LOCATION SPIDERCREEK MNEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Isotic, frigid Typic Psammaquents
TYPICAL PEDON: Spidercreek sandy loam on a stream terrace with a 1 percent linear slope having a cover of mixed hardwoods and conifers at an elevation of 400 meters. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 10 cm; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) sandy loam, gray (10YR 5/1) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; many fine roots; very strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 15 cm thick)
Bw--10 to 23 cm; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) sandy loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine roots; many fine distinct reddish gray (5YR 5/2) and many fine prominent gray (5YR 5/1) Fe depletions; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 18 cm thick)
C1--23 to 76 cm; reddish brown (5YR 4/4) coarse sand; single grain; loose; common fine distinct reddish gray (5YR 5/2) Fe depletions and common fine faint dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) Fe concentrations; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary.
C2--76 to 114 cm; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) coarse sand; single grain; loose; common fine distinct reddish brown (5YR 4/4) Fe depletions; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary.
C3--114 to 203 cm; variegated brown (7.5YR 5/4 and 7.5YR 5/2) and strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) coarse sand; single grain; loose; moderately acid.
TYPE LOCATION: St. Louis County, Minnesota; about 1.5 miles west of Cotton; 1,800 feet south and 2,800 feet east of the northwest corner of section 16, T. 54 N., R. 17 W.; Kelsey Quadrangle; latitude 47 degrees 9 minutes 50 seconds N. and longitude 92 degrees 30 minutes 14 seconds W. NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to free carbonates is greater than 203 cm. Rock fragment content, by volume, is less than 2 percent throughout the profile, however individual thin strata may contain up to 10 percent. The particle size control section has greater than 25 percent medium sand or coarser and averages coarse sand.
Some pedons have a thin Oa horizon (duff layer).
The A horizon has hue of 5YR, 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 2 or 3 and chroma of 1 or 2. It is sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loamy fine sand or loamy sand. It averages between 50 to 85 percent fine sand or coarser with a clay content of 2 to 10 percent. It is very strongly acid to moderately acid.
Some pedons have a thin E horizon.
The Bw horizon has hue of 5YR, 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 3 to 6. It is sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loamy fine sand or loamy sand. It is very strongly acid to moderately acid. It typically has distinct to prominent Fe concentrations.
The C horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 2 to 6. It is coarse sand, loamy coarse sand, loamy sand, and sand. It is strongly acid to slightly acid. It typically has distinct to prominent Fe concentrations.
Some pedons have a Cg horizon.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Spidercreek soils have linear or concave slopes. They formed in glacial outwash on outwash plains, terraces, beaches, lake washed till plains and moraines. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 660 to 760 mm. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 2.0 to 6.0 degrees C. Frost-free days range from 90 to 120. Elevation above sea level ranges from 410 to 500 meters.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Cromwell, Grytal, Hellwig, and Rifle soils. The somewhat excessively drained Cromwell soils are on back slopes and summits. The moderately well drained Grytal soils are on slightly higher convex rises. The poorly drained Hellwig soils are underlain by fine-loamy till between 51 to 102 cm and are on similar landscape positions. The very poorly drained Rifle soils are in bogs.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Poorly drained. Surface runoff is low or very low. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is 14.11 to 141.11 micrometers per second (2.0 to 20 in/hr). Depth to apparent seasonal high saturation is as high as 10 cm below the surface during spring in normal years.
USE AND VEGETATION: This soil is forested. Overstory vegetation typically includes quaking aspen, paper birch, and balsam fir. Native vegetation is mixed deciduous and coniferous forest.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRAs 88 and 93A. Northeast Minnesota.Moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: St. Louis County, Minnesota, 2007.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizon and features recognized in this pedon are: ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface to a depth of 10 cm (A horizon). Aquic condition based Fe depletions and prolonged saturation at 13 cm below the surface. These red parent materials do not show reduced soil color matrix typical of other parent materials in a saturated condition.