LOCATION VANRIPER MIEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, frigid Entic Haplorthods
TYPICAL PEDON: Vanriper very cobbly silt loam, in an area of Vanriper very cobbly very fine sandy loam, bouldery--on a 34 percent slope, forested. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated).
Oa--0 to 1 inch; black (N 2.5/0) well decomposed forest litter; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many very fine to coarse roots; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 2 inches thick)
E--1 to 3 inches; brown (7.5 4/2) very cobbly silt loam, pinkish gray (7.5YR 6/2) dry; weak medium granular structure; friable; many very fine to coarse roots; about 10 percent gravel, 19 percent cobbles, 10 percent stones, and 6 percent boulders; very strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (1 to 8 inches thick)
Bs1--3 to 11 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/4) very cobbly very fine sandy loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; many very fine to coarse roots; about 19 percent cobbles, 10 percent gravel, 10 percent stones, and 6 percent boulders; very strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bs2--11 to 20 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) very cobbly very fine sandy loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable, common very fine to coarse roots; about 19 percent cobbles, 18 percent gravel, 10 percent stones, and 6 percent boulders; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bs horizons is 15 to 30 inches.)
C--20 to 80 inches; olive brown (2.5Y 4/3) very cobbly fine sandy loam; massive; friable; few very fine and fine roots; about 19 percent cobbles, 18 percent gravel, 10 percent stones, and 6 percent boulders; strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Marquette County, Michigan; about 2 1/2 miles south of the town of Michigamme; 2,600 feet north and 1,800 feet west of the southeast corner of sec. 6, T. 47 N., R. 30 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Rock fragment content ranges from 35 to 60 percent in the control section. Gravel content ranges from 5 to 40 percent, cobbles range from 5 to 30 percent, and stones and boulders range from 1 to 30 percent throughout the pedon.
The A horizon, where present, has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 1 or 2. The E horizon has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 1 to 3. The A and E horizons are the very cobbly or very stony analogues of silt loam, very fine sandy loam, or fine sandy loam. Reaction ranges from extremely acid to moderately acid in the solum and strongly acid or moderately acid in the substratum.
The Bs horizons have hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 3 or 4, and chroma of 3 to 6. Textures are similar to the A and E horizons. The control section averages from 5 to 15 percent clay. Reaction ranges from extremely acid to moderately acid in the solum and strongly acid or moderately acid in the substratum
The C horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 1 to 3. The C horizon is very cobbly, very stony, or very gravelly analoguesof fine sandy loam or sandy loam. Reaction ranges from extremely acid to moderately acid in the solum and strongly acid or moderately acid in the substratum.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Colosse series in the same family. Colosse soils are underlain by fine sand to coarse sand within 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Vanriper soils are on disintegration moraines and bedrock controlled moraines of Wisconsinan Age. These soils formed in silty or loamy eolian deposits over very cobbly loamy till. Slopes are dominantly 8 to 45 percent, but range from 1 to 45 percent. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 32 to 34 inches and mean annual temperature is about 40 to 42 degrees F. The frost free period ranges from 95 to 115 days.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the well drained Keewaydin, Michigamme, and Sundog soils on similar landform positions and the poorly drained Witbeck soils, and the very poorly drained Cathro soils are in depressions and drainageways. Michigamme soils are underlain by bedrock. Keewaydin and Sundog soils contain fewer rock fragments.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Surface runoff is slow to very rapid. Permeability is moderate.
USE AND VEGETATION: Nearly all of this soil is forested. Present overstory vegetation consists of sugar maple, yellow birch, American basswood, eastern hemlock, quaking aspen, balsam fir, and white spruce. Understory vegetation includes spinulose shield fern, lady fern, wild lily-of-the-valley, rosy twisted stalk, wild sarsaparilla, and sweet cicely.
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, 1991. The source of the name is a state park located on Lake Michigamme in Marquette County.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this soil are:
albic horizon- the zone from 1 to 3 inches (E horizon); spodic horizon- the zone from 2 to 20 inches (Bs1 and Bs2 horizons). The loamy eolian mantle has been modified by windthrow action and post glacial erosion.