LOCATION WHITTIER IAEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty over sandy or sandy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Mollic Hapludalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Whittier silt loam on a 3 percent slope - cultivated. (All colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 8 inches; very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) silt loam, dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) dry; weak fine granular structure; friable; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. (6 to 9 inches thick)
E--8 to 11 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) silt loam; weak medium platy structure parting to weak fine granular; friable; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
BE--11 to 15 inches; brown (10YR 4/3) silty clay loam, dark brown (10YR 3/3) coatings on peds; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; thin discontinuous light gray (10YR 7/2) dry silt coatings on faces of peds; slightly acid; gradual smooth boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
Bt1--15 to 21 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silty clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) coatings on peds; thin discontinuous light gray (10YR 7/2) dry silt coatings on faces of peds; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; friable; few faint clay films on faces of peds; slightly acid; gradual smooth boundary.
Bt2--21 to 32 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) silty clay loam, brown (10YR 4/3) coatings on peds; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few faint clay films on peds; thin discontinuous light gray (10YR 7/2) dry silt coatings on peds; medium acid; gradual smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizons is 12 to 20 inches.)
BC--32 to 37 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) loam, dark yellowish brown (10YR 3/4) coatings on peds; weak coarse prismatic structure parting to weak coarse subangular blocky; friable; few faint clay films on peds; few thin discontinuous light gray (10YR 7/2) dry silt coatings on peds; medium acid; gradual smooth boundary. (0 to 6 inches thick)
2E--37 to 45 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) loamy fine sand; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; very friable; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (3 to 9 inches thick)
2E and Bt--45 to 60 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) fine sand (E); single grained; loose; few dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) clay-iron bands 1/4 inch thick (Bt); medium acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Linn County, Iowa; about 3 1/2 miles east of Ely; 450 feet west and 550 feet north of the center, sec. 26, T. 82 N., R. 6 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness typically ranges from 30 to 48 inches. The solum commonly penetrates the loamy sand or sand for a few inches. Depth to sandy material typically is 30 to 40 inches but in some pedons is as shallow as 24 inches.
The Ap and A horizons have hue of chroma of 1 or 2.
The E horizon is dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) or brown (10YR 4/3).
The BE and Bt horizons have value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 3 or 4. They are silty clay loam averaging between 28 and 32 percent clay.
The BC horizon typically is loam, but the range includes sandy loam. The 2E, 2E and Bt horizons have value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 4 to 6. The 2E and Bt horizon is fine sand, loamy fine sand, or loamy sand. Some pedons do not have lamellae in lower horizons and have a 2C horizon.
COMPETING SERIES: This is the Kegonsa series. Similar soils in other families are the Downs, Sattre, Tell, Waukee, and Waukegan series. Kegonsa soils have calcareous sand and gravel 2C horizons at depths of about 30 inches. Downs soils lack contrasting textures within depths of 40 inches. Tell soils have thinner or lighter colored A or Ap horizon or both. Sattre and Waukee soils are fine-loamy over sandy or sandy- skeletal and, in addition, the Waukee soils have mollic epipedons. Waukegan soils have mollic epipedons and lack argillic horizons.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Whittier soils are on nearly level or gently sloping stream terraces and on gently to strongly sloping side slopes in the uplands where the loess layer is thin over sand. Slope gradients range from 0 to 14 percent. The Whittier soils formed in about 2 to 3 feet of leached, silty sediments and sandy alluvium. Mean annual temperature is about 45 to 51 degrees F; mean annual precipitation ranges from 31 to 34 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Atterberry, Tell and Waukegan soils. Tell and Waukegan soils are on similar landscape positions, and Atterberry soils are on more nearly level positions. Atterberry soils have lower chroma in the upper part of the B horizon and lack the sand content in the lower solum.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Surface runoff is slow to medium. Permeability is moderate in the upper part and rapid in the lower part.
USE AND VEGETATION: Commonly cropped to corn, soybeans, small grain, and legume hay. Native vegetation was deciduous trees and prairie grasses.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: In northeastern Iowa and possibly southern Minnesota and part of Illinois. The series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Indianapolis, Indiana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Linn County, Iowa, 1970.
REMARKS: Diagnostic features and horizons recognized in this pedon are: ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 11 inches (Ap and E horizons); argillic horizon - the zone from a depth of 15 to 32 inches (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons).