LOCATION SVERDRUP MN+SDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy, mixed, frigid Typic Hapludolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Sverdrup sandy loam with a plane slope of 2 percent on a glacial outwash plain in a cultivated field. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)
Ap--0 to 9 inches; black (10YR 2/1) sandy loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; many fine roots; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary.
A--9 to 12 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) sandy loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine roots; neutral; abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the A horizons is 7 to 16 inches.)
Bw1--12 to 17 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) sandy loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure parting to weak fine granular structure; friable; few fine roots; neutral; clear wavy boundary. (4 to 10 inches thick)
2Bw2--17 to 26 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) loamy sand; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; slightly alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick)
2C1--26 to 41 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) sand; single grain; loose; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary.
2C2--41 to 60 inches; light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) sand; single grain; loose; slightly effervescent; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Otter Tail County, Minnesota; about 3 miles north of Pelican Rapids; 100 feet east and 1100 feet north of the southwest corner of sec. 3, T. 136 N., R. 43 W. USGS Pelican Rapids quadrangle; Latitude 46 degrees, 37 minutes, 5 seconds North; Longitude 96 degrees 5 minutes, 37 seconds West. NAD27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to carbonates ranges from 15 to 44 inches. The coarse-loamy mantle is 14 to 24 inches thick. Between depths of 10 and 40 inches, the average texture is loamy fine sand or coarser. These soils have less than 5 percent gravel in the mantle and less than 10 percent in the 2C horizons. These rock fragments typically are in the C horizon and are mostly less than 5 mm in size. The mollic epipedon is 7 to 16 inches thick.
The A horizons have value of 2 or 3, chroma of 1 in the upper part and chroma of 1 or 2 in the lower part. It is fine sandy loam, sandy loam, or loam. It is slightly acid or neutral.
The B horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 2 to 4. It is fine sandy loam, sandy loam, or loam in the upper part. It is loamy fine sand, loamy sand, fine sand, or sand in the lower part. It is slightly acid to slightly alkaline.
The C horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 2 to 6. It is sand, fine sand, loamy fine sand, loamy sand, or sand. It is slightly or moderately alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Mosford and Binford series. Mosford and Binford soils have 2C horizons in the lower part of the control section which have greater than 10 percent gravel. In addition, the 2C horizons of the Binford soils have a high content of shale.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Sverdrup soils have plane or convex slopes on glacial moraines, terraces, and outwash plains. The slopes are commonly short, and the range is 0 to 18 percent. These soils formed in calcareous, coarse-loamy and sandy glacial outwash. The mean annual air temperature is 38 to 45 degrees F. The mean annual precipitation is 22 to 29 inches. Frost-free days range from 120 to 160. Elevation above sea level ranges from 990 to 1950 feet.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Clontarf, Malachy, and Arveson soils, which formed in sediments similar to those of Sverdrup soils and are members of a drainage sequence with those soils. Moderately well drained Clontarf and moderately well and somewhat poorly drained Malachy soils have a thicker mollic epipedon and are on lower- lying terrain. Also, Malachy soils are calcareous in all parts. Poorly and very poorly drained Arveson soils are in nearby level areas and depressions and have a calcic horizon beginning within depths of 16 inches.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Surface runoff is slow or medium. Permeability is moderately rapid in the upper part and rapid permeability in the lower part.
USE AND VEGETATION: Largely cropped to corn, small grains, and legume hay. Native vegetation is tall grass prairie.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western Minnesota and possibly eastern North Dakota and South Dakota. These soils are moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Otter Tail County, Minnesota, l944.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: mollic epipedon - the zone from 0 to 12 inches (Ap and A horizons); cambic horizon - the zone from 12 to 17 inches (Bw horizon).