LOCATION ALVIN IL+IN MI MN MOEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Hapludalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Alvin fine sandy loam - on an east-facing slope of 3 percent in a cultivated field at an elevation of 201 meters (660 feet) above mean sea level. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 20 centimeters (0 to 8 inches); brown (10YR 4/3) fine sandy loam, light brownish gray (10YR 6/2) dry; weak fine granular structure; very friable; moderately acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (15 to 25 centimeters or 6 to 10 inches thick)
BE--20 to 28 centimeters (8 to 11 inches); dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) fine sandy loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; few distinct grayish brown (10YR 5/2) silt coatings on faces of peds; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary. (0 to 25 centimeters or 0 to 10 inches thick)
Bt1--28 to 38 centimeters (11 to 15 inches); dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) fine sandy loam; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; friable; few distinct brown (10YR 4/3) clay films on faces of peds; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary.
Bt2--38 to 64 centimeters (15 to 25 inches); dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) fine sandy loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common distinct brown (10YR 4/3) clay films on faces of peds; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary. (Combined thickness of the Bt horizon is 30 to 114 centimeters or 12 to 45 inches)
E and Bt--64 to 188 centimeters (25 to 74 inches); yellowish brown (10YR 5/4) loamy fine sand (E); weak medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; strongly acid; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) fine sandy loam (Bt); 3 to 10 percent of volume; occurs as common to many thin lamellae; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common distinct brown (10YR 4/3) clay films on faces of peds; strongly acid; clear smooth boundary.
C--188 to 203 centimeters (74 to 80 inches); 80 percent brown (10YR 4/3) and 20 percent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) stratified fine sandy loam; massive; friable; moderately acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Vermilion County, Illinois; about 11 kilometers (7 miles) north of Danville; 707 meters (2,320 feet) south and 536 meters (1,760 feet) east of the northwest corner of sec. 32, T. 21 N., R. 11 W.; USGS Danville NE topographic quadrangle; lat. 40 degrees 14 minutes 08 seconds N. and long. 87 degrees 36 minutes 58 seconds W.; NAD 27; UTM Zone 16, 447588 easting and 4454089 northing, NAD 83.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The depth to the base of the argillic horizon, including lamella, ranges from 102 to more than 203 centimeters (40 to more than 80 inches). The upper part of the argillic horizon is continuous for 30 centimeters (12 inches) or more. Some pedons do not have an E and Bt horizon. The particle-size control section averages between 15 and 18 percent clay and between 45 and 70 percent sand. In the upper part of the series control section the total sand content averages from 55 to 70 percent. The fine sand plus very fine sand content averages between 35 and 60 percent (absolute) and between 60 and 85 percent of the sand fraction. The lower part of the control section averages from 65 to 85 percent sand. The sand fraction percentages are similar to the upper part of the control section.
The Ap or A horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 3 or 4, and chroma of 1 to 4. It is very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam, or sandy loam, and less commonly loamy sand or loamy fine sand. Reaction ranges from very strongly acid to neutral, depending upon liming history.
The E, EB, or BE horizon where present, has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 2 to 4. It is very fine sandy loam, fine sandy loam, sandy loam, or loamy fine sand. Reaction is very strongly acid to neutral, depending on liming history.
The Bt horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 3 to 6. Clay films have hue as red as 5YR. It is very fine sandy loam, loam, fine sandy loam, or sandy loam, and includes thin layers of sandy clay loam. Rock fragment content ranges from 0 to 5 percent. Reaction ranges from neutral to very strongly acid.
The E part of the E and Bt horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 2 to 6. It is sandy loam, loamy sand, or sand, and the fine or very fine analogs.
The Bt part of the E and Bt horizon consists of bands or lamellae of variable thickness. It has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 3 to 6. Texture is sandy loam, loamy sand, or loam, or the fine or very fine analogs. Reaction in the E and Bt horizon is strongly acid to neutral and rock fragment content ranges from 0 to 5 percent.
The C or BC horizon, where present, has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 3 to 6. It is sandy loam, loamy sand or sand, or the fine and very fine analogs. In some pedons it is stratified both in colors and textures. Rock fragment content ranges from 0 to 5 percent, except the gravelly substratum phase ranges from 15 to 45 percent. Reaction ranges from strongly acid to moderately alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Burnsville, Council, and Lamont soils. The Burnsville soils are less than 102 centimeters (40 inches) to the base of the argillic horizon. Council soils average more than 40 percent silt in the particle-size control section. Lamont soils average less than 15 percent clay in the particle-size control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Alvin soils are on dunes, hills, stream terraces, and high flood plains. Slopes commonly are between 3 and 10 percent but range from 0 to 45 percent. These soils formed in wind or water-deposited loamy and sandy material of mixed mineralogy. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 6 to 14 degrees C (43 to 57 degrees F), mean annual precipitation ranges from 762 to 1,143 millimeters (30 to 45 inches), frost free period ranges from 140 to 210 days, and elevation ranges from 104 to 427 meters (340 to1,400 feet) above sea level.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Ayrshire, Bloomfield, Camden, Chelsea, Lamont, Princeton, Uniontown, and Whitaker soils. The somewhat poorly drained Ayrshire soils are on interdunal areas. Bloomfield and Lamont soils are on similar parts of the landscape nearby and in some places are closely associated. Camden and Uniontown soils contain more clay and silt, and less sand in the sola and are on outwash plains or stream terraces nearby. Chelsea soils contain more sand in the series control section and have a Bt horizon that consists only of bands or lamella. They are on similar parts of the landscape nearby. The somewhat poorly drained Whitaker soils average more than 18 percent clay in the upper 51 centimeters (20 inches) of the argillic horizon. The somewhat poorly drained Whitaker soils are on lower lying swells of outwash plains and treads of stream terraces nearby.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Well drained. The potential for surface runoff is low or medium. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is high (14.11 to 42.34 micrometers per second). Permeability is moderately rapid.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are used to grow corn, soybeans, small grain, and pasture. Native vegetation is hardwood trees.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, and Missouri and Ohio. The series is of large extent (over 50,181 hectares or 124,000 acres correlated). This series is within several MLRA's, but dominantly in 114 and 115.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Indianapolis, Indiana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Vermilion County, Illinois, 1931.
REMARKS: A gravelly substratum phase and a flooded phase of the Alvin series are recognized. These phases will be evaluated and may be proposed as new series. The correlated extent of this series into MLRAs 95B, 96, 104, 105, and 108 will be evaluated.
Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 28 centimeters (11 inches) (Ap and BE horizons); argillic horizon - the zone from 28 to 64 centimeters (11 to 25 inches) (Bt1 and Bt2 horizons) and from 64 to 152 centimeters (25 to 60 inches) (the Bt part of the E and Bt horizon).
ADDITIONAL DATA: Pedon descriptions and laboratory data for several pedons of Alvin from counties in Illinois are on file in the Illinois NRCS state office or are published in Soil Survey Investigations Report No. 19. Also lab data is available for several pedons in Indiana and are on file at the Major Land Resource Area office (MO11) at Indianapolis.