LOCATION DAIR               MI

DAIR SERIES

TAXONOMIC CLASS: Mixed, mesic Typic Psammaquents

TYPICAL PEDON: Dair muck, with a slope of 1 percent in a wooded area at an elevation of 800 feet above mean sea level. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated. When described on September 4, 1996, the soil was moist to 21 inches and saturated below.)

Oa--0 to 4 inches; black (5YR 2.5/1) muck, about 5 percent fiber, about 0 percent rubbed; weak coarse platy structure parting to weak fine granular; very friable; many fine to coarse roots throughout; moderately acid; clear wavy boundary. (4 to 8 inches thick)

A--4 to 7 inches; very dark gray (2.5Y 3/1) mucky sandy loam, very dark grayish brown (2.5Y 3/2) dry; weak medium and fine granular structure; very friable; many fine and medium roots throughout, slightly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (0 to 3 inches thick)

Bw--7 to 11 inches; brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) sand; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; very friable; few fine interstitial pores; common fine and medium faint yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) masses of iron accumulation in the matrix; about 1 percent gravel; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. (4 to 8 inches)

C--11 to 21 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) sand; weak coarse subangular blocky structure; very friable; about 1 percent gravel; slightly alkaline; clear wavy boundary.

Cg1--21 to 50 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) sand; single grain; loose; about 1 percent gravel; slightly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary.

Cg2--50 to 80 inches; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) sand; single grain; loose; streaks of black (10YR 2/1) sand; about 1 percent gravel; neutral.

TYPE LOCATION: Benzie County, Michigan; 300 feet south and 50 feet east of the northwest corner of section 12, T. 25 N., R. 14 W.; Weldon Township, USGS Thompsonville, Michigan 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle; lat. 44 degrees 35 minutes 4 seconds N. and long. 85 degrees 57 minutes 26 seconds W., NAD83.

RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Depth to carbonates ranges from 25 to more than 60 inches. Mean annual soil temperature is 45 to 49 degrees F. The gravel content ranges from 0 to 5 percent throughout the profile.

The Oa horizon has hue of 5YR to 10YR, value of 2.5 or 3, and chroma of 1. The muck is less than 8 inches thick. Reaction is moderately acid to neutral.

The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 2 to 4, and chroma of 1 or 2. It is mucky sandy loam, mucky loam or loam.

The Bw horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 3 to 6 and chroma of 2 to 6. It is sand. Some pedons have a Bg horizon with a hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 3 to 5 and chroma of 2. Reaction is slightly acid or neutral.

The C or Cg horizons have hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6 and chroma or 2 to 4. They are sand. Reaction is neutral or slightly alkaline.

COMPETING SERIES:
These are the Arloval, Barren, Carrolls, Conrad, Forbar, Gothenburg, Jamaica, Junius, Norway, Stafford, Tihonet, Tryon, Tyre and Wanser series. The Arloval, Forbar, Norway, Tryon, and Wanser series were formed under conditions with less annual precipitation than the Dair series. The Barren, Carrolls and Stafford series are somewhat poorly drained. The Conrad series have carbonates between 20 and 40 inches. The Gothenburg series have a gravelly coarse sand substratum. The Jamaica and Tihonet series were formed from excavated fill material. The Junius series formed in fine sandy deposits over sandy material. The Tyre series has sandstone bedrock at 20 to 40 inches.

GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: The Dair soils are in depressions and drainageways on outwash plains, lake plains, low beach ridges and dunes. These soils formed in sandy glaciofluvial deposits. Slopes range from 0 to 2 percent. Elevations range from 600 to 1000 feet. Mean annual precipitation is 30 to 32 inches and the mean annual temperature ranges from 45 to 49 degrees F. Frost free period is 120 to 160 days.

GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Saugatuck, Brethren (T), Benzonia (T), Kaleva (T), and Grattan soils. The somewhat poorly drained Saugatuck, the moderately well drained Brethren and the somewhat excessively drained Benzonia, and excessively drained Kaleva and Grattan soils area in a drainage sequence with the Dair soils.

DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained and very poorly drained. Permeability is rapid. Surface runoff is very slow or ponded. These soils have an apparent seasonal high water table at a depth of 1.0 foot above the surface to 1.0 foot below for much of the year.

USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are forested. Native vegetation is aspen, red maple, alder, northern white cedar, and dogwoods.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern Lower Peninsula of Michigan, MLRA 96. This series is of minor extent.

MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Indianapolis, Indiana

SERIES PROPOSED: Benzie County, Michigan, 1996. Source of the name is a creek in Weldon township.

REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in the is pedon are: The zone of Aquic conditions (endosaturation) - from 4 to 80 inches (A, Bw, C1, Cg1 and Cg2 horizons). The matrix colors result from uncoated sand grains. Particle-size control section - the zone from 10 to 40 inches (part
of the Bw, C1 and Cg1 horizons).