LOCATION URNESS MNEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, calcareous, frigid Mollic Fluvaquents
TYPICAL PEDON: Urness mucky silt loam, on a level, recently drained, postglacial lake, in a cultivated field. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)
Ap--0 to 9 inches; black (10YR 2/1) mucky silt loam; many fine distinct dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) stains or mottles in root channels; weak very fine granular structure; very friable, loose; about 5 percent snail shell fragments; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (6 to 10 inches thick)
C1--9 to 16 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) mucky silt loam; many fine distinct dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) stains or mottles in root channels; weak very fine granular structure; very friable; about 20 percent snail shell fragments; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary.
C2--16 to 32 inches; stratified black (5Y 2/1) and N 2/0 mucky silt loam and silty clay loam; many fine distinct dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) stains or mottles in root channels; weak very fine granular structure; very friable; about 10 percent snail shell fragments; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary.
2C3--32 to 60 inches; black (5Y 2/1) silty clay loam; massive; friable, sticky; about 5 percent snail shell fragments; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Douglas County, Minnesota; located about 464 feet west and 2,500 feet south of the northeast corner of section 11, T. 127 N., R. 40 W.; USGS Kensington topographic quadrangle; alt. 45 degrees 49 minutes 30 seconds N. and long. 95 degrees 39 minutes 23 seconds W., NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The thickness of the coprogenous earth and the depth to glacial till or lacustrine sediments ranges from 24 to more than 80 inches. The coprogenous earth comprises 1 to 25 percent by volume snail and clam shells and/or fragments 2 to 10mm in size. The particle-size control section has between 18 and 35 percent clay and less than 2 to 15 percent of fine sand and coarser particles.
The A and C (coprogenous earth) have hue of 10YR to 5Y, value of 2 to 4, and chroma of 1 or 2 or is N 2/0 or N 3/0. It commonly has distinct or prominent mottles in most parts. It is silt loam or silty clay loam. Content of organic matter ranges from 10 to 50 percent. It is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline and has a calcium carbonate equivalent of 5 to 25 percent.
The 2C horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 3 to 5, and chroma of 1 or 2 and commonly is mottled. It is loam, silt loam, clay loam, or silty clay loam. It has from 0 to 8 percent by volume of rock fragments of mixed lithology. It is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: No other series are in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Urness soils are in small to large shallow lake basins and sloughs. They formed in silty lake sediments (coprogenous earth limnic sediments) of postglacial age. They overlie calcareous glaciolacustrine sediments or till at depths of 2 to 7 feet or more. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 38 to 45 degrees F. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 18 to 24 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the well drained Barnes and Waukon soils and the moderately well drained Aastad, Gonvick, and Svea soils. These soils are on glacial uplands. The poorly drained Flom and the very poorly drained Quam soils are common associates. Organic soils also are common associates.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Very poorly drained. The soil is often ponded. Permeability is moderate or moderately slow.
USE AND VEGETATION: Some of this soil is drained and cropped to corn, soybeans, small grains, and hay. Some is in pasture, and most is not used. Native vegetation is grasses, rushes, sedges, and reeds.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Western and northern Minnesota, and possibly eastern North Dakota, northeastern South Dakota, northern Wisconsin, and northern Michigan. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Douglas County, Minnesota, 1970.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features in this soil are: There are no diagnostic horizons; aquic moisture regime; irregular decrease in organic matter.