LOCATION VANPETTEN IL

Established Series
Rev. SEZ-JWS-AAC
02/2011

VANPETTEN SERIES

The Vanpetten series consists of deep, moderately well drained soils formed in loamy eolian sediments and sandy water-sorted sediments and in the underlying glacial till that contains a paleosol. These soils are on uplands and have slopes ranging from 1 to 5 percent. Mean annual temperature is about 9.4 degrees C (49 degrees F), and mean annual precipitation is about 864 mm (34 inches).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Hapludolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Vanpetten loam - on a 4 percent northeast facing slope in a cultivated field. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)

Ap--0 to 15 cm (0 to 6 inches); very dark gray (10YR 3/1) loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry;moderate very fine granular structure; friable; many fine roots; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary.

A--15 to 31 cm (6 to 12 inches); very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry; moderate fine granular structure; friable; many fine roots; slightly acid; clear smooth boundary. [Combined thickness of the A horizon is 25 to 38 cm (10 to 15 inches).]

Bw1--31 to 41 cm (12 to 16 inches); brown (10YR 4/3) silt loam; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; friable; many fine roots; many thin dark brown (10YR 3/3) organic coatings on faces of peds; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary.

Bw2--41 to 61 cm (16 to 24 inches); brown (10YR 4/3) silt loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine roots; few thin dark brown (10YR 3/3) organic coatings on faces of peds; very strongly acid; clear smooth boundary.

Bw3--61 to 71 cm (24 to 28 inches); brown (10YR 4/3) sandy loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine roots; few thin dark brown (10YR 3/3) organic coats on faces of peds; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary. [Combined thickness of the Bw horizon is 13 to 64 cm (5 to 25 inches).]

2Bw4--71 to 94 cm (28 to 37 inches); yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) coarse sand; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; few fine roots; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary.

2Bt--94 to 127 cm (37 to 50 inches); dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) loamy coarse sand; weak coarse subangularblocky structure; very friable; few fine roots; common thin dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) clay films on faces of peds; common fine distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of oxidized iron in the matrix; slightly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. [Combined thickness of the 2Bw or 2Bt horizon is 25 to 91 cm (12 to 36 inches).]

3Btg--127 to 167 cm (50 to 66 inches); gray (5Y 5/1) clay loam; moderate coarse prismatic structure; friable; few fine roots; few thin dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) clay films on vertical faces of peds; common fine prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of oxidized iron in the matrix; moderately acid.

TYPE LOCATION: Lee County, Illinois; 4 1/2 miles northeast of Harmon; 287 feet north and 2,538 feet west of the southeast corner of sec. 19, T. 21 N., R. 9 E.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Thickness of the solum: 140 to 178 cm (55 to 70 inches)
Thickness of the mollic epipedon: 25 to 38 cm (10 to 15 inches)
Depth to the 3Bt horizon: less than 152 cm (60 inches)

A horizon:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 2 or 3 (4 or 5 dry)
Chroma: 1 to 3
Texture: loam or silt loam
Reaction: neutral to moderately acid

Bw and/or Bt horizons in eolian sediments:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 4 or 5
Chroma: 3 or 4
Texture: silt loam or loam in the upper part and sandy loam, loam, or silt loam in the lower part
Redoximorphic features:
Hue: 10YR
Value: 5 or 6
Chroma: 2 to 6
Structure: weak or moderate subangular blocky
Consistence: friable
Reaction: very strongly acid to moderately acid
Other features: Exteriors of peds have organic coatings or clay films that have value of 3 in the upper part and 3, 4, or 5 in the lower part, and chroma of 1 to 3.

2Bw and/or 2Bt horizons in outwash sediments:
Hue: 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 4 to 6
Chroma: 2 to 6
Texture: loam to coarse sand, loamy subhorizons are less than 13 cm (5 inches) thick.
Content of clay: averages between 3 and 12 percent, commonly there is an increase in content of clay just above the paleosol
Content of sand; averages between 75 and 95 percent
Redoximorphic features:
Hue: 10YR, 7.5YR or 5YR
Value: 4 to 6
Chroma: 1 to 8
Structure: weak or moderate subangular blocky
Consistence: friable
Reaction: extremely acid to slightly acid and is moderately acid or more acid in at least one subhorizon.

3Btg or 3Bt horizon:
Hue: 5Y, 2.5Y, 10YR or 7.5YR
Value: 3 to 7
Chroma: 1 to 8
Texture: commonly clay loam but ranges to include silt loam, loam or silty clay loam
Redoximorphic features: present
Structure: weak or moderate subangular blocky or prismatic
Consistence: friable
Reaction: very strongly acid to neutral

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Cott, Fairhaven, Kanaranzi, Wadena, and Waukee series. All of the series have thinner sola and lack loamy paleosolic horizons in the lower part of the solum.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Vanpetten soils are on convex slopes of gently undulating till plains that have thin deposits of loamy and sandy sediments. Slope gradients range from 1 to 5 percent. These soils formed in 46 to 89 cm (18 to 35 inches) of loamy eolian sediments and 31 to 91 cm (12 to 36 inches) of watersorted sandy sediments and in the underlying till that contains a paleosol. The till is believed to be of Illinoian age with a late Sangamon paleosol formed in it. In some places it was partially truncated or eroded prior to deposition of the sandy and loamy sediments. The truncation of the paleosol and the origin of the sandy sediments is believed to be the result of glacial meltwaters from the nearby Shelbyville morainic system or the Bloomington morainic system. Mean annual precipitation varies from 813 to 914 mm (32 to 36 inches), and mean annual temperature varies from 8.9 to 10.6 degrees C (48 to 51 degrees F).

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing Dakota soils and the Binghampton, Nachusa, Prairieville, and Sparta soils. The well drained Dakota soils are on similar nearby areas where the sandy sediments extend to depths of 152 cm (60 inches) or more. The somewhat poorly drained Binghampton and Nachusa soils commonly are downslope from Vanpetten soils and contain redox features higher in the solum. In addition, Nachusa soils lack coarse textured horizons and Binghampton soils lack a mollic epipedon. The moderately well drained Prairieville soils occupy positions similar to Vanpetten soils but have more clay in the B horizon and lack coarse textured horizons. The excessively drained Sparta soils are sandy throughout the solum and are on higher dune-shaped ridges.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Moderately well drained. Runoff is medium. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high to high (4.23 to 14.11 micrometers per second) in the loamy sediments, very high (141.14 micrometers per second or more) in the sandy sediments, and moderately high (1.41 to 4.23 micrometers per second) in the paleosolic horizons. Permeability is moderate in the loamy sediments, very rapid in the sandy sediments, and moderately slow in the paleosolic horizons. Water commonly is perched above the paleosolic horizon during winter and spring months.

USE AND VEGETATION: Mainly cropped. Corn, soybeans, and small grain are the principal crops. Native vegetation is prairie grasses.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern Illinois in MLRAs 108A, and 108B. These soils have small extent.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Indianapolis, Indiana

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Lee County, Illinois, 1981. The name is adapted from the former village of Van Petten in Lee County, Illinois.

REMARKS: These soils do not have an argillic horizon within a depth of 102 cm (40 inches) but commonly have an increase in clay in the subhorizon above the paleosolic horizon.

ADDITIONAL DATA: Mechanical analysis and engineering test data for the typical pedon are on file in the SCS Illinois state office. The engineering tests were performed by the Illinois Department of Transportation.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.