LOCATION FOSTORIA IA+MNEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Aquic Hapludolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Fostoria loam with a slope of about 1 percent in a cultivated field. (Colors are for moist conditions unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 7 inches; black (N 2/0) loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; moderate fine and medium granular structure; friable; common very fine and fine roots; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary.
A1--7 to 15 inches; black (N 2/0) loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; weak fine granular structure; friable; common very fine and fine roots; neutral; gradual smooth boundary.
A2--15 to 19 inches; black (10YR 2/1) loam, dark gray (10YR 4/1) dry; some mixing of dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2); weak very fine subangular blocky and weak fine granular structure; friable; common very fine and fine roots; neutral; gradual smooth boundary.
BA--19 to 24 inches; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) loam; very weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; common very fine roots; thin nearly continuous very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) organic coats on faces of peds; neutral; gradual smooth boundary.
Bg1--24 to 29 inches; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) loam; weak fine subangular blocky structure; friable; common very fine roots; common fine faint olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) redox concentrations; neutral; gradual smooth boundary.
Bk2--29 to 34 inches; olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) loam; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; friable; common very fine roots; common fine and medium very pale brown (10YR 8/2) calcium carbonate concretions; fine distinct light olive brown (2.5Y 5/6) redox concentrations; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary.
2C1--34 to 42 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) silt loam; massive; friable; common fine and medium rounded very pale brown (10YR 8/2) calcium carbonate concretions; common fine faint yellowish brown (10YR 5/6 and 5/8) redox concentrations; common medium distinct gray (10YR 5/1) redox depletions; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary.
2Cg2--42 to 60 inches; gray (10YR 5/1) silt loam; massive; friable; common fine and medium very pale brown (10YR 8/2) calcium carbonate concretions; many fine and medium faint yellowish brown (10YR 5/6 and 5/8) redox concentrations; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; gradual smooth boundary.
2Cg3--60 to 68 inches; grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) silt loam; massive; friable; many fine and medium prominent light olive brown (2.5Y 5/6) redox concentrations; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline; abrupt wavy boundary.
3C4--68 to 80 inches; yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) loam; massive; firm; about 3 percent gravel; common fine distinct grayish brown (2.5Y 5/2) redox depletions; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Clay County, Iowa; about 1 mile west and 1 mile north of Everly; 125 feet north and 150 feet west of the southeast corner of section 29, T. 97 N., R. 38 W., Waterford Township; USGS Everly, Iowa Topographic Quadrangle; latitude 43 degrees 11 minutes 03 seconds N., longitude 95 degrees 20 minutes 54 seconds W., NAD27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The mollic epiepdon is 12 to 24 inches thick. The depth to free carbonates ranges between 24 and 48 inches thick. Coarse fragments are typically lacking
above a 3C horizon (glacial till).
The Ap and A horizons have hue of 10YR or are neutral, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 0 or 1. Texture is loam, silt loam (high in the content of fine and very fine sand) or clay loam. Reaction is slightly acid or neutral.
An AB or BA horizon has properties similar to the A horizon but includes chroma of 2.
The Bw horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 1 to 4. It is loam, silt loam, clay loam and includes fine sandy loam or sandy loam in the lower part. Clay content ranges from 25 to 30 percent. Reaction is slighlty acid or neutral.
Some pedons have a 2Bw horizon.
The 2C horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y hue, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 1 to 6. It is silt loam, loam, or sandy loam.
It is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
A 3C horizon of loam or clay loam glacial till typically is present between 60 and 100 inches, but in a few pedons is between 40 and 60 inches.
A lacutrine substratum phase is recognized that has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 1 to 4. It is silt loam, silty clay loam, silty clay or clay. Reaction is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Crippin, Floyd, Kensett, Merton, Nicollet, Ottosen, Readlyn, Snider, and Wilmonton soils. Similar soils in other families are the Cylinder and Kingston series. Crippin soils are calcareous throughout most of the solum. Floyd and Readlyn soils contain pebbles and gravel-sized material in the B horizon and are underlain by glacial till at shallower depths. Kensett soils are underlain by limestone bedrock at depths of less than 40 inches. Merton soils typically are somewhat shallower to carbonates and typically have a thinner solum. They tend to be less silty in the 2C horizons. Nicollet soils have gravel-sized particles and pebbles in the solum and lack the variation of materials and evidence of sorting in the substratum. Ottosen soils contain more than 30 percent clay in the upper part of the solum. Snider soils are more acid in the B horizon and have a thicker solum. Wilmonton soils have firm glacial till at depths of less than 30 inches and are finer textured. Cylinder soils have sand and gravel at depths of 24 to 40 inches. Kingston soils have fine-silty textures.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Fostoria soils typically occupy slightly convex slopes with gradients of less than 3 percent. The slopes are plane or slightly concave. The landscape is gently undulating. The soils formed in medium textured sediments that mantle the Early Wisconsin till plains. The dominant clay mineral is montmorillonite. Mean annual temperature ranges from 45 to 49 degrees F, and mean annual precipitation ranges from 26 to 29 inches.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: The well drained Ocheyedan and the poorly drained Webster soils are the most common associates. Others are the Nicollet soils, the well drained and somewhat excessively drained Dickinson soils, and the well drained Everly soils. Webster soils typically are on slightly lower elevations, Nicollet soils are on similar landscape positions, and the other soils typically are on higher elevations.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Drainage is somewhat poor; surface runoff is low; permeability is moderate.
USE AND VEGETATION: Largely cultivated with corn, soybeans, small grain, and legume hay as major crops. The native vegetation is tall grass prairie.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northwestern Iowa and southwestern Minnesota. The series is minor in extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Clay County, Iowa, 1975.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: Mollic epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of 19 inches (Ap, A1 and A2 horizons); Cambic horizon - the zone from a depth of 19 to 34 inches (BA, Bw1 and Bw2 horizons); Udic moisture regime.
A lacutrine substratum phase was correlated in Clay County, Iowa and is over very minor extent. It is on a lake plain.