LOCATION UBLY MIEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, semiactive, frigid Alfic Haplorthods
TYPICAL PEDON: Ubly sandy loam with a 4 percent slope on a till plain in a cultivated area. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 8 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) sandy loam, grayish brown (10YR 3/3) dry; moderate medium granular structure; very friable; many fine roots; slightly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)
Bs--8 to 22 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) sandy loam; weak coarse granular structure; very friable; many fine roots; slightly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (6 to 17 inches thick)
E--22 to 27 inches; pale brown (10YR 6/3) sandy loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; many fine roots; moderately acid; gradual irregular boundary. (0 to 7 inches thick)
2B/E--27 to 32 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) clay loam (Bt); pale brown (10YR 6/3) sandy loam (E); E occurs as tongues, coatings on peds of Bt material and in root and worm channels; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm; common fine roots; about 5 percent gravel; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary. (3 to 11 inches thick)
2Bt--32 to 39 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 4/4) clay loam; moderate medium angular blocky structure; firm; few fine roots; thin to medium continuous clay films on ped faces; about 5 percent gravel; neutral; abrupt wavy boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
2C--39 to 60 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) clay loam; weak coarse angular blocky structure; firm; about 5 percent gravel; slight effervescence; slightly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Osceola County, Michigan; 1920 feet south and 310 feet east of the northwest corner of sec. 23, T. 17 N., R. 8 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The thickness of the upper solum ranges from 20 to 40 inches. The depth to carbonates ranges from 30 to 50 inches. The upper solum is slightly acid or moderately acid; the lower part of the 2Bt horizon ranges from slightly acid to slightly alkaline. Gravel and cobble content ranges from 0 to 10 percent throughout the profile.
The Ap horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 3 or 4, and chroma of 2 or 3. Undisturbed pedons have an A horizon with hue of 10YR, value of 2 or 3, chroma of 1 or 2 and is 1 to 4 inches thick. The A horizons are sandy loam, silt loam, or loamy sand.
Some pedons have an E horizon underlying the Ap or A horizons. It has hue of 10YR or 5YR; value of 4 to 6, chroma of 2 or 3 and is 1 to 6 inches thick. The E horizon is sandy loam, fine sandy loam or loamy sand.
The Bs horizon has hue of 10YR to 7.5YR, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 3 to 6. It is sandy loam or fine sandy loam.
The E horizon has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 2 or 3. It is loamy sand, loamy fine sand, fine sandy loam or sandy loam. In some pedons, it is firm and brittle and has characteristics of a weak fragipan.
The 2Bt horizon has hue of 5YR, 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 3 to 6. It is clay loam, silty clay loam, loam, or sandy clay loam.
The 2C horizon has hue of 5YR to 10YR; value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 3 or 4. It is loam, clay loam or silty clay loam.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Abbaye, Alcona, Cheboygan, Goodman, Padus, Sarona and Trenary soils in the same family and the Emmet, Isabella, Manistee, Menominee and Owosso series. Abbaye soils have a lithic contact within 40 inches. Alcona soils are stratified and have coarser textured substrata. Cheboygan and Trenary soils contain less clay and silt in the argillic horizon and substratum. Goodman and Sarona soils have less clay and silt in the argillic horizon and substratum and have more acid substratums. Padus soils have lower sola formed in sand and gravel. Emmet soils do not have spodic horizons and have coarser textured lower sola and substrata. Isabella soils are fine-loamy. Manistee and Menominee soils have sandy upper sola. In addition, Menominee soils contain less than 50 percent fine or coarser sand in the argillic horizon. Owosso soils do not have spodic horizons and are mesic.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Ubly soils are on till plains and moraines. Slopes range from 0 to 35 percent. The mean annual precipitation is about 30 inches. The mean annual temperature ranges from 42 to 46 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: The somewhat poorly drained Belding and the poorly drained or very poorly drained Breckenridge soils are in the same drainage sequence. Nester, Menominee, and Isabella soils are common associates. Nester soils do not have spodic horizons and have finer textured sola.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained and moderately well drained. Surface runoff is slow or medium depending upon slopes. Permeability is moderately rapid in the A and Bs horizons, and moderately slow in the 2Bt and 2C horizons.
USE AND VEGETATION: A large part of these soils on gentle slopes is cropped to small grains, hay, corn, and beans. A large part on the steeper slopes is in forest, permanent pasture or is idle cropland. The native vegetation was mixed hardwoods, chiefly sugar maple, white ash, and American beech, with some eastern white pine.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Grand Traverse County, Michigan, 1963.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface to a depth of 8 inches (Ap horizon); spodic horizon - the zone from 8 to 22 inches (Bs horizon); albic horizon - the zone from 22 to 27 inches (E horizon); argillic horizon - the zone from 27 to 39 inches (2B/E and 2Bt horizons); and a lithologic discontinuity from sandy loam materials to clay loam materials at 27 inches.