LOCATION SPICER                  MN+IA

Established Series
Rev. HRF-AGG
03/2014

SPICER SERIES

The Spicer series consists of very deep, poorly and very poorly drained soils that formed in silty glacial lacustrine sediments or loess on glacial lake plains and loess-mantled uplands. These soils have moderate permeability. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 27 inches, and mean annual air temperature is about 47 percent F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, calcareous, mesic Typic Endoaquolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Spicer silty clay loam with a plane slope of about 1/2 percent on a glacial lake plain in a cultivated field. (Colors are for moist conditions unless otherwise stated.)

Ap--0 to 12 inches; black (10YR 2/1) silty clay loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary.

A--12 to 16 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) silty clay loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dray; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; friable; few channel fillings of black (10YR 2/1) and dark gray (10YR 4/1); strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline; gradual irregular boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizon is 8 to 24 inches.)

Bg1--16 to 24 inches; dark gray (5Y 4/1) silt loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; few olive gray (5Y 5/2) channel fillings; common fine distinct dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) Fe concentrations; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline; clear wavy boundary.

Bg2--24 to 30 inches; olive gray (5Y 5/2) silt loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; common medium prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) Fe concentrations; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bg horizon is 8 to 22 inches.)

BCg--30 to 40 inches; olive gray (5Y 5/2) silt loam; weak very fine subangular blocky structure; friable; many fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) Fe concentrations; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)

Cg--40 to 60 inches; light olive gray (5Y 6/2) silt loam; weak thin to thick platy-like varving; friable; common fine dark (oxides) stains and concretions; many coarse prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) Fe concentrations; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Blue Earth County, Minnesota; about 2.5 miles east of Garden City; 860 feet west and 2,610 feet south of the northeast corner of sec. 25, T. 107 N., R. 28 W.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mollic epipedon ranges from 12 to 24 inches in thickness. Typically free carbonates are in all parts with the calcium carbonate equivalent ranging from about 5 to 20 percent. Some pedons have calcic horizons below a depth of 16 inches. Reaction is slightly or moderately alkaline in all horizons. The profile does not typically have rock fragments. Some pedons have loam or clay loam glacial till below depths of 60 inches.

The A horizon has hue of 10YR or is neutral, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 0 or 1. It typically is silty clay loam or silt loam.

The Bg horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 1 or 2. It is silty clay loam or silt loam.

The Cg horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 1 or 2. It is silt loam or silty clay loam.

COMPETING SERIES: This is the Calcousta series. Presently there is an overlap with the Spicer series and there is no clear differentiation.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Spicer soils have slightly concave through slightly convex slopes with gradient of less than 2 percent. They are on glacial lake plains and loess-covered uplands. Spicer soils formed in Late Wisconsin Age loess or silty lacustrine sediments. The climate is humid midcontinental with warm summers and cold winters. Mean annual air temperature is about 45 to 52 degrees F, and mean annual precipitation is about 26 to 33 inches.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: The Afton, Galva, Madelia, Kingston, Marcus, Okoboji, Truman, and Sac soils are the main ones. The very poorly drained Afton and Okoboji soils are in depressions. The poorly drained Madelia and Marcus soils are on flats, they are leached of free carbonates to greater depths. The well-drained Galva, Truman, and Sac soils are on higher lying terrain. The moderately well to somewhat poorly drained Kingston soils are common associates on slightly higher terrain.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly and very poorly drained. Surface runoff is low. Permeability is moderate. Seasonal high saturation occurs at or near the surface in spring in normal years.

USE AND VEGETATION: Largely cultivated and cropped intensively to corn and soybeans. Reed canarygrass commonly dominates partially drained pasture. Native vegetation is predominantly wet-site tall prairie species such as prairie cordgrass, switchgrass, big bluestem, wooly sedge, giant goldenrod and Canada goldenrod.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern Minnesota and northern Iowa. Moderately extensive.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Nobles County, Minnesota, 1970.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: mollic epipedon - from the surface of the soil to a depth of 16 inches (Ap and A horizons); cambic horizon - the zone from 16 to 40 inches (Bg1, Bg2, and BCg horizons) aquic moisture regime; calcareous family due to free carbonates throughout.

ADDITIONAL DATA: Refer to MAES Central File Code No. 963 for results of some laboratory analysis of the typical pedon.

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National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.