LOCATION WEALTHWOOD MNEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Arenic Epiaqualfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Wealthwood loamy fine sand with a slope of 1 percent on a glacial lake plain in an aspen forest. (All colors are moist unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 4 inches; black (10YR 2/1) loamy fine sand, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; moderate fine granular structure; very friable; many fine roots; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 9 inches thick)
E--4 to 8 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loamy fine sand, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) dry; few distinct very dark gray (10YR 3/1) worm casts; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; common fine roots; common fine prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) Fe concentrations; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 10 inches thick)
Bw1--8 to 15 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) loamy fine sand; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; common medium distinct strong brown (7.5 YR 4/6) Fe concentrations and few medium prominent grayish brown (10YR 5/2) Fe depletions; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bw2--15 to 23 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) fine sand; single grain; loose; many medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) Fe concentrations and few fine distinct grayish brown (10 YR 5/2) Fe depletions; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness is 6 to 24 inches)
E'--23 to 28 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) fine sand, light gray (10YR 7/2) dry; single grain; loose; common medium distinct yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) Fe concentrations; strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 14 inches thick)
2Btg1--28 to 32 inches; brown (7.5YR 5/2) fine sandy loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; many medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) and few fine prominent reddish brown (5YR 4/4) Fe concentrations; few faint brown (7.5YR 5/2) clay bridges between sand grains; moderately acid; abrupt smooth boundary.
2Btg2--32 to 35 inches; dark brown (7.5 YR 4/4) loamy fine sand; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common coarse prominent light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) Fe depletions; few faint brown (7.5YR 5/2) clay bridges between sand grains; moderately acid; abrupt smooth boundary.
2Btg3--35 to 42 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) fine sandy loam stratified with brown (7.5YR 5/4) loamy fine sand; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine prominent yellowish red (5YR 4/6) Fe concentrations; few faint brown (7.5YR 5/2) clay bridges between sand grains; moderately acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (Combined thickness is 6 to 24 inches)
2Cg1--42 to 54 inches; strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) very fine sand stratified with pinkish gray (7.5YR 6/2) fine sandy loam; massive; friable; common medium distinct pinkish gray (7.5YR 6/2) Fe depletions in the very fine sand and common medium distinct strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) Fe concentrations in the fine sandy loam; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary.
2Cg2--54 to 80 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) stratified loamy fine sand and loamy very fine sand; massive; friable; common medium distinct light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) Fe depletions; moderately acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Aitkin County, Minnesota; about 120 feet west and 400 feet north of the southeast corner of sec. 29, T. 46 N., R. 26 W.; USGS Spirit Lake Quadrangle, Minn.; latitude 46 degrees 25 minutes 56 seconds N., and longitude 93 degrees 38 minutes 41 seconds W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The sandy mantle is 20 to 40 inches thick. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid to moderately acid in the sandy mantle and strongly acid or moderately acid below this mantle. Redoximorphic features occur immediately below the A horizon. Bulk density ranges from 1.30 to 1.60 in the sandy mantle to 1.40 to 1.70 in the underlying material. There are free carboantes within 80 inches.
Where present, an Oa horizon with hue of 10YR, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 1 or 2 is comprised of well decomposed leaves, needles and mosses. It is 1 to 3 inches thick.
The A or Ap horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 2 or 3 and chroma of 1 or 2. It is loamy fine sand, loamy sand, fine sand or sand.
The E horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 2. It is loamy fine sand, loamy sand, fine sand or sand.
The Bw horizon has hue of 5YR, 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 3 to 6 and chroma of 2 to 6. It is loamy fine sand, loamy sand, fine sand or sand. This horizon has redoximorphic features with a high chroma matrix and low chroma Fe depletions. Some subhorizons have a low chroma matrix (Fe depletions) with high chroma Fe concentrations.
The E' horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 2 or 3. It is loamy fine sand, loamy sand, fine sand or sand.
The 2Btg horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 to 6 and chroma of 1 to 4. It is stratified with textures ranging from silt loam to sand. The weighted average clay content ranges from 12 to 27 percent. There are redoximorphic features which have Fe concentrations in Fe depleted low chroma matrix or Fe depletions in a high chroma matrix.
The 2Cg horizons have hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 3 to 6 and chroma of 1 to 6. It is stratified with textures ranging from sand to silt loam. There are high chroma Fe concentrations in an Fe depleted low chroma matrix or low chroma Fe depletions in a high chroma matrix.
COMPETING SERIES: These are in the Blomford, Staples, and Watab series. The Staples and Watab soils have a dense till with bulk density of 1.80 or greater beginning within the lower one-third of the series control section. The Blomford soils have free carbonates within the series control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Wealthwood soils are on nearly level, plane or slightly convex slopes on lake plains. They formed in noncalcareous, sand-mantled, stratified glacial lake sediments typical of Glacial Lake Mille Lacs. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 39 to 43 degrees F. Frost-free days range from 90 to 130. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 26 to 30 inches. Elevation above sea level ranges from 1000 to 1450 feet.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Omega, Nemadji, Newson and Leafriver soils which formed primarily in sandy sediments and the Aftad and Alban soils which formed in stratified sandy and loamy sediments. Omega soils are somewhat excessively drained and occur on steeper slopes. Nemadji soils are somewhat poorly drained and occur on slightly higher landscape positions. Newson soils are poorly drained and occur on similar landscape positions. Leafriver soils are very poorly drained and occur in shallow depressions. Aftad and Alban soils are moderately well drained and well drained respectively and occur on higher landscape positions.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained. Surface runoff is low. Permeability is rapid in the sandy strata and moderately rapid to moderately slow in the loamy strata. Depth to an apparent seasonal high water table is as high as 0.5 to 1.5 feet from April to June in most years.
USE AND VEGETATION: Some areas of this soil have been cleared for forage production or cropland. The native vegetation is mixed hardwood-conifer forest. Common trees are quaking aspen, red maple, American basswood, bur oak, eastern white pine, balsam fir and white spruce.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: East-central Minnesota in the vicinity of Mille Lacs Lake. This series is inextensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Aitkin County, Minnesota, 1995.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: ochric epipedon - the A and E horizons from the surface to 8 inches; albic horizon - the zone from 4 to 8 inches (E horizon); argillic horizon-the zone from 28 to 42 inches (2Btg1, 2Btg2, and 2Btg3 horizons); aquic moisture regime; Arenic subgroup-sandy particle size from 0 to 28 inches.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Soil Interpretation Record number is MN0680.