LOCATION VOELKER MIEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy, mixed, frigid, shallow, ortstein Typic Durorthods
TYPICAL PEDON: Voelker fine sand - on a 8 percent slope in a forested area at an elevation of 836 feet. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated. When described on June 14, 1994, the soil was moist throughout).
Oa--0 to 1 inch; black (N 2.5/0) well decomposed forest litter; moderate fine granular structure; very friable; very strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 3 inches thick)
A--1 to 5 inches; dark gray (7.5YR 4/1) fine sand, gray (7.5YR 6/1) dry; weak very fine granular structure; very friable; many very fine to coarse roots; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0to 5 inches thick)
E--5 to 11 inches; reddish gray (5YR 5/2) fine sand, pinkish gray (5YR 7/2) dry; weak very fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; many very fine to coarse roots; very strongly acid; abrupt irregular boundary. ( 2 to 8 inches thick)
Bhs--11 to 15 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/2) fine sand; massive; very hard; discontinuous orstein occupies 70 percent of the horizon and is strongly cemented with tongues extending to a depth of 25 inches; many very fine to coarse roots; very strongly acid; clear irregular boundary. (0 to 5 inches thick)
Bsm1--15 to 23 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/4) and reddish brown (5YR 4/4) fine sand; massive; very hard; ortstein occupies 100 percent of the horizon and is strongly cemented; orstein occurs as a nearly continuous layer; few very fine and fine roots; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (6 to 11 inches thick)
Bsm2--23 to 31 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/4) fine sand; massive; very hard; ortstein occupies 90 percent of the horizon and is moderately cemented; few very fine and fine roots; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (7 to 15 inches thick)
2E/B--31 to 39 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/3) loamy very fine sand, pinkish gray (7.5YR 6/2) dry (E); occupies 80 percent of the horizon surrounding isolated remnants of reddish brown (5YR 4/4) very fine sandy loam (Bt); weak thin platy structure; firm; common very fine vesicular pores; few very fine and fine roots; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 22 inches thick)
2C1--39 to 54 inches; stratified reddish brown (5YR 5/4) loamy very fine sand and reddish brown (5YR 4/4) very fine sandy loam and silt loam; massive with weakly expressed thin plates inherited from the parent material; firm; common fine vesicular pores; few very fine and fine roots; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (4 to 22 inches thick)
2C2--54 to 80 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/3) stratified sand, very fine sand, and silt loam; massive; friable to loose; few very fine and fine roots; strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Marquette County, Michigan; about 1 mile southwest of Birch location; 330 feet west and 1,166 feet south of the northeast corner of sec. 31, T.50N., R.26W.; USGS Buckroe topographic quadrangle; lat. 46 degrees 41 minutes 24 seconds N. and long. 87 degrees 35 minutes 40 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to ortstein ranges from 6 to 12 inches. Depth to loamy substratum ranges from 24 to 40 inches. Gravel content ranges from 0 to 2 percent throughout the pedon.
The A horizon, not in all pedons, has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 2 to 4, and chroma of 1. It is sand, fine sand, loamy sand, or loamy fine sand. Reaction is very strongly acid or strongly acid.
The E horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 1 or 2. It is sand, fine sand, loamy sand, or loamy fine sand. Reaction is very strongly acid or strongly acid.
The Bhs horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value 2.5 or 3, and chroma of 2 or 3. It is sand, fine sand, loamy sand, or loamy fine sand. Reaction is very strongly acid or strongly acid.
The Bsm1 horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, and value and chroma of 3 or 4. Value and chroma of 3 do not occur together. It is sand, fine sand, loamy fine sand, or loamy fine sand. Reaction is strongly acid or moderately acid.
The Bsm2 horizon has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 4 to 6. It is sand, fine sand, loamy sand, or loamy fine sand. Reaction is strongly acid or moderately acid.
The E part of the 2E/B horizon has hue of 7.5YR, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 3 or 4. It is loamy fine sand or loamy very fine sand. The B part of the 2E/B has hue of 5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 4 to 6. It is loamy very fine sand, fine sandy loam, or very fine sandy loam. Reaction is strongly acid or moderately acid.
The 2C horizons have hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 3 or 4. It is stratified silt loam, very fine sandy loam, loamy very fine sand, very fine sand, and fine sand. Reaction is strongly acid or moderately acid.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Borgstrom, Paquin, Pullup and Wallace series. Borgstrom and Paquin soils have redoximorphic features at depths less than 40 inches and a high water table at 2 to 3.5 feet for 1 month or more from November to April. The Pullup and Wallace soils lack stratification and average more than 85 percent sand in the lower part of the series control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Voelker soils occur on dissected moraines and till-floored lake plains. Slope gradients range from 8 to 70 percent. Voelker soils formed in sandy glaciofluvial and loamy glaciolacustrine deposits of late Wisconsinan age. Elevations range from 800 to 1500 feet. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 32 to 36 inches. Mean annual temperature ranges from 38 to 43 degrees F. The frost free period ranges from 100 to 130 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: Voelker soils are associated with Alcona, Fence, Frohling (proposed), Garlic (proposed), Kalkaska, Keweenaw, and Tokiahok (proposed) soils. The Alcona and Garlic soils occur in a complex with Voelker. Fence, Kalkaska, and Keweenaw soils are common associates on similar landscapes. Frohling and Tokiahok soils formed in loamy till and occur on similar landscape positions.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Surface runoff is slow to medium depending on slope. Permeability is rapid in the solum except through the ortstein layers where it is moderate or moderately rapid, and is moderately slow in the in the loamy substratum.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of this soil are forested. The forest cover is mixed northern hardwoods. Common tree species include sugar maple, yellow birch, and eastern hemlock. Clearcut areas are dominantly quaking aspen, red maple, and paper birch. Common ground plants include spinulose shield fern, wild lily-or-the-valley, shining clubmoss, starflower, and yellow beadlily.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Central Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Marquette County, Michigan, 1995. Source of name is a lake in south-central Marquette County.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: Ochric epipedon - 0 to 11 inches (Oa,A,E horizons); Albic horizon - 5 to 11 inches (E horizon); Spodic horizon - 11 to 31 inches (Bhs,Bsm1,Bsm2 horizons); Ortstein feature - spodic horizon is cemented in 90 percent or more of each pedon; Particle-size control section - 11 to 41 inches (Bhs,Bsm,2E/B,2C1 horizons).