LOCATION WIDGEON MIEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: coarse-silty, mixed, active, frigid Oxyaquic Haplorthods
TYPICAL PEDON: Widgeon silt loam on an 11 percent slope in a forested area at an elevation of 775 feet. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Oe--0 to 2 inches; moderately decomposed plant material; many fine to coarse roots; extremely acid; abrupt smooth boundary.
A--2 to 5 inches; dark brown (10YR 3/3) silt loam, grayish brown (10YR 5/2) dry; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; many fine to coarse roots; extremely acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)
E--5 to 9 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) silt loam, light gray (10YR 7/2) dry; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; many fine to coarse roots; extremely acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (2 to 5 inches thick)
Bhs--9 to 12 inches; dark brown (7.5YR 3/2) silt loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; many fine to coarse roots; extremely acid; clear wavy boundary. (1 to 4 inches thick)
Bs--12 to 16 inches; brown (7.5YR 4/4) silt loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; many fine to coarse roots; extremely acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)
E/B--16 to 32 inches; light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) silt loam; very pale brown (10YR 8/2) dry (E); occupies 55 percent of the horizon surrounding peds of reddish brown (5YR 5/4) silty clay loam (Bt); strong thick platy structure; friable; common fine and medium roots; few fine vesicular and tubular pores; few thin reddish brown (5YR 5/4) clay films along root channels; common fine prominent brown (7.5YR 4/4) masses of iron accumulation; very strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (8 to 20 inches thick)
C1--32 to 42 inches; stratified brown (10YR 5/3) silt loam, brown (7.5YR 5/4) silt loam, and reddish brown (5YR 5/4) silty clay loam; strong thick platy structure inherent from deposition; friable; few fine and medium roots; common fine vesicular and tubular pores; common fine distinct strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation along root channels; strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 18 inches thick)
C2--42 to 80 inches; stratified pale brown (10YR 6/3) loamy very fine sand and very fine sandy loam and reddish brown (5YR 5/4) silty clay loam; strong thick platy structure inherent from deposition; friable; few fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation; strongly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Luce County, Michigan; 150 feet east and 2400 feet north of the southwest corner of sec. 34, T.47N., R.8W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The depth to the E/B horizon ranges from 14 to 24 inches. The particle size control section averages 5 to 18 percent clay. The gravel content ranges from 0 to 5 percent in the solum. Soil reaction ranges from extremely acid to very strongly acid in the solum and very strongly acid to strongly acid in the substratum.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 3 or 4, and chroma of 1 to 3. It is silt loam or very fine sandy loam.
The E horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 5, and chroma of 2 or 3. It is silt loam or very fine sandy loam.
The Bhs horizon has hue of 7.5YR, value of 2.5 or 3, and chroma of 2 or 3. It is very fine sandy loam or silt loam.
The Bs horizon has hue of 7.5YR, value of 4, and chroma of 4 to 6. It is very fine sandy loam or silt loam.
The E part of the E/B horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 2 or 3. It is loamy very fine sand, very fine sandy loam, or silt loam. The B part has hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 4. It is silty clay loam or silt loam.
The C1 horizon has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 2 to 4. It is stratified loamy very fine sand, very fine sandy loam, silt loam, or silty clay loam.
The C2 horizon has colors similar to the C1 horizon. It is stratified very fine sand, loamy very fine sand, very fine sandy loam, silt loam, or silty clay loam.
COMPETING SERIES: The moderately well drained Auger series. The Auger series averages less than 5 percent clay in the control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Widgeon soils are glaciofluvial deposits on side slopes of moraines adjacent to river valleys. Slopes range from 0 to 15 percent. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 28 to 36 inches. Mean annual temperature ranges from 41 to 43 degrees F. Elevations range from 750 to 800 feet.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Annanias, Kalkaska, and Markey series. The somewhat poorly drained Annanias soils are on slightly lower landscape positions. The somewhat excessively drained Kalkaska soils are on slightly higher landscape positions. The very poorly drained Markey soils are in depressions.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained. Permeability is moderate in the upper solum and moderately slow in the rest of the soil. The representative depth to wet soil moisture status is at 1.5 feet below the surface in October, November, March, April, and May. Surface runoff is negligible to high, dependent on slope.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of this soil are forested. Common trees are sugar maple, American beech, red maple, big tooth aspen, yellow birch, and eastern hophornbeam.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan. This series is of small extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Luce County, Michigan; 2005. The source of the name is a creek in Luce County.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in the pedon are: Albic horizon - the zone from 2 to 5 inches (E horizon); Spodic horizon - the zone from 5 to 16 inches (Bhs and Bs horizon); Glossic horizon - the zone from 16 to 32 inches (E/B horizon); Oxyaquic subgroup - the soil is saturated with water within 40 inches of the surface for 1 month or more in normal years.