LOCATION CANISTEO MN+IA IL SDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, calcareous, mesic Typic Endoaquolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Canisteo clay loam with a nearly level slightly convex slope on a ground moraine in a cultivated field. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise noted.)
Ap--0 to 10 inches; black (N 2/0) clay loam, very dark gray (N 3/0) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; about 2 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary.
A--10 to 18 inches; very dark gray (N 3/0) clay loam, dark gray (N 4/0) dry; moderate very fine subangular blocky structure; friable; about 2 percent gravel; strongly effervescent; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundayr. (Combined thickness of A horizons is 7 to 20 inches thick.)
Bkg1--18 to 24 inches; olive gray (5Y 5/2) loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few light gray (2.5Y 7/2) calcium carbonates on faces of peds; about 3 percent gravel; few fine prominent olive (5Y 5/6) Fe concentrations; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; clear smooth boundary.
Bkg2--24 to 39 inches; light olive gray (5Y 6/2) loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few light gray (2.5Y 7/2) calcium carbonates on faces of peds; about 3 percent gravel; common fine prominent light olive brown (2.5Y 5/6) Fe concentrations; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary. (Thickness of the Bkg horizons is 0 to 24 inches.)
Cg1--39 to 65 inches; gray (5Y 6/1) loam; massive; friable; about 5 percent gravel; common medium prominent light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) Fe concentrations; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline; clear smooth boundary.
Cg2--65 to 80 inches; gray (5Y 6/1) loam; massive; friable; few dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) Fe concretions in pores; about 5 percent gravel; many medium prominent dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) Fe concentrations; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Waseca County, Minnesota; about 4.5 miles south and 3 miles west of Waseca; 1800 feet south and 200 feet west of northeast corner of sec. 22 T.108N., R.22W.; USGS Morristown quadrangle; lat. 44 degrees 8 minutes 49 seconds N. and long. 93 degrees 26 minutes 50 seconds W., NAD27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Free carbonates are in all parts between 10 and 20 inches. The solum and C horizon are mildly alkaline or moderately alkaline with a calcium carbonate content of 5 to 20 percent. Some pedons have a noncalcareous A horizon 10 inches or less thick. The mollic epipedon ranges from 14 to 24 inches in thickness. The control section has between 18 and 35 percent clay. These soils contain 2 to 8 percent by volume of rock fragments of mixed lithology, although in some pedons the upper 20 to 30 inches or less do not have rock fragments.
The A and Ap horizon has hue of 10YR or is neutral, value of 2 or 3 and chroma of 0 or 1. It is clay loam, loam, silty clay loam, or silt loam.
The Bg horizon has hue of 2.5Y, 5Y or 10YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 1 or 2. It is clay loam, loam, silty clay loam, silt loam, or less commonly sandy loam. Some pedons have a coarser textured subhorizon as much as 5 inches thick.
Some pedons have a Bkg or BCg horizon.
The C or Cg horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 4 or 6, and chroma of 1 to 4. The moderately fine substratum phase has textures of loam or clay loam. It has 20 to 30 percent clay and less than 45 percent total sand. The moderately coarse substratum phase has textures of loam, fine sandy loam or sandy loam. It has 12 to 22 percent clay and more than 40 percent total sand.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Jeffers, Tappan, and Tilfer series. Jeffers soils have appreciable amounts of gypsum and have horizons with firm consistence in the control section. Tappan soils have a thinner mollic epipedon. Tilfer soils have a lithic contact at depths between 20 and 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Canisteo soils have concave to slightly convex slopes with gradient of 0 to 2 percent in shallow swales, flats and on rims of depressions. They formed in loamy glacial till or in a thin, silty mantle and loamy glacial till. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 45 to 52 degrees F. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 26 to 33 inches. Annual frost free days range from 120 to 180. Elevation above sea level ranges from 700 to 1400 feet.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Clarion, Glencoe, Harps, Nicollet, Okoboji and Webster soils. These soils are members of a hydrosequence with Canisteo soils. Well drained Clarion soils have convex slopes and are on higher lying and more sloping terrain. Very poorly drained Glencoe and Okoboji soils are in depressions. Poorly drained Harps soils have a calcic horizon. Somewhat poorly drained Nicollet soils have slightly concave to slightly convex slopes and are on higher lying terrain. Poorly drained Webster soils are on adjacent nearly level slopes.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained and very poorly drained; runoff is negligible to low. Permeability is moderate. The seasonal high water table on the poorly drained phase is at depths of .5 to 1.5 feet from November to July in most years. The very poorly drained phase is at depths of +1 to .5 feet from November to July in most years.
USE AND VEGETATION: Mostly under cultivation; corn and soybeans are the principal crops. Native vegetation is wet-site community of the tall grass prairie.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern Minnesota, northern Iowa, and Illinois, and eastern South Dakota. Extensive.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Dodge County, Minnesota, 1959.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: mollic epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 20 inches (Ap, A, and AB horizons); cambic horizon - the zone from 20 to 31 inches (Bg1 and Bg1 horizons); calcareous family - free carbonates at 10 to 25 inches; aquic regime - low chroma below mollic epipedon.
The concepts of moderately fine and moderately coarse substratum phases were established by the MLRA-103 steering committee based on an analysis of particle size data from Iowa and Minnesota. The Des Moines Lobe till generally gets sandier and has less clay as one progresses south along the path of the Des Moines advance.