LOCATION WYKEHAM MNEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, frigid Aquic Hapludalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Wykeham fine sandy loam with a 1 percent convex slope on a ground moraine in a cultivated field. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 7 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) fine sandy loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; weak fine granular structure; friable; many fine roots; about 3 percent coarse fragments; strongly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (5 to 10 inches thick)
E--7 to 11 inches; grayish brown (10YR 5/2) gravelly sandy loam, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) dry; moderate thin platy structure; friable; common fine roots; about 28 percent coarse fragments; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (3 to 15 inches thick)
BE--11 to 19 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) fine sandy loam; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; friable; common fine roots; many pale brown (10YR 6/3) sand coatings on ped exteriors; about 5 percent coarse fragments; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. ( 6 to 12 inches thick)
Bt1--19 to 24 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) sandy clay loam; common fine distinct dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) mottles; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine roots; many distinct very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) clay films on ped exteriors; about 4 percent coarse fragments; medium acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bt2--24 to 28 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) sandy clay loam; common fine distinct grayish brown (10YR 5/2) mottles; weak coarse prismatic structure; friable; few fine roots; many prominent very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) clay films on ped exteriors; about 3 percent coarse fragments; neutral; clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of Bt horizons is 6 to 16 inches.)
BC--28 to 38 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/4 & 10YR 5/6) fine sandy loam; common fine distinct dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) mottles; weak medium platy structure; friable; very few fine roots; common light gray (10YR 7/2) calcium carbonate filaments; about 5 percent coarse fragments; strong effervescence; mildly alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 10 inches)
C1--38 to 52 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) fine sandy loam; common fine distinct dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) mottles; weak medium platy soil fragments; friable; common light gray (10YR 7/2) calcium carbonate filaments; about 5 percent coarse fragments; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary.
C2--52 to 71 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) fine sandy loam; moderate medium platy soil fragments; friable; common light gray (10YR 7/2) calcium carbonate filaments; about 13 percent coarse fragments; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Todd County, Minnesota; about 3 miles west and 2 miles south of the city of Eagle Bend; 1140 feet north and 27 feet east of the center of sec. 20, T. 131 N., R. 35 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of solum and depth to free carbonates ranges from 20 to 50 inches. These soils typically have 2 to 30 percent coarse fragments throughout the profile. Coarse fragments are of mixed lithology and are pebble to cobblestone in size.
The A or Ap horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 1 through 3. It is sandy loam or fine sandy loam. Reaction ranges from strongly acid to slightly acid.
The E horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 4 or 5 (6 through 8 dry), and chroma of 2 through 4. Typically it is sandy loam, but fine sandy loam, loamy fine sand and loamy sand are within the range. Reaction ranges from strongly acid to slightly acid.
Most pedons have either an EB, B/E, or BE transitional horizons with some characteristics of both horizons.
The Bt horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 3 through 8, with few to many faint to prominent mottles. It is sandy clay loam, loam, or sandy loam but may have subhorizons of fine sandy loam. The clay content ranges from 18 to 30 percent and sand content ranges from 45 to 65 percent. The upper part may have clean silt and sand grains on the faces of peds. Clay films range from faint to prominent and few to many. Reaction ranges from medium acid to neutral.
The C horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 3 through 6 and it commonly is mottled. It is sandy loam or fine sandy loam. Reaction is mildly or moderately alkaline. It commonly has calcium carbonate concretions or masses. Calcium carbonate equivalent ranges from 5 to 20 percent.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Alstad, Beltrami, Bonduel, Eckvoll, and Garnes series. Alstad soils typically have redder hues in Bt and C horizons, have value of 6 or more in the Ap horizon or equivalent and have higher rainfall. Beltrami soils formed in finer textured till with higher silt content. Bonduel soils have dolomite bedrock at depths of 20 to 40 inches. Eckvoll soils have sandy sediments over the till. Garnes soils have sola less than 20 inches thick.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Wykeham soils have slightly convex, plane or slightly concave slopes on glacial ground and end moraines. Slope gradients are 0 to 5 percent. The soils primarily formed in sandy loam Wadena glacial till of Late Wisconsinan Age. Mean annual temperature ranges from 38 to 45 degrees F, and mean annual precipitation ranges from 20 to 26 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: The main ones are the poorly and very poorly drained Runeberg soils and the well drained Kandota soils which are in a drainage sequence with the Wykeham soils.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained, surface runoff is slow. Permeability is moderately slow or moderate.
USE AND VEGETATION: A large part is cropped to corn, small grains, and hay. Some areas are in woodland or pasture. Native vegetation was grass prairie and mixed hardwood forest.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: West-central and north-central Minnesota. Moderately extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Todd County, Minnesota, 1985.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features 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 - zone from 19 to 28 inches (Bt horizon); udic moisture regime; aquic subgroup based upon low chroma mottles in the argillic horizon.
ADDITIONAL DATA: See MAES Central File Code No. 3509 and NSSL Pedon No. S81MN-153-002.