LOCATION WILL IL+WI

Established Series
Rev. JCD-DEC-AAC
03/2011

WILL SERIES

The Will series consists of poorly drained soils that are moderately deep to sand and gravel on nearly level or depressional parts of outwash plains, stream terraces, lake plains, valley trains, and moraines. These soils formed in loamy outwash overlying calcareous gravel and sand at a depth of 51 to 102 cm (20 to 40 inches). Some pedons have a thin mantle of silty material up to 51 cm (20 inches) thick. Slope ranges from 0 to 3 percent. Mean annual precipitation is about 864 mm (34 inches), and mean annual temperature is about 8.9 degrees C (48 degrees F).

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy over sandy or sandy-skeletal, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Endoaquolls

TYPICAL PEDON: Will loam - on a slope of less than one percent in a cultivated field at an elevation of about 219 meters (720 feet) above mean sea level. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)

Ap--0 to 20 cm (0 to 8 inches); black (N 2.5/) loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; moderate very fine granular structure; friable; many fine roots; slightly acid; abrupt smooth boundary.

A--20 to 36 cm (8 to 14 inches); black (N 2.5/) loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; moderate very fine and fine subangular blocky structure; friable; many fine roots; neutral; clear smooth boundary. [Combined thickness of the A horizon is 25 to 46 cm (10 to 18 inches).]

Btg1--36 to 48 cm (14 to 19 inches); dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) loam; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine roots; common distinct black (10YR 2/1) organo-clay films on faces of peds; common black (N 2.5/) worm casts; few fine black (10YR 2/1) weakly cemented iron-manganese oxide concretions throughout; few fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) masses of oxidized iron in the matrix; neutral; clear smooth boundary.

Btg2--48 to 64 cm (19 to 25 inches); grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) sandy clay loam; moderate fine and medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine roots; many distinct dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) clay films on faces of peds; common black (N 2.5/) worm casts; few fine prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/8) masses of oxidized iron in the matrix; 10 percent gravel; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. [Combined thickness of the Btg horizon is 25 to 61 cm (10 to 24 inches).]

BCg--64 to 71 cm (25 to 28 inches); 65 percent dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) and 35 percent very dark brown (10YR 2/2) sandy loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; few fine roots; 12 percent gravel; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. [0 to 20 cm (0 to 8 inches) thick]

2Cg1--71 to 81 cm (28 to 32 inches); light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) gravelly sand; single grain; loose; few fine prominent dark reddish gray (5YR 4/2) iron depletions in the matrix; 20 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary.

2Cg2--81 to 91 cm (32 to 36 inches); dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) gravelly sandy loam with three 1/4 inch thick strata of black (10YR 2/1) sandy loam; massive; friable; 25 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary.

2Cg3--91 to 152 cm (36 to 60 inches); 60 percent light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) and 40 percent light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) very gravelly sand; single grain; loose; 45 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline.

TYPE LOCATION: Winnebago County, Illinois; about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) south of Cherry Valley; 26 meters (85 feet) north and 616 meters (2,020 feet) west of the southeast corner of sec. 13, T. 43 N., R. 2 E.; USGS Cherry Valley topographic quadrangle; lat. 42 degrees 11 minutes 47 seconds N. and long. 88 degrees 56 minutes 45 seconds W., NAD 27; UTM Zone 16, 339336 easting and 4673417 northing, NAD 83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS:
Depth to the base of soil development: 61 to 102 cm (24 to 40 inches)
Depth to horizons with greater than 90 percent sand and greater than 15 percent gravel: 51 to 102 cm (20 to 40 inches)
Thickness of the mollic epipedon: 25 to 51 cm (10 to 20 inches) and extends into the upper part of the Bg horizon in some pedons.
Reaction: series control section ranges from moderately acid to neutral in the upper part, slightly acid to moderately alkaline in the middle part, and slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline in the lower part of the series control section.

Ap, A, and/or AB horizons:
Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y, or N (neutral)
Value: 2 to 3
Chroma: 0 to 2
Texture: silty clay loam, loam, clay loam or silt loam.

