LOCATION YALMER MIEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Sandy, mixed, frigid Alfic Oxyaquic Fragiorthods
TYPICAL PEDON: Yalmer loamy sand on a 3 percent slope in a forested area. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Oe--0 to 1 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/2) partially decomposed forest litter; many roots; extremely acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 3 inches thick)
A--1 to 3 inches; black (5YR 2/1) loamy sand, dark gray (5YR 4/1) dry; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many roots; about 3 percent gravel; extremely acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 4 inches thick)
E--3 to 8 inches; reddish gray (5YR 5/2) loamy sand; weak medium and fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; common roots; about 3 percent gravel; extremely acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (3 to 9 inches thick)
Bhs--8 to 11 inches; dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) sand; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; many roots; about 40 percent ortstein; about 3 percent gravel; extremely acid; abrupt irregular boundary. (1 to 8 inches thick)
Bs1--11 to 15 inches; yellowish red (5YR 4/6) fine sand; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; few roots; about 40 percent ortstein; about 3 percent gravel; extremely acid; clear wavy boundary.
Bs2--15 to 24 inches; yellowish red (5YR 5/6) fine sand; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; few roots; about 6 percent gravel; very strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bs horizons are 3 to 24 inches)
2(E/B)x--24 to 29 inches; reddish gray (5YR 5/2) loamy fine sand (E); occupies about 70 percent of the horizon surrounding peds of dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4) fine sandy loam (Bt); common medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation; weak medium subangular blocky structure; very firm; many pores; about 10 percent gravel; very strongly acid; clear broken boundary. (0 to 16 inches thick)
2(B/E)x--29 to 40 inches; dark reddish brown (2.5YR 3/4) fine sandy loam (Bt); many vesicular pores; common distinct dusky red (2.5YR 3/2) clay films in pores and on faces of peds; occupies about 65 percent of the horizon surrounded by reddish gray (5YR 5/2) loamy fine sand (E); weak very coarse subangular blocky structure; very firm; about 10 percent gravel; very strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 13 inches thick)
2Bt--40 to 66 inches; reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) fine sandy loam; moderate medium platy structure parting to weak medium subangular blocky; firm; many pores; dark red (2.5YR 3/6) clay flows on ped faces; about 14 percent gravel; strongly acid; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 30 inches thick)
2C--66 to 71 inches; reddish brown (2.5YR 4/4) fine sandy loam; massive; friable; about 14 percent gravel; moderately acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Baraga County, Michigan; about 4 1/2 miles south of L'Anse; 1,300 feet north and 100 feet west of the center of sec. 32, T. 50 N., R. 33 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 36 to greater than 80 inches. Depth to the fragipan ranges from 20 to 40 inches. Volume of gravel ranges from 0 to 15 percent and volume of cobbles ranges from 0 to 4 percent throughout the pedon. The solum is extremely acid to moderately acid and the substratum is moderately acid or slightly acid.
The E horizon has hue of 5YR, 7.5YR, or 10YR; value of 5 to 7; and chroma of 2 or 3. The A and E horizons are dominantly loamy sand, but the range includes sand and fine sand.
The Bh or Bhs horizons have hue of 5YR or 7.5YR, and value and chroma of 2 or 3. Ortstein content ranges from 0 to 45 percent. The Bs horizon has hue of 2.5YR, 5YR, or 7.5YR; value of 3 to 5; and chroma of 4 to 6. The B horizons are fine sand, sand, or loamy sand.
The E part of the 2(E/B)x and 2(B/E)x horizons and the 2E horizon, where present, has hue of 2.5YR or 5YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 2 to 4. It is loamy sand, sandy loam, loamy fine sand, or fine sandy loam. The B part of the 2(E/B)x, 2(B/E)x, has hue of 10R, 2.5YR, or 5YR; value of 3 to 5; and chroma of 3 or 4. It is fine sandy loam or sandy loam. Some pedons have a separate 2Bx horizon.
The 2Bt horizons has hue of 10R, 2.5YR, or 5YR; value of 3 to 5; and chroma of 3 or 4. It is fine sandy loam or sandy loam.
The 2C horizon has hue of 10R, 2.5YR, or 5YR; value of 4 or 5; and chroma of 3 or 4. It is sandy loam or fine sandy loam. Sand or loamy sand lenses are below 50 inches in some pedons.
COMPETING SERIES: There are none. Closely related soils are the Keweenaw, Menominee, and Munising series. Keweenaw soils do not have fragipans and have coarser textured substrata. Menominee soils do not have fragipans and are underlain by calcareous loam till. Munising soils have dominantly loamy textures in the particle size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Yalmer soils are on ground moraines and end moraines. Slopes range from 0 to 35 percent, but are dominantly less than 25 percent.These soils formed in 20 to 40 inches of sandy outwash overlying loamy till. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 27 to 35 inches, and mean annual temperature is estimated to range from 40 to 45 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: Yalmer soils are associated with the Tokiahok, Munising, Kalkaska, Assinins, Skanee, and Gay soils. The well drained Tokiahok soils are on slightly higher landscape positions. Munising soils are on similar landscape positions but do not have a thick sandy cap. Kalkaska soils are on similar landscape positions where there is more than 60 inches of sand. The somewhat poorly drained Assinins and Skanee Soils and poorly drained Gay soils are in nearby depressions and drainageways.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Moderately well drained. Runoff is negligible to low, dependent on slope. Permeability is rapid in the upper part of the subsoil, very slow in the fragipan, and moderate in the underlying material.
USE AND VEGETATION: Nearly all of this soil is used for woodland. Second growth hardwoods predominate.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Upper Peninsula of Michigan. This series is moderate in extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota.
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Delta County, Michigan, 1969.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are:
ochric epipedon - 0 to 9 inches (Oe, A and E horizon);
albic horizon - 3 to 8 inches;
spodic horizon - 8 to 24 inches (Bhs, Bs1 and Bs2 horizons); glossic horizon - 24 to 40 inches (2(E/B)x and 2(B/E)x horizons);
fragipan feature - 24 to 40 inches (2(E/B)x and 2(B/E)x horizons);
argillic horizon - 29 to 66 inches (B part of 2(B/E)x and 2Bt horizons)
The well drained phase is no longer within the concept of this series.