LOCATION GRAYLING MI+WIEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Isotic, frigid Typic Udipsamments
TYPICAL PEDON: Grayling sand - on a 1 percent slope in a forested area. (Colors are moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
A--0 to 5 centimeters (0 to 3 inches); black (10YR 2/1) sand, very dark grayish brown (10YR 3/2) dry; mixed with about 25 percent grayish brown (10YR 5/2) uncoated sand grains; weak fine granular structure; very friable; many very fine and fine and common medium and coarse roots; very strongly acid; abrupt wavy boundary. [2 to 13 centimeters (1 to 5 inches thick)]
Bw1--5 to 25 centimeters (3 to 10 inches); strong brown (7.5YR 4/6) sand; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; common very fine and fine and few medium and coarse roots; about 1 percent fine and medium gravel; moderately acid; gradual wavy boundary.
Bw2--25 to 46 centimeters (10 to 18 inches); dark yellowish brown (10YR 4/6) sand; weak fine and medium subangular blocky structure; very friable; common very fine and fine roots; about 2 percent fine and medium gravel; slightly acid; gradual wavy boundary. [combined thickness of the Bw horizons is 30 to 64 centimeters (12 to 25 inches)]
BC--46 to 58 centimeters (18 to 23 inches); brownish yellow (10YR 6/6) sand; single grain; loose; few fine roots; about 2 percent fine and medium gravel; slightly acid; gradual wavy boundary. [0 to 38 centimeters (0 to 15 inches thick)]
C--58 to 203 centimeters (23 to 80 inches); light yellowish brown (10YR 6/4) sand; single grain; loose; about 3 percent fine and medium gravel; slightly acid.
TYPE LOCATION: Crawford County, Michigan; about 5 miles northwest of Grayling; 2,500 feet north and 1,200 feet east of the southwest corner of sec. 19, T. 27 N., R. 4 W., Frederic Township; USGS Frederic, Michigan topographic quadrangle; lat. 44 degrees 43 minutes 19 seconds N. and long. 84 degrees 50 minutes 42 seconds W., NAD 27.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Thickness of the solum ranges from about 38 to 89 centimeters (15 to 35 inches). Gravel content ranges from 0 to 10 percent by volume throughout the pedon. The 25 to 102 centimeter (10 to 40 inch) control section contains less than 20 percent coarse sand and very coarse sand.
Some pedons have an O horizon that is composed of oak leaves or jack pine needles, and some twigs and roots in various stage of decomposition.
The A and E horizons are normally intermixed in a single layer. Some pedons have a separate E horizon. The A horizon has hue of 5YR, 7.5YR, 10YR, or is neutral; value of 2 to 4; and chroma of 0 to 3. Reaction of the A horizon ranges from extremely acid to strongly acid.
The Bw1 horizon has hue of 5YR, 7.5YR, or 10YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 4 to 6.
The Bw2 horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 4 or 5, and chroma of 4 to 8. Reaction of the Bw horizons ranges from extremely acid to slightly acid.
The BC horizon has hue of 10YR or 7.5YR, value of 5 or 6, and chroma of 4 to 6. Reaction ranges from strongly acid to slightly acid.
The C horizon has hue of 7.5YR or 10YR, value of 6, and chroma of 3 or 4. It is sand or coarse sand. Dark minerals are more common in the northwestern part of the soils range. Some pedons have color bands below 102 centimeters (40 inches) that do not qualify for lamella. Reaction ranges from moderately acid to neutral.
Some pedons have a banded substratum below 203 centimeters (80 inches).
Some pedons have a loamy substratum below depths of 152 centimeters (60 inches).
Calcareous phases recognized.
Deep water table phases are recognized.
COMPETING SERIES: The Lavell series. The Lavell soils average more than 50 percent fine sand in the control section and have a wet soil moisture status at 107 centimeters (42 inches) in the spring and fall.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Grayling soils are on outwash plains, deltas, and lake plains, kames and disintegration moraines of Wisconsinan Age. Slope gradients are dominantly less than 8 percent but range from 0 to about 45 percent. These soils formed in sandy glaciofluvial sediments. Average annual precipitation ranges from 690 to 860 millimeters (27 to 34 inches), and mean annual temperature from 4.4 to 8.3 degrees C (40 to 47 degrees F).
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the somewhat excessively drained Graycalm, excessively drained Rubicon and moderately well drained Croswell soils on similar landscape positions. The somewhat poorly drained Au Gres and poorly drained Deford soils are in lower landscape positions or depressions.
DRAINAGE AND SATURATED HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY: Excessively drained. The potential surface runoff is negligible to low depending on the slope. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is high.
USE AND VEGETATION: Used for woodland. Jack pine is the principal tree species in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, whereas jack pine and scrub oak are principal tree species in the northern part of the Lower Peninsula. Ground cover includes blueberries, lichens, mosses, sweet fern, and wintergreen.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northern Lower Peninsula and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and northern Wisconsin. The series is of large extent.
MLRA OFFICE RESPONSIBLE: Indianapolis, Indiana
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Alger County, Michigan, 1929.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: ochric epipedon - zone from the surface to 0 to 8 centimeters (3 inches) (A horizon).
The 2007 update changed the mineralogy to isotic, after a review of lab data collected throughout the series geographic extent, moved the pedon to a more representative site, changed all measurements to metric, and updated the competing series section again.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Soil Interpretation Record No. MI0097; LOAMY SUBSTRATUM PHASE (MI0652); BANDED SUBSTRATUM PHASE (MI0653).