BA, Bg, and/or Btg horizons;
Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y, 5Y, or N (neutral)
Value: 3 to 6
Chroma: 0 to 2, redoximorphic features have chroma of 0 to 8.
Texture: clay loam, silty clay loam or sandy clay loam
Average clay content: between 23 and 33 percent
Average sand content: between 10 and 40 percent
Gravel content: less than 15 percent

A 2BCg horizon is present in some pedons.

2Cg horizon:
Hue: 10YR, 2.5Y, 5Y or N (neutral)
Value: 4 to 6
Chroma: 0 to 8
Texture: commonly ranges from gravelly loamy sand to extremely gravelly coarse sand. Individual strata include gravel, sand, sandy loam, loam or silt loam.
Gravel content: 30 to 70 percent.

COMPETING SERIES: These are the Biscay, Marshan, Mudhen, and Niwot series. Biscay soils are not clearly differentiated but are typically drier in the moisture control section during the 120 days following the summer solstice. Marshan soils are deeper than 102 cm (40 inches) to carbonates. Mudhen soils have a paralithic contact within a depth of 152 cm (60 inches). Niwot soils have a strongly contrasting particle-size class within a depth of 51 cm (20 inches) and receive less than 46 cm (18 inches) of precipitation annually.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Will soils are on nearly level or depressional parts of outwash plains, stream terraces, lake plains, valley trains, and moraines. Slope gradients commonly are less than 2 percent and range from 0 to 3 percent. These soils formed in loamy outwash overlying stratified calcareous gravelly and sandy deposits at a depth of 51 to 102 cm (20 to 40 inches). Some pedons have a silty mantle that ranges from 0 to 51 cm (0 to 20 inches) in thickness. Mean annual temperature ranges from 7.2 to 12.2 degrees C (45 to 54 degrees F), mean annual precipitation ranges from 740 to 1020 mm (29 to 40 inches), frost-free period ranges from 140 to 190 days, and elevation ranges from 207 to 311 meters (680 to 1020 feet) above sea level.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Dresden, Kane, Lorenzo, Matherton, Warsaw, and Wea soils. These soils are on higher parts of the landform. The well drained Warsaw soils and the somewhat poorly drained Kane soils form a hydrosequence with Will soils. The well drained Dresden and somewhat poorly drained Matherton soils do not have mollic epipedons. The well drained Lorenzo soils are shallower to sand and gravel. The well drained Wea soils are deeper to sand and gravel.

DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Poorly drained. An intermittent apparent high water table is 15 cm (0.5 foot) above the surface to 30 cm (1 foot) below the surface at some time during the spring in most years. The potential for surface runoff is negligible. Water will pond on these soils for brief periods during the spring. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is moderately high or high (4.23 to 14.11 micrometers/s) in the upper and middle parts of the series control section and very high (greater than 141.11 micrometers/s) in the lower part. Permeability is moderate in the upper and middle parts of the series control section and very rapid in the lower part.

USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are artificially drained and cropped. Corn and soybeans are the principal crops. A few undrained areas are idle. Native vegetation is hydrophytic grasses, reeds, and sedges.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northeastern Illinois and east-central Wisconsin. The extent is moderate in MLRA's 95A, 95B, 108A, 108B, 110, and 115C.

MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: Indianapolis, Indiana.

SERIES ESTABLISHED: Will County, Illinois, 1952.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: mollic epipedon - the zone from the surface to a depth of 0 to 36 cm (0 to 14 inches) (Ap and A horizons); cambic horizon - the zone from 36 to 71 cm (14 to 28 inches) (Btg1, Btg2, and BCg horizons); aquic moisture regime - redoximorphic features present in the zone from 36 to 152 cm (14 to 60 inches) (Btg1, Btg2, BCg, 2Cg1, 2Cg2, and 2Cg3 horizons; contrasting particle size classes - the contact between the BCg and the 2Cg1 horizons.

National Cooperative Soil Survey
U.S.A.