LOCATION SCHWEITZER MI+WIEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Alfic Fragiorthods
TYPICAL PEDON: Schweitzer cobbly very fine sandy loam on a west facing slope of 35 percent in a forested area at an elevation of 1,500 feet. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated. When described on June 18, 1993, the soil was moist throughout.)
A--0 to 1 inches; black (5YR 2.5/1) cobbly very fine sandy loam, dark gray (5YR 4/1) dry; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many fine to coarse roots; 17 percent cobbles, 3 percent stones and 3 percent boulders; extremely acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (O to 2 inches thick)
E--1 to 5 inches; reddish gray (5YR 5/2) cobbly silt loam, pinkish gray (5YR 6/2) dry; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; many fine to coarse roots; 17 percent cobbles, 3 percent stones, 3 percent boulders, and 2 percent gravel; extremely acid; clear wavy boundary. (2 to 6 inches thick)
Bhs--5 to 8 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) cobbly very fine sandy loam; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; friable; many fine to coarse roots; 17 percent cobbles, 3 percent stones, 3 percent boulders, and 1 percent gravel; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 3 inches thick)
Bs1--8 to 15 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) cobbly very fine sandy loam; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; friable; many fine to coarse roots; common fine vesicular pores; 17 percent cobbles, 7 percent gravel, 3 percent stones, and 3 percent boulders; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (2 to 10 inches thick)
Bs2--15 to 21 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) cobbly very fine sandy loam; moderate medium platy structure; friable; common fine to medium roots; common very fine and fine vesicular pores; 17 percent cobbles, 3 percent stones, 3 percent boulders, and 1 percent gravel; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (4 to 11 inches thick)
2(E/B)x--21 to 27 inches; reddish brown (5YR 4/3) very cobbly loamy sand, light reddish brown (5YR 6/3) dry (E); occupies about 70 percent of the horizon surrounding isolated remnants of reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) very cobbly sandy loam (Bt); common distinct reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) clay films on faces of peds and in pores; weak very coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate thick platy; very firm; many fine vesicular pores; 24 percent cobbles, 22 percent gravel, 3 percent stones, and 3 percent boulders; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 22 inches thick)
2(B/E)x--27 to 43 inches; reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) very cobbly sandy loam (Bt); many distinct reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) clay films on faces of peds and in pores; occupies about 80 percent of the horizon surrounded by reddish brown (5YR 4/3) very cobbly loamy sand, light reddish brown (5YR 6/3) dry (E); weak very coarse prismatic structure parting to moderate thick platy; very firm; many fine vesicular pores; 32 percent cobbles, 18 percent gravel, 3 percent stones, and 3 percent boulders; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 20 inches thick)
2(B/E)--43 to 61 inches; reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) very cobbly sandy loam (Bt); many distinct reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) clay films on faces of peds and in pores; occupies about 80 percent of the horizon surrounded by or penetrated by tongues of reddish brown (5YR 4/3) very cobbly loamy sand, light reddish brown (5YR 6/3) dry (E); moderate thick platy structure; firm; many fine vesicular pores; 24 percent cobbles, 20 percent gravel, 3 percent stones, and 3 percent boulders; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 18 inches thick)
2C--61 to 80 inches; reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) very cobbly loamy sand; massive with weakly expressed thin plates inherited from the parent material; friable; few fine vesicular pores; 24 percent cobbles, 22 percent gravel, 3 percent stones, and 3 percent boulders; moderately acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Marquette County, Michigan; Near Suicide Bowl ski hill in Ishpeming; 2450 feet west and 2200 feet north of the southeast corner of section 12, T.47N., R.27W.; USGS Palmer topographic quadrangle; lat. 46 degrees 29 minutes 2 seconds N. and long. 87 degrees 37 minutes 19 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: (Unless otherwise stated the depths in the following paragraph are measured from the mineral soil surface.) Thickness of the loamy eolian mantle and depth to the fragipan ranges from 15 to 30 inches. Gravel content ranges from 0 to 20 percent in the loamy mantle and from 5 to 40 percent in the fragipan, B/E and C horizons. Cobble content ranges from 2 to 20 percent in the loamy mantle and from 3 to 25 percent in the fragipan, B/E and C horizons. Stones and boulder content ranges from 0 to 10 percent throughout. Mean annual soil temperature is 41 to 45 degrees F.
Some pedons have O horizons up to 2 inches thick with hue of 5YR, 7.5YR, or neutral, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 0 to 2.
The A horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 2 to 4, and chroma of 1 or 2. It is silt loam, very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or the cobbly analogues of these textures. Reaction ranges from extremely acid to strongly acid.
The E horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 1 to 3. It is silt loam, very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or the cobbly analogues of these textures. Reaction ranges from extremely acid to strongly acid.
The Bhs horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 3, and chroma of 2 or 3. It is silt loam, very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or the cobbly analogues of these textures. Reaction is very strongly acid to moderately acid.
