LOCATION VOYAGEURS               MN

Tentative Series
MDF, PCW, DJW
01/2024

VOYAGEURS SERIES

The Voyageurs series consists of deep, somewhat poorly drained soils that formed in silty lacustrine sediments overlying water-worked coarse loamy dense till overlying bedrock. These soils are on lacustrine modified bedrock controlled till plains. Slope ranges from 0 to 6 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 700 millimeters and annual air temperature is about 3 degrees C.

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, frigid Aquic Glossudalfs

TYPICAL PEDON: Voyageurs silt loam, on a north-facing, slightly concave slope of 2 percent, in a wooded area, at an elevation of 366 meters. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)

A--0 to 7 centimeters; black (10YR 2/1) silt loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; weak medium granular structure; friable; many very fine to coarse roots throughout; about 1 percent gravel; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary.

E--7 to 17 centimeters; light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3) silt loam, light gray (10YR 7/1) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; many very fine to coarse roots throughout; about 1 percent gravel; moderately acid; abrupt wavy boundary.

E/B--17 to 30 centimeters; 60 percent light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/3), light gray (10YR 7/1) dry; silt loam (E) ; 40 percent olive brown (2.5Y 4/3), pale brown (10YR6/3) dry; silty clay loam (Bt); moderate medium prismatic parting to strong fine to medium angular blocky structure; firm; common very fine to medium roots throughout; 1 percent faint dark brown (10YR 3/3) clay films on faces of peds; 2 percent fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulations throughout; 1 percent fine faint light gray (2.5Y 7/2) iron depletions on faces of peds; about 1 percent gravel; moderately acid; clear irregular boundary.

Bt--30 to 70 centimeters; olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) silty clay loam; moderate medium prismatic parting to strong fine to medium angular blocky structure; firm; common very fine and fine roots throughout; 1 percent faint dark brown (10YR 3/3) clay films on faces of peds; prominent dark brown (7.5YR 3/3) masses of iron accumulations throughout; 1 percent fine faint light gray (2.5Y 7/2) iron depletions on faces of peds; about 1 percent gravel; neutral; gradual wavy boundary.

2Cd--70 to 140 centimeters; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) very gravely loamy sand; massive; very firm; 2 percent fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulations throughout; 1 percent fine faint light gray (2.5Y 7/2) iron depletions throughout, about 25 percent gravel, 10 percent cobbles and 5 percent stones; slightly alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary.

3R--140 to 165 centimeters; igneous bedrock.

TYPE LOCATION: Major Land Resource Area (MLRA) 93A-Superior Stony and Rocky loamy Plains and Hills, Western Part, Voyageurs National Park, St. Louis County, Minnesota; about 5 miles north of Ash River; 1680 feet north and 117 feet east of the southwest corner of Section 12, T. 69 N., R. 20 W., USGS Ash River NE, Minnesota Quadrangle; 48.4741753, -92.8519525, WGS84.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to dense till ranges from 50 to 100 centimeters. Depth to bedrock is greater than 100 centimeters. Rock fragment content by volume in the upper horizons typically ranges from 0 to 5 percent but can range up to 15% and are predominately gravel. Rock fragment content by volume in the lower till layers ranges from 10 to 50 percent and are of equal parts gravel, cobbles and stones. Fragments are predominately Precambrian igneous and high-grade metamorphic of Laurentian Plateau origin. Free carbonates are typically absent but maybe present in C horizons. The particle size control section contains 35 to 60 percent clay.

Some pedons have an Oe or Oa horizon as much as 13 centimeters thick.

A horizon:
Hue--10YR or 2.5Y
Value--2 to 3
Chroma--1 to 2
Texture--silt loam, loam, fine sandy loam or their mucky analogs
Reaction--5.1 to 7.3
Thickness--3 to 16 centimeters

E horizon:
Hue--2.5Y or 10YR
Value--4 to 6
Chroma--1 or 3
Texture--silt loam, loam or fine sandy loam
Reaction--5.1 to 7.3
Thickness--0 to 20 centimeters

The E/B or B/E horizons:
Color is consistent with the E and Bt horizons. The E part ranges from 15 to 85 percent by volume.
Texture-silt loam or silty clay loam and can be stratified in some profiles
Thickness--5 to 30 centimeters

Bt horizon:
Hue--2.5Y or 10YR
Value--4 to 6
Chroma--2 or 3
Texture--silty clay loam or silty clay
Reaction--6.1 to 7.3
Thickness--15 to 60 centimeters

C horizon (where present)
Hue--2.5Y or 10YR
Value--4 to 6
Chroma--2 to 4
Texture--silt loam or silty clay loam
Reaction-7.0 to 8.4, free carbonates maybe present
Thickness--0 to 60 centimeters

2Cd or 2C horizon:
Hue--2.5Y or 10YR
Value--4 to 6
Chroma--2 to 6
Texture-loamy coarse sand to fine sandy loam and their gravelly or very gravelly analogs. Thin stratified layers of finer textures maybe present
Reaction--6.1 to 8.4
Thickness--20 to 100 centimeters

3R horizon:
Depth to bedrock ranges from 100 to 200 centimeters.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Buhl, Centuria, Mooseline series. None of these series have a lithic contact.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Voyageurs soils are on slightly concave to convex surfaces on lacustrine modified bedrock controlled till floored lake plains. Slopes range from 0 to 6 percent. They formed in silty glaciolacustrine materials over till over bedrock. Mean annual air temperature is 2 to 4 degrees C. Mean annual precipitation is 610 millimeters. The frost-free period is 95 to 125 days. Elevation above sea level is 337 to 390 meters.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Conic, Baudette (till substratum phase) and Spooner (till substratum phase) soils. The moderately well drained Baudette till substratum and poorly drained Spooner till substratum soils form a hydrosequence with the Voyageurs soils. The Baudette till substratum soils and Conic soils occur on higher landscape positions. The Spooner till substratum soils occur on lower landscape positions.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Somewhat poorly drained. Runoff is low to medium. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately low in the upper profile and low to very low in the dense till and bedrock. Voyageurs soils have seasonal high saturation at 1 foot at some time from April through June and October through November in normal years.

USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are forested. Principal trees are aspen, balsam fir, white spruce, black spruce, and jack pine. Native vegetation is mixed coniferous and deciduous forest.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern Minnesota, MLRA-93A. Small extent.

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

SERIES ESTABLISHED: St. Louis County, Minnesota 2017.

REMARKS:
Particle-size control section--17 to 70 centimeters
series control section--0 to 95 centimeters

Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
Ochric epipedon--the zone from 0 to 17 centimeters (A and E horizons);
Albic horizon--the zone from 7 to 17 centimeters (E horizon);
Glossic horizon--the zone from 17 to 30 centimeters(E/B horizon);
Argillic horizon--the zone from 30 to 70 centimeters (Bt horizon);
Densic contact--70 centimeters;
Lithic contact--140 centimeters;

Redoximorphic concentrations--25 centimeters;
Redoximorphic depletions--25 centimeters;
Aquic subgroup based on 2 chroma iron depletions in the upper 25 centimeters of the argillic horizon and aquic conditions for some time in normal years.
Abrupt textural change--70 centimeters, at the upper boundary of the 2Cd horizons;
Lithologic discontinuity--the zone from 70 to 140 centimeters;


Taxonomy version--Keys to Soil Taxonomy, twelfth edition, 2014.

---

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.