LOCATION AURELIUS MI+ILEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, carbonatic, mesic Histic Humaquepts
TYPICAL PEDON: Aurelius muck - on a nearly level area of 1 percent slope in a cultivated field. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Oap--0 to 9 inches; black (N 2/0) sapric material; about 3 percent fiber less than 1 percent rubbed; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; few fine roots; mildly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (8 to 16 inches thick)
IILco--9 to 13 inches; black (5YR 2/1) coprogenous earth; weak thin platy structure; firm; hard; few fine roots; neutral abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 12 inches thick)
IIILca--13 to 30 inches; grayish brown (2.5YR 5/2) marl; few medium prominent strong brown (7.5YR 5/6 and 5/8) and yellowish brown (10YR 5/6 and 5/8) mottles; massive; friable; few snail shells and shell fragments; violent effervescence; moderately alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary. (16 to 32 inches thick)
IVCg--30 to 60 inches; dark gray (5Y 4/1) stratified fine sandy loam, silt loam and loamy fine sand; few medium prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6, 5/8) mottles; massive; friable; strong effervescence; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Ingham County, Michigan; 3 miles southwest of Mason or 2 miles northeast of Aurelius, 1,260 feet north and 150 feet east of the southwest corner of sec. 13, T. 2 N., R. 2 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The depth to loamy material ranges from 24 to 40 inches. The mean annual soil temperature is estimated to range from 47 to 52 degrees F. The Oa horizon ranges from black (N 2/0 and 5YR 2/1) to very dark brown (10YR 2/2). It ranges from slightly acid to moderately alkaline. The structure is weak or moderate, fine subangular blocky or medium granular. It ranges from very friable through firm and contains from 1 to 70 percent mineral material. In some pedons there are alternating thin strata of organic material and marl.
The IILco horizon ranges from black (5YR 2/1) to dark greenish gray (5G 4/1). It ranges from neutral to moderately alkaline. It is weak fine platy or is massive.
The IIILca horizon ranges from grayish brown (2.5YR 5/2) to white (N 8/0). It is friable or very friable and contains many shells and shell fragments in some pedons.
The IVCg horizon ranges from dark gray (N 4/0), (5Y 4/1), to light brownish gray (10YR 6/2). It is moderately alkaline or mildly alkaline. It is sandy loam, fine sandy loam, loam, silt loam or clay loam. Strata of sand, loamy sand and loamy fine sand are present in some pedons.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Kjar and Martisco series in the same family. Kjar soils are moderately or strongly saline. Martisco soils lack loamy mineral horizons within the control section.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Aurelius soils are in depressional areas of glaciolacustrine plains, outwash plains and till plains. They range in size from about 3 to 200 acres. Slope gradients range from 0 to 2 percent. The climate is humid continental. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 24 to 35 inches, and mean annual temperature ranges from about 45 to 50 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Colwood, Edwards, Houghton, Lamson, Martisco and Palms soils. Colwood and Lamson soils lack histic epipedons and marl layers. Edwards, Houghton and Palms soils have thicker organic layers. Martisco soils are deeper to mineral C horizons.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Very poorly drained. Runoff is very slow to ponded. Permeability is moderately slow to moderately rapid in the sapric material, variable in the limnic material and moderate in the mineral substrata.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas of Aurelius soils are drained and used for cultivated crops. Principal crops are corn, soybeans and specialty crops such as potatoes, carrots and onions. Some areas remain in native vegetation of hardwood forest consisting of ash, red maple, silver maple and cottonwood, water-tolerant shrubs or grasses and sedges.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern part of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan and possibly New York, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin. Series is of small extent (about 5,000 acres mapped at present).
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Indianapolis, Indiana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Ingham County, Michigan, 1977.