LOCATION THISTLEDEW MNEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy over clayey, mixed over smectitic, superactive, frigid Aquic Hapludalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Thistledew loamy fine sand on a convex slope of 3 percent under balsam fir, jackpine quaking aspen, and white spruce, at about 1,270 feet elevation. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwide stated.)
0a--0 to 1 inches; black (5YR 2/1) well decomposed forest litter; weak fine and very fine granular structure; very friable; strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 3 inches thick)
E--1 to 3 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) loamy fine sand, light gray (10YR 7/1) dry; weak very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; many roots; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (1 to 6 inches thick)
Bw1--3 to 8 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) loamy fine sand, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) dry; weak medium and coarse subangular blocky structure; very friable; many roots; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary.
Bw2--8 to 17 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) loamy fine sand; weak coarse and medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; many roots; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of Bw horizons is 6 to 20 inches.)
E'--17 to 24 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) fine sand; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; very friable; many roots; moderately acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 18 inches thick)
2Bt1--24 to 39 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) and dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) sandy clay loam; weak coarse and very coarse subangular blocky structure; firm; few roots; few fine distinct light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) Fe depletions; many thin and moderately thick brown (10YR 4/3) clay bridges between sand grains; common thin clay films on faces of peds; slightly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 18 inches thick)
3Bt2--39 to 47 inches; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) clay; strong very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; firm; few fine faint light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) Fe concentrations; few thin clay films on faces of peds; neutral; clear wavy boundary. (4 to 12 inches thick)
3C--47 to 60 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) clay; massive parting to moderate fine and very fine subangular blocky structure; firm; common medium faint light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) and few fine distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) Fe concentrations; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Itasca County, Minnesota; about 2 miles east and 2 miles south of Togo; 1,350 feet north and 250 feet east of the southwest corner of sec. 2, T. 61 N., R. 22 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The depth to free carbonates is 26 to 52 inches. The sandy mantle is 20 to 36 inches thick. The loamy sediment is 3 to 18 inches thick. The clayey substratum begins at depths of less than 40 inches. Typically pedons do not have rock fragments, but some have as much as 3 percent gravel within the sandy or loamy sediments or both. The clayey sediments commonly have 60 to 75 percent clay in at least the upper part. Reaction in the solum is strongly acid to slightly acid in material 1, moderately acid to neutral in material 2, and slightly acid to slightly alkaline in material 3. The 3C horizon is neutral to moderately alkaline.
Some pedons have an A horizon as much as 3 inches thick.
The E horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 4 through 6, and chroma of 1 or 2. The A and E horizons are loamy sand, loamy fine sand, fine sand, loamy coarse sand, sand, or coarse sand.
The Bw horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 3 or 4. Hue of 7.5YR is principally in the upper part of the horizon. It is fine sandy loam, loamy fine sand, loamy sand, loamy coarse sand, sand, or coarse sand.
The E' horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 2 or 3. It is fine sand, sand, loamy sand, coarse sand, or loamy coarse sand. Some pedons have thin E/B horizons.
The 2Bt horizon has typical hue of 10YR, but in some pedons it has hue of 2.5Y principally in the lower part. It has value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 3 or 4. Fe depletions occur within the upper 10 inches. In some pedons lower subhorizons have dominant chroma of 2. It is mainly sandy clay loam or loam, but thin subhorizons of sandy loam or coarse sandy loam are in the upper part.
The 3Bt horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 2 through 4. It is clay or silty clay.
The 3C horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 4 through 7, and chroma of 1 through 3, dominantly 2. It is mainly clay or silty clay, but some pedons have thin coarser textured strata. Some pedons have soft rounded carbonate masses. A few pedons have small rounded carbonate concretions or limestone pebbles.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Thistledew soils are on plane or slightly convex surfaces of beaches, outwash terrace and deltas on glacial lake plains. Slopes range from 1 to 25 percent. They formed in a sandy mantle of outwash or beach deposits and underlying loamy and clayey glaciolacustrine sediments. Mean annual temperature is 36 to 40 degrees F, and mean annual precipitation ranges from 23 to 28 inches. The frost-free period is 90 to 120 days. Elevation above sea level is 1000 to 1600 feet.se
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Alango, Bearville, Brickton, Dalbo, Indus, Morcom, Taylor, and Wildwood soils within the lake plain. Somewhat poorly drained Morcom and poorly drained Bearville soils form a hydrosequence with Thistledew soils. Poorly drained Indus and Brickton soils, somewhat poorly drained Alango soils and moderately well drained Dalbo and Taylor soils formed entirely in clayey lacustrine sediments. Also associated are the excessively drained Graycalm and Menahga soils formed in sandy glacial outwash.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Moderately well drained. Surface runoff is low to medium. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is rapid in the sandy upper part and very slow in the underlying sediments. Perched saturation is at a depth of 1.5 to 2.5 feet at some time during April through June and October through November in normal years.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most of this soil is forested. Balsam fir, paper birch, and quaking aspen are the common trees. Some acreage is cleared and produces hay, pasture, or small grain.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRA 88. North-central Minnesota mainly in Itasca, St. Louis, and Koochiching counties. Small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Itasca County, Minnesota, 1982.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this soil are: albic horizon - the zone from 1 to 3 inches and 17 to 24 inches (E and E' horizons); argillic horizon - the zone from 24 to 47 inches (2Bt1 abd 3Bt2); arenic subgroup based on sandy textures in the upper part; Aquic subgroup based on low chroma redox in the upper part of the argillic.