The Bs1 horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 3 or 4, and chroma of 4. It is silt loam, very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or the cobbly analogues of these textures. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid to moderately acid.
The Bs2 horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 3 or 4, and chroma of 4 to 6. It is silt loam, very fine sandy loam, or fine sandy loam, or the cobbly analogues of these textures. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid to moderately acid.
Some pedons have a 2Ex horizon. The 2Ex horizon and the E part of the 2(E/B)x and 2(B/E)x horizons have hue of 2.5YR or 5YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 2 to 4. Some pedons have a 2Bx horizon. The 2Bx horizon and the B part of the 2(E/B)x and 2(B/E)x horizons have hue of 2.5YR or 5YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 4 to 6. The 2(E/B)x and 2(B/E)x horizons are one of the cobbly, very cobbly, gravelly, or very gravelly analogues of fine sandy loam, sandy loam, loamy fine sand, or loamy sand. Reaction is strongly acid or moderately acid.
Some pedons have 2Bt horizons. The 2Bt and the B part of the 2(B/E) horizon have hue of 2.5YR or 5YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 4 to 6. The E part of the 2(B/E) horizon has hue of 2.5YR or 5YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 2 to 4. The 2(B/E) horizon is one of the cobbly, very cobbly, gravelly, or very gravelly analogues of fine sandy loam, sandy loam, loamy fine sand, or loamy sand. Reaction is strongly acid or moderately acid.
The 2C horizon has hue of 2.5YR or 5YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 4 to 6. It is one of the cobbly, very cobbly, gravelly, or very gravelly analogues of fine sandy loam, sandy loam, or loamy sand. Reaction is moderately acid or slightly acid.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Laona series in the same family and the Frohling, McBride, Soperton and Steuben series. Laona soils lack an eolian mantle and have more than 30 percent very coarse, coarse and medium sand in the upper part of the particle size control section and lack Bhs horizons. Frohling soils have an active activity class and average less than 15 percent rock fragments in the lower part of the series control section. McBride soils lack an eolian mantle and have more than 30 percent very coarse, coarse and medium sand in the upper part of the particle size control section. Soperton soils lack Bhs horizon and have a fragipan that is less than 12 inches thick. Steuben soils soils average more than 85 percent sand in the series control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Schweitzer soils occur on ground moraines and end moraines. These moraines are often bedrock-controlled over igneous and metamorphic bedrock, especially iron-bearing slate formations. Slopes range from 6 to 70 percent. These soils formed in loamy eolian deposits over cobbly and gravelly red colored loamy and sandy till. Elevations range from 1,000 to 1,800 feet. Mean annual precipitation is 35 to 40 inches. Mean annual temperature is 39 to 43 degrees F. The frost free period is about 100 to 130 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: Schweitzer soils are associated with the moderately deep Michigamme and shallow Peshekee soils in areas near rock outcrops. The moderately well drained Gogebic soils are a common associate on lower landscape positions. The somewhat poorly drained Tula and the poorly drained Pleine soils are common associates occurring in drainageways and depressions.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Runoff is medium to rapid. Permeability is moderate in the upper part, very slow in the fragipan, and moderate or moderately rapid in the lower part of the pedon.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of Schweitzer soils are forested with northern hardwoods being dominant. Sugar maple, basswood, yellow birch, eastern hemlock, ironwood, northern red oak, white ash, red maple, and american elm are common trees. Quaking aspen, white birch, and balsam fir may be common in areas that have been logged and burned. Understory vegetation includes spinulose shield fern, downy yellow violet, canadian white violet, sedges, red elderberry, sweet cicely, large leaved aster, twisted stalk, hairy solomon's seal, false solomon's seal, and wild lily-of-the-valley.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Westcentral part of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, MLRA 93. 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 mine in central Marquette County.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: Ochric epipedon - the zone from 0 to 5 inches (A and E horizons); Albic horizon - the zone from 1 to 5 inches (E horizon); Spodic horizon - the zone from 5 to 21 inches (Bhs, Bs1, and Bs2 horizons); Glossic horizon - the zone from 21 to 61 inches (2(E/B)x, 2(B/E)x and 2(B/E) horizons); Argillic horizon - the zone from 27 to 61 inches (2(B/E)x and 2(B/E) horizons); Fragipan - the zone from 21 to 43 inches (2(E/B)x and 2(B/E)x horizons). One or any combination of the above fragipan horizons may occur in a pedon. The fragipan horizons are commonly 10 to 30 inches thick and occur both above and below the contact between the loamy cap and underlying glacial till. Particle-size control section - the zone from 10 to 21 inches.
The loamy eolian mantle has been modified by windthrow action and post-glacial erosion.
This soil replaces the well drained phase of the Gogebic series.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Refer to NSSL S93MI-103-1 for laboratory dataon this pedon.