to 35 percent coarse or very coarse sand in the particle-size control section
Fruitfield-- have a sand content that averages 35 percent or more coarse or very coarse sand in the particle-size control section
Hawick--have carbonates within a depth of 75 centimeters
Hononegah--have carbonates within a depth of 100 centimeters
Komro--have redoximorphic features and a frequently saturated zone below a depth of 1 meter during the wettest periods of years when precipitation is within one standard deviation of the 30 year mean of annual precipitation
Lasa--have a sand content of less than 5 percent medium and coarse sand in the series control section
Trempe--have matrix hues of 2.5YR or 5YR in the upper half of the series control section
Zumbro--have a mollic epipedon more than 60 centimeters thick and have carbonates within a depth of 150 centimeters
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Parent material--sandy outwash that has been reworked by wind
Landform--nearly level to very steep treads and risers on stream terraces in river valleys, outwash terraces, outwash plains, and dune fields
Slope--0 to 40 percent
Elevation--100 to 460 meters above sea level
Mean annual precipitation--585 to 1,295 millimeters
Mean annual air temperature--6 to 14 degrees C
Frost-free period--135 to 230 days
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the
Dakota,
Gotham,
Meridian,
Plainfield, and
Trempe soils.
Dakota--are on landscape positions similar to those of Sparta soils and have a clay content that averages 18 to 27 percent in the upper half of the particle-size control section
Gotham--are on landscape positions similar to those of Sparta soils, do not have a mollic epipedon and have an argillic horizon
Meridian--are on landscape positions similar to those of Sparta soils and have a clay content that averages 18 to 27 percent in the upper half of the particle-size control section
Plainfield--are on landscape positions similar to those of Sparta soils and do not have a mollic epipedon
Trempe--are on landscape positions similar to those of Sparta soils and have matrix hues of 2.5YR or 5YR in the upper half of the series control section
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY:
Drainage class--excessively drained--a frequently saturated zone does not occur within a depth of 1.8 meters during the wettest periods of years when precipitation is within one standard deviation of the 30 year mean of annual precipitation
Saturated hydraulic conductivity--10.00 to 100.00 micrometers per second
Flooding--very rarely or rarely flooded for very brief or brief duration on stream terrace position with slopes of less than 5 percent
USE AND VEGETATION:
Most areas are cultivated. The principal crops are corn, small grain, and hay. Many areas are irrigated and used for vegetable crops such as sweet corn, beans, potatoes, and carrots. The native vegetation is mixed big bluestem, little bluestem, switchgrass, other grasses of the tall grass prairie with widely spaced oak and hickory trees.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:
Physiographic Divisions--Interior Plains, Appalachian Highlands
Physiographic Provinces--Central Lowland, Appalachian Plateau
Physiographic sections--Eastern lake section, Western lake section, Wisconsin driftless section, Till plains, Dissected till plains, and Kanawha section
MLRAs--Wisconsin Central Sands (89),
Southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois Drift Plain (95B),
Southern Michigan and Northern Indiana Drift Plain (98),
Central Iowa and Minnesota Till Prairies (103),
Eastern Iowa and Minnesota Till Prairies (104),
Northern Mississippi Valley Loess Hills (105),
Illinois and Iowa Deep Loess and Drift (108),
Northern Illinois and Indiana Heavy Till Plain (110),
Indiana and Ohio Till Plain, Northwestern Part (111C),
Central Mississippi Valley Wooded Slopes, Eastern Part (115A),
Central Mississippi Valley Wooded Slopes, Northern Part (115C),
Western Allegheny Plateau (124), and
Central Allegheny Plateau (126)
LRRs K, L, M and N; central, west-central, and southwestern Wisconsin and in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, and Ohio
Extent--large
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Monroe County, Wisconsin, 1923.
REMARKS:
Particle-size control section--the zone from a depth of 25 to 100 centimeters;
series control section--the zone from the surface to a depth of 203 centimeters.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon include:
mollic epipedon--the zone from the surface to a depth of 38 centimeters (Ap and AB horizons);
udic moisture regime.
New series are needed for the moderately well drained, bedrock substratum, loamy substratum, and silty clay loam substratum phases.
Type Location was visited on April 9, 2002 to verify and add lamellae in the lower part of the profile.
Taxonomy version--Keys to Soil Taxonomy, tenth edition, 2006.