LOCATION TOTAGATIC          WI
Established Series
KAA-FJS-JJJ
02/2006

TOTAGATIC SERIES


The Totagatic series consists of very deep, very poorly and poorly drained soils that formed in mostly sandy alluvium on flood plains. Permeability is rapid or very rapid. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 31 inches. Mean annual air temperature is about 41 degrees F.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy, mixed, frigid Typic Fluvaquents

TYPICAL PEDON: Totagatic muck, on a nearly level area, in a flood plain, at an elevation of about 970 feet. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated)

Oa1--0 to 1 inches; black (7.5YR 2.5/1) muck, dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) dry; weak medium platy structure; friable; many fine and medium and few coarse roots; very strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary.

Oa2--1 to 4 inches; black (10YR 2/1) muck, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; moderate coarse subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine to coarse roots; very strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of Oa horizons ranges from 0 to 7 inches.)

Bw1--4 to 8 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) loamy fine sand; weak medium subangular blocky structure in place, single grain when disturbed; very friable; few fine to coarse roots; few medium distinct very dark brown (7.5YR 2.5/3) iron depletions and few fine prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/8) masses of iron accumulation; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.

Bw2--8 to 17 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) fine sand; weak coarse subangular blocky structure in place single grain when disturbed; very friable; few fine and medium roots; common medium faint grayish brown (10YR 5/2) iron depletions and common medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) and strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. Thin discontinuous strata of gray (2.5Y 5/1) silt loam is found in the lower part. (Combined thickness of the Bw horizon ranges from 0 to 20 inches.)

Cg1--17 to 28 inches; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) fine sand; single grain; loose; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary.

Cg2--28 to 46 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) and very dark grayish brown (2.5Y 3/2) sand; single grain; loose; 1 percent gravel; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary. Contains a 3 inch layer of very dark gray (2.5Y 3/1) mucky sand at 40 inches, and a few thin layers of muck similar to the Oa1 horizon.

C--46 to 70 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/3) sand; single grain; loose; slightly acid; gradual wavy boundary. The matrix color is that of uncoated sand grains.

C'g--70 to 80 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/2) sand; single grain; loose; slightly acid.

TYPE LOCATION: Washburn County, Wisconsin; about 7 miles west of Minong; 1000 feet west and 1350 feet north of the southeast corner sec. 34, T. 42 N., R. 13 W.; USGS Quadrangle Horseshoe Lake, Wisconsin; Latitude 46 degrees, 4 minutes, 31 seconds N., and Longitude 91 degrees, 58 minutes, 11 seconds W.; NAD27.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to the base of soil development ranges from 10 to 35 inches. There is an irregular decrease in organic carbon with depth.

The Oa horizons has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 2 or 2.5, and chroma of 1 or 2.

Some pedons have an A horizon up to 9 inches thick with hue of 10YR, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 1 to 3. Texture is loamy sand or fine sandy loam. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid to moderately acid.

The Bw horizons have hue of 10YR, value of 4 or 5, chroma of 3. Texture is sand, fine sand, loamy sand, or loamy fine sand. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid to slightly acid. Thin strata of loamy material or organic material, or both, (1/8 to 1/2 inch thick) are in most pedons.

The Cg horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 1 to 2. Texture is sand, fine sand, loamy sand, coarse sand, mucky loamy sand or mucky sand. Thin strata of organic material are in most pedons.

The C or C'g horizons have hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 1 to 3; Texture is coarse sand, sand, fine sand, loamy sand, or loamy fine sand.

COMPETING SERIES: There are no competing series.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Totagatic soils are on flood plains that commonly overflow for brief to long periods. Slope ranges from 0 to 2 percent. The soils formed in mostly sandy alluvium. The mean annual air temperature ranges from 39 to 45 degrees F, and the mean annual precipitation ranges from 29 to 35 inches. Elevation ranges from 850 to 1200 feet.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Bowstring, Graycalm, Grayling, Menahga, and Winterfield. The very poorly drained Bowstring soils are in floodplain depressions and swales. The Graycalm, Grayling, and Menahga are sandy soils on the adjoining uplands. The somewhat poorly drained Winterfield soils are on slightly higher landscape positions in floodplains.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Very poorly and poorly drained. Runoff is very low or ponded. Permeability is rapid or very rapid. Totagatic soils have an apparent seasonal high water table from 1 foot above to 1 foot below the surface for long periods from September to June in most years.

USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are in wetland vegetation consisting of grasses, sedges, reeds, and shrubs. Some areas are in woodland. Trees are of poor quality. Red maple, swamp maple, and black ash are the principle trees.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern Wisconsin. LRR K and MLRA 91. This series is of small extent.

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

SERIES PROPOSED: Washburn County, Wisconsin, 2003.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Mollic subgroup - Base saturation (by NH4Oac) of greater than 50 percent within a depth of 40 inches from the mineral soil surface.
Fluventic feature - irregular decrease in organic-carbon from a depth of 25 cm to a depth of 125 cm.
Aquic feature - Aquic conditions within 20 inches of the surface.

ADDITIONAL DATA: Refer to soil survey sample number S97WI-129-12 for NSSL data on the typical pedon.


National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.