LOCATION DOWAGIAC MI+IL IN MNEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, semiactive, mesic Mollic Hapludalfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Dowagiac loam - on a 2 percent slope in a cultivated field. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 9 inches; very dark brown (10YR 2/2) loam; weak medium granular structure; friable; many fine roots; slightly acid; abrupt smooth boundary. (7 to 9 inches thick)
E--9 to 11 inches; dark grayish brown (10YR 4/2) loam; weak thin platy structure; friable; many fine roots; slightly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 4 inches thick)
Bw--11 to 16 inches; dark brown (10YR 4/3) loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; many fine roots; slightly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 7 inches thick)
Bt1--16 to 29 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) clay loam; moderate medium subangular blocky structure; firm; common fine roots; common prominent dark reddish brown (5YR 2/2, 3/2) thin clay films on faces of peds; moderately acid; clear smooth boundary. (9 to 19 inches thick)
Bt2--29 to 38 inches; dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/4) sandy loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; friable; few fine roots; thin clay films on faces of peds and bridging of sand grains; strongly acid; gradual wavy boundary. (5 to 12 inches thick)
2BC--38 to 50 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) sand; single grained; loose; moderately acid; abrupt irregular boundary. (0 to 20 inches thick)
2C--50 to 60 inches; brown (10YR 5/3) sand; single grained; loose; neutral.
TYPE LOCATION: Kalamazoo County, Michigan; 2,100 feet east and 20 feet north of the center of sec. 2, T. 4 S., R. 12 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Solum thickness ranges from 40 to 70 inches. The depth to sand or gravelly sand ranges from 25 to 40 inches. The solum ranges from strongly acid to neutral. Coarse fragments range from 0 to 30 percent throughout the solum.
The Ap horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 1 or 2. The E horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 2 or 3. Slightly eroded areas may not have and E horizon.The A horizon is loam, silt loam, or sandy loam.
The Bt1 horizon has hue of 10YR, 7.5YR, or 5YR, value of 3 to 6, and chroma of 3 to 6. It is sandy loam, loam, silt loam, sandy clay loam, clay loam, or gravelly phases of these. Clay content of the Bt1 horizon averages from 27 to 35 percent.
The Bt2 horizon is sandy loam, loam, or gravelly sandy loam with less than 18 percent clay.
The 2BC horizon has colors similar to the B horizon. It is loamy sand, loamy coarse sand, coarse sand, sand, or gravelly sand.
The 2C horizon has hue of 10YR, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 3 to 6. It is sand, very gravelly coarse sand, gravelly sand, or stratified gravel and sand. Free carbonates are present in the 2C horizon in some pedons.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Argyle, Baltimore, Bassett, Blooming, Cadmus, Caleb, Dunbridge, Gara, Glenhall, Koronis, Lester, Longlois, Lydick, Mohawk, Neda, Newcomer, Octagon, Oneco, Orwood, Racine, Razort, Taopi, Waucoma, and Winneshiek series. Argyle, Baltimore, Bassett, Blooming, Cadmus, Caleb, Gara, Koronis, Lester, Longlois, Lydick, Mohawk, Octagon, Orwood, Racine, Taopi and Razort soils do not have the sandy material within depths of 60 inches. Dunbridge, Oneco, Waucoma, and Winneshiek soils have limestone bedrock within depths of 60 inches. Glenhall soils have mottles with chroma of 2 or less associated with wetness above a depth of 60 inches. Neda soils contain numerous shale fragments and are calcareous above depths of 60 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Dowagiac soils formed in loamy outwash overlying sand or gravelly sand outwash on outwash plains, terraces, and valley trains. Slope gradients range from 0 to 18 percent with dominant slopes from 0 to 6 percent. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 29 to 37 inches. The mean annual temperature is about 49 degrees F.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: The well drained Kalamazoo and Schoolcraft are the most common associated soils. Somewhat poorly drained Matherton, Brady, and Wasepi soils and the poorly drained Gilford and Sebewa soils are associated at lower elevations. The well drained, coarser textured Oshtemo and Boyer are associated on some outwash plains.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Well drained. Runoff is slow to medium, depending upon the slope. Permeability of the upper part of the profile is moderate and that of the lower part is rapid.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most of these soils are cultivated. Principal crops are corn, wheat, oats, beans, and legume grass hay. A small proportion is in pasture.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Southern Michigan, northern Indiana, and Illinois, and southern Minnesota. The series is of small extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Indianapolis, Indiana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: McHenry County, Illinois, 1961.